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“I think it’s the passion for what you do… and you finding something that you can be true to… something that’s really close to who you are as a person.You have to have PASSION for what you do… I LOVE it.” — Jay-Z to Oprah in response to his success
Sweat, toil and tears isn’t always necessary for a life of success, but hard work is. It may seem at first that you can’t do one of the above without the other occurring, but I disagree. The ingredient to this equation of hard work changes dramatically if the hard work you are putting in involves doing something you are passionate about.
Passion has an almost numbing attribute to it. Numbing in the sense that it doesn’t hurt, the effort isn’t painfully given, all time seems to disappear as the habit of checking the clock is deleted from your memory. Think about it. If you are a gardener – you can spend hours digging in the dirt and not realize the length of time that has flown by. If you are a writer, you can sit typing away, jotting down thoughts until your eyelids decide you must get some sleep. If you are a lover of nature, you can sit and enjoy a pristine lake in the early hours of the day and pay no mind to having to wake up so early. And if you are someone who loves to shop and pull a variety of outfits together, well . . . need I say more?
Let me first clarify by saying that I couldn’t agree more with Jay-Z’s quote. Yes, in order to achieve something great, something of extraordinary accomplishment, hard work must be put into it. But just as an immense amount of fuel must be put into a Boeing 747 in order for it to travel safely across an ocean, if you are passionate about what you are doing, passion is what will propel you to continue to spend those untold hours that you don’t get rewarded monetarily for in the beginning. And to you, spending time immersed in your passion will be a release, it will be fulfilling in a way you’ve never felt before, a way of expressing yourself because you couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Because once you discover your passion, it is a fire that burns inside of you that pushes you to do more than you could have ever at first imagined.
If you are at a point in your life where you feel you don’t know what your passion is or you feel, when you really think about it, something or someone else has determined what you should be passionate about, take the time to explore. Listen to you heart, let your gut guide you and try the things that are interesting to you. An example I observed in my life was my brother – he could spend hours, many times an entire day on the golf course without realizing morning had turned to dusk in seemingly a blink of an eye (well, except to know when to go to the clubhouse to get a sandwich) and I have to say, I couldn’t be prouder of him for pursuing a life as a golf pro because it is what he is truly passionate about.
You may not know why certain ideas and/or events/tasks are interesting, but for some reason they grab your attention. For example, in an interview this past weekend Paula Abdul shared that at the age of four when she saw Singing in the Rain on television for the time, she was immediately drawn to Gene Kelly. She became mesmerized. Now what good, sound reason would cause her to be drawn to something she had never seen before at such a young, yet unedited age? Something spoke to her. But the key here is, she was listening (and in this case, her parents were as well).
What speaks to you? What do you love to do, even if nobody else understands? So what if they don’t understand. View it as your very own scavenger hunt and pursue it, try new things, take new classes, introduce yourself to people in positions that intrigue you. Don’t be shy. This is your life and you just lost another minute.
While the work trying to discover what your passion is may bring toil and tears, once you discover it, only tears of joy will fall down. Trust me.
This is such a good post to start the year to. I’m still unaware of what my passion is, other than my unexplainable love for watching Grand Designs over and over again
xoxo Hermine
Let the church say “Amen!” Love this and will pass it on!
I too have no idea where my passions lie so this is excellent food for thought
Fab post for 2011~~~ I’m feeling inspired!!! Hope you had a great Christmas! xx
You are absolutely right! As soon as you discover your passion you can spend hours just doing what you love and it is such a joy to explore your inner self!)
Yelena,
XOXO
http://allglamthings.blogspot.com/
Yes, count me in as one who doesn’t have a clue…yet! Thanks for a great post. Melody
Beautiful thoughts, I read something today that I’ve been mulling–wasting time is not wasted time if you enjoy it. So true–I was feeling a bit guilty for indulging in pininterest this morning until I saw this quote on the site. VIsual stimulation is never wasted in the long run and sometimes the slower way of enjoyment brings much more meaningful creation…well, just a thought! Wishing you much happiness Shannon in this first week of the new year!
I fully agree in life, work, love, you get out what you put in. Many times, even more.
Hermine – I’d say you have a passion for something involving interior designs or beautiful style – so many options. Keep your chin up, I know you’ll find the right path. 🙂
Felicia S. – Thank you!
Tabitha – Have faith that the journey you are on is going to lead you exactly where you need to go to discover what your true passions are. As long as you are always keeping your eyes, heart and ears open, you’ll discover it.
Mary – Thank you! Always good to see that you’ve stopped by. 🙂
Melody – look for in the weeks to come a Why Not series on Finding Your Passion – it is something so many of us want to discover. I’ll do my best to help out in this quest.
Mary Jo – What a beautiful thought. Thank you for sharing. You are absolutely correct.
Laura – I like your thinking, and that extra is such a nice surprise, but very much earned. Thanks for stopping by.
Shannon,
I can’t believe I feel off the blogosphere for 6 months….but, alas I did. I’m finally back, and loving every minute of it!!
I thoroughly enjoyed your post. My passion lies in creating in the kitchen (obviously), and though I wasn’t able to food blog these past 6 months, I was still able to cook…and cook I did! I also managed to take many photographs of my food. It felt good…creating, creating & no presure of the blog. I’m hoping I’m back to stay…only time will tell…it’s all about striving the right balance so as not to neglect the other “luxuries” in my life.
So glad to see you’re still out here and doing well!! Off to catch up on some more of your posts…I still LOVE it here!
Denise @ Creative Kitchen
This entry still rings true in 2022! Right now, I am encountering the idea of “you had it in you all along” (Wizard of Oz) over and over, and that always means something. The Universe is sending it’s message! Shannon, this post, as well as the May 6th entry from your book, The Road to Le Papillon, is right on.
You felt the tug to the English countryside for a long time and knew you had to get there. When you got there, finally, you knew it was a part of you. These tugs are so important, and are meant to be followed up on in order to live a “simply luxurious life.” Isn’t it great that we all have different tugs?
Of course, now I want to go to experience the English countryside…
Oh Victoria, thank you for your comment and for the reference to the quote from The Wizard of Oz. Powerfully true, and a beautiful reminder to look within and have patience while we cultivate what wishes to be the gift we can uniquely give. I am so tickled you are enjoying the book and to hear that May 6th entry spoke to you. Thank you for all that you have shared. ☺️?