So many of us have squashed our passions for the sake of paying for the mortgage or trying to just keep the lights on at home. What we end up leading is a life of quite misery as joy is replaced by a world that seems to be in darkness. We are trapped in indentured servitude and feel like we have nowhere to go to escape…..I’m here to share with you that there is a way out!
Can you remember when you were in primary school and you had such incredible dreams for your life? You wanted to be a fireman, a doctor, travel the world or help people in poor countries. What’s to stop you from doing any of these things?
In my personal time each morning I sometimes like listening to an inspirational speaker on Youtube and it just so happens that last Friday I found myself listening to a great one. She basically said, people don’t pursue what they are passionate about because of fear.
More than that, the brain is wired to avoid challenging circumstances because they are uncomfortable, and the brain wants to keep us safe. Those people that succeed in fulfilling their passions are those that determine through discipline to overcome what their brain is telling them.
It's easy to stay in bed but atheletes get up early each morning to go through a hurtful training session. They discipline their brain to obey their desires and through the process pursue their passion. She said a lot more than this but that was my take.
Last night I had the privilege of listening to an amazing artist talk, among many other things, about her art. I found that I was listening less to the words and more to the emotions she conveyed with her voice and body language. She was a lady full of passion and her entire demeanour reflected the passion she has for her paintings….it was awesome!
The lady could have played it safe and got a job to earn some money so she could buy a bigger television, a new car or go on a holiday….but she didn’t. She poured herself into her art and the joy in her face from pursuing it was palpable. No amount of money could replace what her passion was giving her.
In western society many of us fall into the “more” trap when what we really need to do is stop and think about why we are doing what we are doing. There’s nothing wrong with paying mortgages and putting food on the table but there needs to be more to life then a feeling of being captured by the system.
I recently read a book titled “Wild at Heart” and its thesis was that men were born to be wild (I believe there is a women’s version of this book). What society has done is put men in a box and essentially say, “Now be safe.”
It starts from when they are young boys, wanting to climb a tree and someone well-meaning person tells them climbing is dangerous. Who cares if the kid breaks an arm? Let them pursue their ten-year-old passion!
For many people, they’ve had all their passions knocked out of them by family members, teachers, pastors, work colleagues or well-meaning friends. The reality is what they want to do is hike through the Himalayas, build a business, walk the El Comino or construct Lego building they can actually live in. Whatever it is they feel like they are currently living a shell of a life.....how sad.
So what’s your passion and are you pursuing it or has life squashed your dreams? I would encourage you this weekend to think about what it was like when you were 10 years old and had big audacious dreams about what you were going to do when you were an adult. And like the Nike slogan….just do it!
Have a great weekend!
Michael