Why Passion Matters

Passion – I confess I’m a little cautious about writing this because I know it can be a divisive topic. The inspirational quotes telling you to follow your dreams and do what you love are wonderful sentiments but we live in the real world, right? Is it just a fantasy that everyone is passionate about something?

So if you’ve come to this article thinking ‘I’m just not a passionate person, nothing really excites me that much’ then believe me you are not alone! I absolutely was with you up to a few years ago – working in a role that didn’t excite me (although there were bits that were OK), I really didn’t know what I wanted and what I really enjoyed. This is the experience of so many of us and we can look at the people who somehow have found their ‘thing’ in life and are making it work and feel like we don’t measure up or we’ll never experience that fulfilment.  

Negative experiences and culture can cause us to supress feelings of joy and excitement and even tell us that indulging in what we love is ‘wrong’ or ‘selfish’.

• Was there a time when someone belittled you or told you to pipe down when you were expressing yourself freely making you feel ashamed?
• Did you have parents who steered you away from a path you wanted to pursue because they were concerned it wasn’t ‘safe’ enough?
• Did you have teachers or even a school culture that promoted particular subjects and devalued others?
• Have you tried to follow your dreams and failed leaving you feeling totally devastated?

All these things can cause us to bury what we delight in and just plough on through life. We may find happiness and contentment along the way but there will always be a nagging sense that we are missing something.

It’s true that some people are naturally (and nurtured to be) more passionate in terms of feelings and giving themselves to those feeling than others. But I truly believe that everyone has passions – it might just look very different. It might look like technology or numbers or data. I could look like talking to the homeless or reading to the elderly. It might look like comics or organising or family history!

• When have you ever felt in ‘the flow’ whilst doing an activity?
• What are you drawn to more than others?
• What would make you sad if you never got to do it again?  

Sometimes our passions are there and can be seen in our childhood and other times we might discover something later in life that just really hits the spot and makes our heart sing – have you even found it yet?

Now, what I’m not advocating is that everyone can make a living from what they are passionate about, it might simply not be possible. But making room for them in your life has many benefits including better mental health and wellbeing. I saw a wonderful clip on TV the other day about a singer who also loved to paint and she was painting a picture of her father who is a bus driver. At the end of the clip the singer was interviewed and she revealed that her father was also a talented sculptor.  His passion for sculpting had inspired her and given rise to her creativity in music and art. He wasn’t making his living from it, but he made room in his life for his passion and his passion’s legacy was seen in his daughter who was making her living from her passions.

So why is passion so important? The things we love are the key to a fulfilled life, a life well lived. Passions are a wonderful signpost to our purpose (the reason we are on this planet or what we can contribute) and even if we can’t survive on our passions alone, giving them higher priority in our life will bring us joy, hope and satisfaction.

Coaching is a wonderful way to re-connect to the things you love as a way of moving forward to a more fulfilling future. Find out more about working with me here.