I've been thinking a lot about passions lately-- what mine are vs. what I'm actually pursuing. I had a family member once tell me that I needed to just pick a "thing" I liked and stick with it. Sure, my hobbies and work ventures can sometimes seem all over the place, but I can't imagine feeling passionate about something... you know, truly in love with and inspired by something... and not at least attempting to chase it. There's always a chance of failure, sure, but as I move up in years, I want to continue to be braver and stronger. Putting yourself out there in any capacity can be scary, but the more strength you find in yourself, the more you are able to love yourself AND others. That's my experience, anyway. I'm continually a work in progress, as are all of us, but recognizing that and pushing through is the best thing ever. So... here's a sappy Tuesday post for all of you lovely people. Follow your passions. Explore your interests. Find people who relate with you on these levels and encourage each other. Strive to grow. Tell that fear of failure inside your head to go suck an egg.
This post is making me feel so full of positive energy. It's nice to have a wake up call once and a while that reminds you to do what you love.
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Katie thanks for the inspiration. It's more of a head and heart game isn't it, which voice will I listen to? The one that tells me to go for it, or the the what if, but I might fail. I'm 44 and I'm still battling the head talk, but I'm finding the more I'm out having a go, the stronger my positive voice becomes and the weaker the negative voice becomes. For most of the time it works this way, but I still do have days where my confidence is really low and I doubt myself even when I know I can do something. Pursing our passions just lights up our spirits and gives us an energy and zest for life that I can't find anywhere else. What is your passion? Mine is art and I'm planning on getting some lessons next year just on technique but I dint want to lose my zing I get when I paint and get bogged down in technical stuff. Have a fabulous week. I'm sure you guys are getting super excited that your formal moving date is close now.
ReplyDeleteTo happy and passion filled living. Have a fabulous week Katie xo
I love this, Denise! I want my positive voice to grow stronger and stronger, and you're right: pursuing passions builds this. The negativity will probably always be there (at least for me) but I will continue to do my best to give it its little bit of space in my head (to stay balanced, of course) and then choose to listen to the part of me that believes in what I have to offer.
DeleteThis has been on my mind a lot lately too, since I'm currently working on following my passions. I've always been the same, passionate about multiple things, but never really finding "the one", which has added quite a lot of stress to my life at times. But for the last couple of years, I've been learning that maybe I don't have to choose just one, maybe I can pursue in some way everything and anything that I'm passionate about and not have to feel guilty about it. I'm currently reading "Refuse to Choose" by Barbara Sher, a book that is exactly about this subject, and I have to say that, for anyone struggling with the idea of "picking something and sticking with it", it is really life changing.
ReplyDeleteHope you're having a great week!
Anna, that sounds like a great read. I struggle too, between my different passions. Art is one but then is love and want to do so many other things too. I'm going to look for this book. Hopefully it will help me too. Thanks for sharing . Have a fabulous week
DeleteIt's true. We're taught from such a young age to decide who we want to be and what we want to do, and I think the pressure we carry because of this often hinders what we "allow" ourselves to be. I hope I never stop finding new hobbies and passions.
DeleteVery sweet post! -Hanna Lei
ReplyDeleteI'm currently reading "Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear" by Elizabeth Gilbert, which goes right along with this post! It is a truly inspiring read about maintaining a creative lifestyle, but one point I really loved reading was on the topic of passions. Gilbert talks about how she feels telling someone to fulfill their passion is a disservice. She argues, if you had one passion you are probably already following it, and if you're stuck on what your "passion" is then it's probably because you have multiple interests (or passions). She instead encourages you to follow your curiosities, all of them, because you never know where they might lead.
ReplyDeleteYes! I think anything someone might feel interested in exploring is worth their time. Even if you find you don't end up loving something the way you thought you would, it's just another opportunity to move onto the next "curiosity" (<--- I love that, btw.)
DeleteI agree Katie! I very much feel all over the place. I've always started multiple projects or started learning something before getting to a point where I feel I'm really great at it. Some people are great at focusing on one thing and others go a different route, trying multiple things at once and there's nothing wrong with that! :) I have to shut out the distractions-aka less time on social media. It's doable! I just have to be self disciplined. But it's totally worth it because when I do, I go way further and dive deeper into my projects and find myself more satisfied with my work.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! Also, I often find working on multiple projects at once keeps me from getting bored or burnt out in another area!
DeleteAs of late, this issue had been on my mind a lot. Thank you for the inspiration and encouragement. I needed this.
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DeleteSo crazy that you post about this today when I found this video last night:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ted.com/talks/emilie_wapnick_why_some_of_us_don_t_have_one_true_calling?share=19dc40c36f
It really spoke to me. Having many different passions in a world that tells us that we should stick to one thing is difficult. More often than not, those of us who are what Emilie calls "multipotentialites" feel like there is something wrong with us because our interests are so varied. These types of people are valuable and we are changing the world. Don't be afraid to be yourself and follow these passions, no matter what other people think.
Awesome comment
DeleteYes! I agree wholeheartedly! If people with multiple interests abandoned all but one or two, imagine what could be wasted!
DeleteI love this post, great reminder, so true, so thank you!
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Who cares if you are all over the place? If you can make it work and be happy then more power to you!
ReplyDeleteI really needed to read this today!
ReplyDeleteI recently wrote a blog post about this exact topic. I was listening to a podcast where the host asked, in regards to how to find your passion, "what makes you angry"? Not little things but just, like, what really gets your internal gears going?
ReplyDeleteI thought that I didn't have a passion but after thinking of it from that perspective, I was able to identify mine. :)
Aw, this is so perfect. I started my blog recently and I've been working on finding my niche in the blogging world. This post just reminded me that maybe I don't need to stick to just one thing - I can be all over the place because that's authentic and that's just me. The whole reason I started my blog was to have fun and tell people about the things I love! As long as it makes me happy and brings me joy to write - I'm going to write it!
ReplyDeleteThank you for that! :)
I've always felt the same way to extent... especially in the blog world. Am I a fashion blog? Mommy blog? Craft blog? After a while, I realized how unimportant is was for me to fit into one niche. Just continue to share what you love!
DeleteHa, love the last sentence!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the inspirational post! I agree as I get older I feel that I' become stronger and should just go for my dreams. But there is still that little voice in my head saying that if I try I will fail. I should ignore that voice and at least try so that I don't ended regretting my decisions later.
ReplyDeleteI think that little voice will always be there, we just have to believe in our abilities more than we believe it!
Deleteyeah I definitely needed this today!! Thanks for sharing your world of mom and maker it's an inspiration to do what you love even when you're busy and have commitments :)
ReplyDeletethank you!
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