Tuesday, February 15, 2011

So what is my passion?

I keep talking about how I've found my passion in life and, unbeknownst to me, I've been doing it all along! But I haven't told you what it is.

Why?

Well, it's difficult to explain. My passion hasn't turned out to be so cookie-cutter. I don't mean "cookie-cutter"  in a bad way, I mean it just wasn't so clear. Like knitting, or rebuilding muscle cars, or cultivating mushrooms to save the world (although those all sound like fun!).

I suppose the most simple way to put it - my passion is being myself.

Let's go back to that quote that I keep mentioning and break it down:
"I've been so busy doing what I really want to do that I don't have time for what I think I want to do."

The whole time that I was searching for my passion in life, I thought it was going to be another mask I'd have to wear. Like, The Knitter or The eBay Seller or The Organizer. It's the thing I thought I'd want to do, that I needed to prepare for. I figured I'd have to be 100% proficient in whatever it was that I picked before I could make a profit.

And sure, that's how the world works, right? You go to college to become proficient in what you want to do with your life, so you can make money! I knew I didn't want to go the college route, though. It's so rigid, and I've always known passion was fiery and unpredictable; often, forcing yourself to enjoy your passion will just squelch the fire.

That's the brick wall I kept running into. How am I supposed to force myself to stick to my passion long enough to make a profit if I know that the act of forcing it will likely just make it a chore, just like any other job?

The thing is, I think... if you really want to be successful in doing what you love, you gotta have faith.

And I'm not talking about religion. I'm talking about faith in yourself. Faith that you can make it. Faith that everything will be okay. That's something I think our society is lacking in these days. Everyone is so afraid that they will fail or they won't be good enough. The thing is - all of the people who have made themselves successful - they felt that fear, too. But they didn't let fear control the decisions they made, and they didn't let fear keep them in a cubicle.

And that's what I'm striving for. My passion is all the things I've mentioned. It's being an incredible mom. It's being a magnificent partner. It's unschooling. It's simplifying. It's learning new things. Tasting new tastes. Testing new ideas. Nourishment. Taking care of myself and taking care of others. There's an endless, ever-changing list! Not just one thing.

My passion is so many things all at once. They are all me. This whole time, all I needed to do was just be myself.

How merely being myself is going to help me quit my job is something I haven't quite figured out yet! I suppose that will be my leap of faith once I've put together an adequate safety net - enough money for my family to get by for 3 months. That's about $2,500 for our family of 4. Luckily, I'm not interested in getting rich, so we don't need too much money (and we're slowly working on going moneyless).

Here are a few relevant links about doing what you want with your life:

Ash from the Middle Finger Project recently wrote about tenacity and humility and risking failure in Argentina (and all over the world):
Argentina + An 11-Year-Old Boy + Greatest Business Asset of All

Another feature I LOVE on the Middle Finger Project - Fear Exposed. This week Elisa tells us how being herself got her a Forbes.com column:
Fear, Exposed -- Featuring Elisa Doucette

Last but definitely not least, Nina Yau from Castles in The Air has overcome some fears and the comfort of "playing it safe" and is in Taiwan living her dreams! Yay, Nina! =D


Live From Taipei, Taiwan: Living Your Dreams from Nina Yau on Vimeo.

20 comments:

  1. Good blog. Lots of good advice in this piece. Well done!

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  2. You are an incredibly brave person to commit to something so primitive, especially during hard times of the economy. I hope you can accomplish anything you believe in! Please keep writing blogs.

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  3. Thanks guys, I really appreciate your comments! =)

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  4. I can't believe that we have so much in common. We are...We are unschooling our kids....We just bought 10 acres of land in OR in the middle of nowhere to grown an organic self sustainable life...We should talk!

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  5. my passion is film making :) we all have to find our own

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  6. Very nice, Lots of great advice here. Also it is interesting to see your from Washington. I used to live in southern WA

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  7. Just follow your heart and start/keep plugging away at it. Money follows perseverance in most cases, you just have to go for it!

    Follow and supporting!

    Garage Zoku

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  8. You're so confident in your choices that I'm certain it will work out for you. :]

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  9. It's great to see someone having an epiphany and letting us know on their blog.

    Great stuff, I'm behind you all the way. Good luck.

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  10. its hard for me to be so headstrong. i really thought this year was going to be good for me, but now im not so sure. some cutbacks happen and it sends you right back to square one. i guess im easily shaken. i admire your ambition though and i hope things work out for you. dont give up!

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  11. Lol, I wish I had enough inner power and strength as you do. I can't even get up before 12.

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  12. sounds like an interesting time, I too have to stop playing it safe

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  13. Being happy to be who you are is a great thing! I congratulate you on your revelation!!

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  14. Wow, I don't have threaded comments? This will have to be taken care of! =)
    @LifeHacks: Wow, that's awesome! If you would like to talk, hit me up on Twitter. =D
    @Spongeworthy: Ha, I rarely get up before 12 either. =D It's not stopping me though!
    @everyone else: Thanks for the comments everybody, this is great! =D

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  15. Faith in yourself is something that a lot of people don't have these days. I think the first step to acquiring that faith is actually trying. Which is another issue in itself. Great post.

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  16. I can really relate with that video, I moved overseas and have been in Costa Rica for the last few years. But you hit alot of nails right on the head, the most important passion anyone should have is securing and relishing in their own individuality. Great blog, excellent writing style, following to hopefully see alot more every day ;)

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  17. hey i like the way your blog looks too, very clean design. nice post too btw

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  18. Oh geez.
    Added new comment system...
    Old comments gone. =/
    Hopefully not forever though!

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