Whenever I ask anyone about their passions, their face lights up and they’re suddenly grinning ear-to-ear. They’re excited, and they just can’t stop talking about it. Then, at some point, their energy drops and they say something like “Oh well, it’s just a dream…I gotta be realistic.” If you look up the word “realistic” in the dictionary, you’ll find this definition: “resembling or simulating real life.”
Well, I certainly don’t want a life that’s simulated. Rather, I want one in which I’m expressing my full passions and possibilities, so that when I die, I’m carrying no unsung tunes! So what’s the secret to releasing your own passions? Does it mean sacrificing your whole life and becoming a full-time, card-carrying starving artist or struggling entrepreneur? Not at all! Below are three simple steps to move forward today in your own passion story. Be aware, be accountable, and be active. Together these three steps represent my AAA card for leaping into my passions, and I never leave home without it.
Step 1: Be Aware of Your Passions
Passions point to your purpose, especially if they mesh with your inherent talents. Most of us have many passions! Try this exercise: Make a list of 100 passions that you have. Keep going even if you get stuck halfway through. How might you express at least one of your passions each week? How about each day? What becomes possible in doing so? Often, expressing our passions takes a back seat to other, more urgent matters in our life. That is, life simply gets in the way. My challenge to you: declare today that expressing your passions is both important AND urgent. Observe what happens when you make this declaration.
Step 2: Be Accountable for Your Passions
No one can release OR block your passions…except you. Releasing your passions is a conscious intention from a place of accountability. Miracles arise when you take responsibility for your passions and stop playing the victim (e.g,. “My family always comes first.” “My work gets in the way.”). Even in the midst of a recession, you can choose to commit to expressing your passions…regardless. Find an accountability partner who will hold you to this commitment in a loving, supportive way. How do you find one? Simply let others know that you want one, and notice who shows up! Like the old adage: “When the student is ready, the teacher will come.”
Step 3: Be Active
Dreams will stay dream-like until you take concrete steps towards them, even if they’re baby steps. One woman described to me her dream of creating a restaurant with great jazz music. When I asked her about her next steps, she simply said, “I can’t think of any!” After a few moments of frustrated silence, she declared three small, but mighty steps to move forward. “Wow,” she said afterwards. “I feel like a huge block has been removed, and I can finally move forward.”
What being active does NOT mean:
- Doing it alone. So build a solid, powerful support team – your cheerleading squad, including your accountability partner.
- Being broke. Do not leave your day job unless you have at least one year of savings. Having a part- or full-time job that can fund your passions is an excellent strategy. So be grateful if you have one!
- Sacrificing your current life. Instead, it simply means that you make your passions a priority and find time, even small chunks, to express them. So leaping into your passions fully can happen gradually over time, easily, gracefully, and prosperously.
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