Pursue Your Passion

March 26, 2019BlogMotivation

What was the last thing you did that made you feel pure joy? Is there something that invigorates your soul and makes you feel complete?

Purpose and passion come in all styles and packages. Yours may not be straightforward like being a brilliant guitar player. It could be your compassion for others or the ability to bounce back in stressful situations. Your unique gift, whatever that may be, should be embraced and enjoyed without the fear of judgement or rejection.

 “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” —Oprah Winfrey

What if you haven’t discovered your gift yet? Can you think of anything that gives you those positive butterfly flutters? What activities made your heart sing and time fly by at record speed? Tap into what you enjoyed when your heart recognized what it was that brought you joy, use that as inspiration. Allow yourself to search for your gift with open arms, ready to grasp any opportunity that brings you happiness. Embrace new opportunities and say yes to finding something you love.

“Even if I have no idea where I’m going or how to get there, I prefer to say yes, instead of no. Opportunity favors the bold.” -Richard Branson

Most of my life I’ve been blessed with the “gift of gab”. Anyone who knows me would agree my passion is communication. I love sharing the message of positivity with the world. I own a company that teaches effective persuasive communication, I say hello to people on the street, I’m thrilled to speak in front of crowds, and I have a podcast. It’s clear I like to communicate and connect with others. Believe it or not I was not some child prodigy that talked early or had some signs of future greatness, actually it was quite the opposite.

I was an extremely quiet child. So much so that my teachers marked me absent by mistake (more than once). School nurses sent me home because they assumed my quietness was due to illness and my parents’ friends asked if “something was wrong with her”. The old phrase, she was born with it, didn’t apply to me. I was far from a gifted child. I was labeled as shy and quiet even though on the inside I didn’t feel fearful or meek. I was carefully observing the world around me. As I entered my teenage years and began to work in customer service, I found my voice! From that point on my friends laughed that I never stopped talking and those closest to me suggested that I pursue a career in sales or public speaking.

Finding your passion or gift brings meaning to life and inspiration to those around us. Identifying your gift or purpose is not set in stone, it can evolve and change. We all have the potential for greatness. Don’t allow your gift to be restricted by gender, race, age, or any other barriers.

“You were designed for accomplishment, engineered for success, and endowed with the seeds of greatness” -Zig Ziglar

It truly does not matter how unreachable your dream may seem and there’s no better example to inspire you than Sister Madonna Buder. She dedicated her life to the Roman Catholic Church becoming a nun at the age of 23. In her late 40s a colleague suggested she take up exercising for health and relaxation. Sister Madonna fell in love with running and then she discovered triathlons. If you’re not familiar that includes a swim, bike, and run. Then taking it even farther she qualified and competed in the Ironman Triathlon which is a 2.4-mile swim, 115-mile bike race, and then a 26-mile marathon run…all in one day. Ironman is a grueling race reserved for the world’s elite athletes. Sister Madonna currently holds the world record for oldest person to complete the Ironman at age 82. She is irrefutable proof that you have the ability to find a new passion at any time in your life. To learn more about her inspiring story read The Grace to Race and listen to my Positive Forward Motion Podcast Interview with Sister Madonna Buder.

You can be whatever makes you feel strong, powerful, enlightened, and energized. Your gift can be a skill or characteristic that you bring to the table that sets your soul on fire. Every one of us has a unique and wonderful ability. Share your passions with the world! If you haven’t found your gift just yet, don’t worry it’s never too late!

“If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.” —Bishop T.D. Jakes