Yesterday we talked about keeping our dreams alive, putting spurs to them and making them happen. We discussed the idea that life doesn’t kill dreams, but we do. And we looked at what Walt Disney Said, “All dream can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”
Today I want to take us to a new place. It’s connected to dreams in many ways and I believe it is the fuel that powers our dreams. That fuel is passion.
Passion has been turned into a word that seems to have more connection to sex these days than dreams, but that is not the case. John Eldredge quotes in his book Wild At Heart, “Don’t ask what the world needs, ask what you are passionate about, because that is what the world needs.”
In other words: don’t go out and say to yourself, “The bank needs tellers, so I guess I’ll work there”, or, The job I am at needs a new middle management guy, I’ll go after that.” Don’t just take what is just showing up in front of you, find out what you care about and do it.
I am not saying to wait until the “perfect” job comes along, and don’t work until you get it. To paraphrase Saint Paul: “If someone doesn’t work neither let him eat.” What I am saying is do your best to do the things that you are passionate about. We were all created with certain gifts in different areas. If we do not use these gifts they wither away and we do not become the full person we can be. When we do this our hearts become hard and we become bitter. “I should have”, becomes the mantra at the end of our lives. The bitterness can become a disease that leads us to over eat and do other harmful things to ourselves.
So, today what are you passionate about? Do you love to sing? Join a choir! Do you act? Hit your local community theater. Do you love to build things but have an executive position at a company? Habitat for Humanity needs you. Your gifts are the things you should be passionate about. What turns you on? What gets you excited about life? What makes you who you are? What are your passions? Ask yourself these questions and go out and change the world. We were all made to fulfill a spot here on Earth. Let’s go out and fill that spot. Will we always be paid for what we are passionate about? No! But we can have the satisfaction that we gave our gifts all the opportunity to flourish and we know our lives have been fulfilling. The more we fill our lives with passion the less we will fill our lives with things that can harm us.
Follow your passion, it may not bring you gold, but it will bring you joy.
