Imagine this – you wake up in the morning feeling excited about your day – you’re motivated, focused, and have this deep sense of joy and direction. As the day progresses, time flies by (in other words, your not looking at the clock all day), you bless people with what you do and you feel that you are blessed by others too, and at the end the day you’re feeling fulfilled, free, and simply fabulous! Now imagine living days like that, again and again…
Don’t we all dream of having days like this? Or do you think this is too far fetched? I’m here to tell you, it’s absolutely possible and you have everything you need to make it happen, right inside of you.
This is the kind of day that you get if you are living with PASSION and PURPOSE.
So the question is – What kind of days are you living?
My sister Beth was an OB Nurse for over 20 years – she absolutely loved her job. So much so, I used to joke that she’d rather live at a hospital than be at home with her family (and yes, she loved her husband and kids dearly). But something at her job made her passionate and energized for what she was doing. She honestly loved the days she worked and had no problem working overtime to help others. Then a couple years ago she was recruited and offered an Office Administrator job for a large OB specialization clinic. If she accepted this job, she would go from a hands on clinical role as a nurse to an office leadership administrative role, which as you know are polar opposites.
Being in healthcare administration myself, during this time, I felt it my duty to warn her of what she was getting into. I told her of the headaches, long hours, ever changing governmental regulations, massive amounts of paperwork and thanklessness of the job that she would experience in administration. However, she still accepted the job and to my dismay, something interesting happened. She loved the job! I’m sure the things I had warned her about were still there, but they didn’t seem bother her the way they did me. And we are both optimistic people so it wasn’t that. Instead, she seemed even more joyful as each day went on. I think she loved it just as much as being an OB nurse! I was astonished. This made no sense to me. I thought she would be miserable and instead she was happy and thriving.
So I wondered why it was so different for me. After some deep thought and reflection (and this did not happen overnight), I came to understand that I was living my purpose while working my first 15 -20 years in healthcare. I didn’t necessarily love the job duties but I loved what the job allowed – a flexible schedule so I could attend all my kids school events, the ability to work at home and keep up a household, the opportunity to find employment every time I was transferred as a military spouse and then later the ability to keep things running fairly successfully as a single mom.
As my boys got older and were in H.S., they were more occupied with sports and their own friends. Although I was still very involved in their lives, but I started to miss having co-workers. I decided to look for a job where I was no longer working for home. I secured employment in a managerial role for a large orthopedic clinic. At first it was great but then when my boys left for college a couple years later, I began to feel unfulfilled. It wasn’t coincidental that my unhappiness started when I started a new chapter in my life as an empty nester. I know longer had the same purpose and although some may find purpose in their paid employment, I really didn’t. I did however enjoy the affirmation from doing something well so began working crazy long hours – One of the first to arrive in the morning and generally the last to leave in the evening. Although I was successfully climbing the corporate ladder, each new role made me even more unfulfilled than the role before. In my mind, I thought if I could just get to the next tier or higher position, I’d be satisfied. So I’d work extremely hard, get promoted and then be left with the same unsatisfied feeling and start all over again. It was a viscous cycle.
I longed for the day when I would wake up feeling excited for my day ahead. Instead, I was going to bed stressed, hardly sleeping, and waking up feeling drained and dreading the day. My lack of passion was like a blinking light telling me something was not right, but I didn’t know what to do or how to change it. By worldly standards, my job title and pay check should have brought me happiness. But it wasn’t . Have you ever felt that way?
Passion is the energy and emotions that drive you, while Purpose is the reason and direction for everything that you do. Passion focuses on the How, while Purpose focuses on the What & Why. My purpose for 20 years of my life was that of a mom and trying to raise my children to be healthy, happy and successful so they could survive and thrive on their own when grown. My paid job allowed me to parent in a way where I was fulfilling my purpose. This then resulted in so much joy and happiness in my life – and kept me going even during the difficult times as a single mom.
Now, as an empty nester (well I have had some boomerang moments with my children, but again, another podcast), my purpose now is helping others find their purpose, even sooner than I did, so they can live a fulfilled life with meaningful joy – regardless of whatever stage of life they are in. That way, they can look forward to every day and live their best life.
Discovering your Passion and Purpose can lead you to living the kind of life that you were meant to live – doing the things you were meant to do, having the things you were meant to have, and being the great, victorious person that God intended you to be (1 Cor 15:57). Honestly, I can’t think of anything greater!
I chose to discuss Passion & Purpose together because understanding and having both Passion & Purpose forms a critical Partnership for success. You can’t have one without the other. A life without purpose would be meaningless and a life without passion would be lifeless. And God meant for us to live life to the full (Jn 10:10). Though it may need some deep reflection on our part to figure out what we are truly are passionate about, and what our real purpose is, the time we take to sort our innermost thoughts and feelings, and the risk we take to living out according to what we are called to do, is well worth it. In fact, beyond glorious.
So let’s talk about this Passion. I love the definition from Oxford Dictionary – a strong and barely controllable emotion. Are you ready for living a passionate life? If so, here’s some basics to know about passion:
First – Passion is Energy – it is like the fuel that keeps you going. It is that inner drive that pushes you forward. But! Doing something that you are passionate about doesn’t mean having the same kind of high-level energy every minute of every day – especially as you get older. Yes at times you may feel intensity, but passion is the kind of solid, steady energy that keeps you doing, keeps you going, keeps you pushing, for the long haul. It may sometimes wane, and that’s ok. After all, we are not built to be the energizer bunny going 24/7. As Neil deGrasse Tyson puts it “Passion is what gets you through the hardest times that might otherwise make strong men weak.”
Second – Passion has always been inside you. I promise you it has been! You don’t need to find it externally. It is there deep within your core. Most of you know what you are passionate about if you dig deep. Sometimes your chose to either ignore it, or intentionally bury it, or even unintentionally bury it because of what the world says about it. An example would be deliberately downplaying, hiding, or ignoring our talent for drawing because we are taught we won’t earn a decent living with that skill or we wouldn’t be good enough to succeed.
Next fact, Passion is for everyone. It isn’t just experienced by artists, dreamers, inventors, or visionaries. Passion lives within all of our souls. This includes stock brokers, realtors, computer techs, stay at home moms, cashiers at Walmart, etc. We all have passion inside of us and it’s up to us to decide if we will let this passion radiate outside of us as well.
Working on your Passion doesn’t have to involve big, extreme, “impactful” projects. There’s no such thing as a plain activity or endeavor if you do it with enthusiasm and excellence. What’s mundane for one, can be a thrill for another. I actually get such a thrill and sense of satisfaction when I complete an online digital scrapbook – yet, that would be like a prison sentence for my husband if I asked him to make one. He on the other hand, loves reading ESPN stats on his phone and can do it for hours. For me, that might be more painful than childbirth.
Working on your Passion entails sacrifice (not necessarily suffering). Engaging in activities that you are passionate about doesn’t mean it’s always going to be a smooth-sailing, joy-filled journey. There may be haters or disbelievers in what you are doing that try to discourage you. There may be bumps, roadblocks, and detours, that may require flexibility and sacrifices on your part. But then, sacrificing for what you love and believe in is very different from suffering for what you think you should be doing (We’ll save this sacrifice vs suffering for another podcast in the future!)
It’s important to know that Finding your Passion doesn’t mean quick impulsive decisions (again, unlike many Hollywood moves). It’s not like quitting your job means you will immediately find happiness. Instead, it’s possible to have your 8-5 job, and engage in your passion projects on your free time or on the weekends. Doing what your passionate about doesn’t mean giving up all the rest of your activities. Until such time where your passion projects allow you the financial stability to leave your 8-5 job, it’s ok to be working on your daily grind while having your passion projects as something to look forward to each day or week. Having these passion projects are what will bring you joy in your life despite having to do certain things that are not joyful to you.
The last fact I want to leave you with on Passion, is that passion is not usually just one thing – it can be many things and they can change as you change. It is truly possible to have multiple passions (Ex: cooking, designing logos, dancing, working out), and it’s ok to pursue them as long as you have the time and resources for it. Your job may or may not be your passion. My son is in his second year teaching middle school, ugghhh kill me now if I had to teach that age, but he loves it. He is so passionate and excited about what he is doing and how he is helping these students. This is probably the best type of teacher and being motivated the best type of person for any job.
So now we need to figure out how you REDISCOVER those passions that may be buried deep within you.
Here’s my top 10 “F” words (and none of these are the bad “F” word) that will help you find your passions. Really think about each one as I say them to realize how many passions you may have:
The first one is #1 FLOW – what activities get you in the zone? What activities or topics get you focused and lost in time? What activities seem natural and easy for you?
#2 FREE – what activities/topics/causes set your spirit free? What type of projects make you feel YOU – What activities do you engage in that make you like yourself when you do them (For me, this happens when I have an opportunity to speak and motivate or teach others)? Also, what activities are you willing to do for free?
#3 FRESH – what activities light you up? Make you feel refreshed the next day?
#4 FIERY – what activities naturally energize you ? (What are you enthusiastic about? What causes/beliefs/topics are you willing to “die” for? What burns brightly within you?
#5 FUN – what activities do you enjoy doing the most? What brings you joy? When you find yourself feeling that inner smile
#6 FAR-REACHING – what activities or projects that you are good at doing or enjoy, can help benefit others too? What do people say that you bless them with? Friends or family automatically turn to you for what?
#7 FORTUNATE – what activities do you engage in that make you feel grateful to be alive? What activities lead you to opportunities that you are more than happy to grab?
#8 FLOURISHING – what activities or projects give you that sense of growth? Those that make you feel that you are Thriving, and not just surviving?
#9 FRUITFUL – what activities/projects/causes encourage you to do more, and be more?(I’m teaching Sunday School to 3rd graders for the first time and loving it. Discovering this makes me want to do more like it.)
#10 FULFILLED – what activities/projects/causes make you feel that all the time, talent, and treasure you gave was well worth it? (I get this way when I am helping my mom with her cancer treatments or my mother in law when she was afraid to leave the house due to Covid. Being a care taker is incredibly rewarding and satisfying for me) What gives you the most overall satisfaction?
If you need help figuring out what you are truly passionate about, join me on a FREE 30 min call and let’s journey together towards a passion-filled and purposeful life.
Let’s turn now and spend a quick minute focusing on passions partner – PURPOSE:
Your Purpose is your true north – it leads you to WHERE you’re supposed to go and WHO you’re meant to be. It is discovering the and living the life you were created to live. God has created each of us for a purpose (Eph 2:10). We are given unique gifts and talents, which if honed and shared to help others, can lead us to living a full, meaningful, and joyful life. Pursuing what we are called to do turns life’s stumbling blocks into stepping stones – everything works out for our own good (Rom 8:28).
To find out more about your Life Purpose – why it’s important, the blocks that stop you from finding your unique purpose, and what to do to discover it – download my free gift to you – A Path to My Purpose on my website or if you are watching with the power point, just click the.
I hope that the Passion Confirmations above, and the Purpose Exercise in My Path to Purpose lead you to finally discovering what you need to lead a more meaningful, joy-filled life.
I’d like to leave you with a couple Bible verses and quotes to inspire you in your discovery for passion and purpose –
– “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” (Prov 16:3)
– “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Ps 16:11)
– ”If you love your work, you’ll be out there every day trying to do it the best you possibly can, and pretty soon everybody around will catch the passion from you — like a fever.” — Sam Walton (founder of Walmart and Sams Club)
– “Your past may not be perfect. But it was perfect for your purpose.” – Bo Sanchez
– ”Chase your passion, not your pension.” — Denis Waitley
And lastly –
– Do what you Love. Love what you Do. JUST BE YOU!