The Passion Within...

Passion – what is it? What comes to mind when you think of the word, passion? Is it your career? Photography? Writing? Perhaps you have an idea for the next best seller, or always wanted to start a non-profit to help the homeless, or finally writing that research proposal for funding, or even thinking about going back to school for your degree. As you think about what makes your heart and mind explode with excitement, what are some of the steps that you have taken to actualize your passion? Have you started to network, do research or even start to write about it? How do you work towards actualizing your passion? Do you continue to take baby steps towards your goal or are you diving in with your whole body, mind and soul.

As you continue to read about those who have started working towards your passion, or even living their passion, perhaps you are thinking that you have no time to pursue your passion. You are not alone, as you may be joined by the millions of others whose daily roles and responsibilities take precendence over cultivating a life-time passion. But don't get discouraged. The difference between those who are living their passion, those who are starting and those who have not begun is simple: You are still building the foundation for your passion and may not even realize it.

For those who are trying to connect passion to what seems like the daily grind in life, perhaps your passion seems like a long-lost friend in your mind – always in your mind, always wondering what happened to them, and always with very fond memories. However, know that every day presents a unique experience that continues to build who you are and what defines your passion. Think about that statement: Every single day - every moment of your life - your life experiences continue to mold and shape your thoughts and beliefs – every single day. By living your life and performing all the roles and responsibilities every single day - every tear, joy, trial and tribulation - every single day - continues to shape who you are. Because everything that you do every single day is an experience – good, bad, indifferent - or even the same routine every day. So, before you think that you have lost sight of your passion forever as you navigate the endless stream of life's roles and responsibilities, do not become discouraged, for you are building the foundation for your passion every single day. The difference is how you choose to take these experiences and harness those life lessons that continue to build deep inside of you. How you decide to define and create your passion is up to you: will writing in a journal about your experiences bring your passion to life? Will a photo shoot during a gentle snow fall in the morning capture your thoughts? Will writing a poem help you develop some creative verbiage for a new research or change project for work? Will all these experiences give you

the strength and courage to finally start or even complete your degree? What is it that you learned today that will build and define your passion?