This blog was one of the more difficult pieces to write. It was stressing to ask myself what were my passion(s)? But I hit the grey area. Probably I don’t have any passion to talk about. And that’s really a serious concern.
I do have some serious interests though. I will start with my training career. Without any formal training I started working as a soft skills trainer, I liked the idea of making a positive impact on my audience. I felt that my own self-esteem grew higher, and that really felt good.
Secondly, I have a great interest in writing and reading. I have been writing close to 9 years now. It all started with the desire to jot down my memories from my first crush in a diary, it was back in the year 1999. Like many of us I dream of publishing a book, since the year 2007 I have procrastinated so much that it’s been 9 years that I have not been able to finish my book. Yes, that sucks!
I love to bake, I picked this skill 3 years back and just months before when I started my own café. My pleasure giving neurons gets triggered when I see a cake rise, and when I am able to ice it. The very process is soothing.
Pretty much like others, I like to explore places. I think I would change the term from ‘exploring’ to ‘being there’. When I travel, I don’t think I have ever explored places, I just like the idea of being there, that’s it. It really inspires my creativity. That’s how I am.
As a kid I used to ride a BMX, and my love for cycle is intact and growing, I have started cycling more seriously, and gradually covering longer distances. Surprisingly, it is helping my spine as well which was not in good shape (recovering from a slipped disc).
Congratulations if you have read till here, you might have been confused as well as amused that while I am talking about passion but I have all the while written my about hobbies and interest areas. But you know I had more items on the list, but may be some other time. Importantly, you need to know that your passion is very different from your hobbies. Yes!
The word Passion is one of the misnomer of our times. Many times, passion is synonymously misunderstood with our hobby(s) and livelihood. But then, can’t our hobbies be our passion, of course it can!
A hobby is an auxiliary activity, something that one pursuits outside one’s regular occupation especially for relaxation.
On the other hand, passion is not at all relaxing. Passion engulfs you like a storm, it chases you and never leaves you alone. Whether you have time for it or not, it incloses itself in your life. In the older English, passion also meant to ‘suffer’ and therefore it is a sacrifice one is ready and willing to give and is thrilled about it.
Then, how to know/find your passion?
The answer to that question starts with finding your purpose of life. When you begin with the end in mind you will also build the bridge to reach your aim. You will relentlessly build that bridge to reach the end, you will give all your energy, emotion, and time as bad as you want to breathe. When you find your purpose, you find your passion, and when you have found your passion you will continue to pursue it despite what it may cost you.
Passion is the common ingredient between a novelist losing all the sleep over her next lines, when a fighter is knocked out inside a ring but trains hard for the next fight, and when an entrepreneur sacrifices his personal life for the betterment of the society.
Passion and livelihood may not be connected, you perhaps work in the typical 9 to 6 set up in a govt office or in corporate. At the end of the day if you are contended then there’s no need to worry, but if you find yourself complaining then it’s time for you to pause and think.
I heard our lecturer in the college once said, “Don’t chase money because you will never have enough, chase your passion and you will have enough money”.
While writing this blog I did a small survey on facebook to understand where the passion of people lie. Of the people who responded to the question couple of them said they are passionate about cooking and baking respectively. The former is a chef and the latter is a professional home baker.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/488346214653307/?ref=br_tf
Other passions mentioned by the respondents were- Poetry, Gardening, writing scribbles, social entrepreneurship, music, wall art, face art, mountain biking etcetera.
These are interesting subjects and having a passion for them is a wonderful thing.
80% of people are dissatisfied with their jobs according to Deloitte’s Shift Index survey, and therefore it can be figuratively said that only 20% or lesser than that percentage of the world is actually going out there, chasing the unknown and working on their passion.
And therefore, it is easier to understand why so much less percentage of world population is living happily and loving what they do. Most of us die incomplete and unaccomplished. That is sad. That is scary.
I was no different, I was typically standing in the category of 80%, and if I contemplate little I understand that I was lying far below in that percentage. I didn’t even had the slightest of the idea what I wanted from life. And no wonder why I faced hardships in a very detrimental way.
How I discovered my purpose?
For me, and for anyone else if you are trying to figure out your purpose in life then start with the question Why?
Why do I have to travel that far?
Why do I earn that extra income?
Why do I have to survive another day, and another night?
Why do I bake?
Why do I write?
Simply start by asking the core question- Why? Remember if your why(s) are not strong you will give up easily when you face hardships. Keep asking the question until your why is not strong enough. If you don’t get the answer to your why, then it’s not your passion. Simple!
My purpose in life is simply defined by I-square– inspire & get inspired!
Whether I am talking to an audience, whether I am writing or reading, whether I am training my leg muscles while cycling, and whether I am baking, I am doing it with the purpose of inspiring the humankind and get super inspired at the same time. The very thought of these two elements fuels my intention. My core interest areas are transforming into passion, but not yet. But I am not making myself a fool by calling the things that I love to do as passion, not yet.
But the transformation is coming as I change the whole paradigm of looking into life itself, when I can contribute to the wellness of the people through life coaching, counselling, baking, cycling, gathering new experiences by travelling, and writing I see that in the process my purpose of inspiration and getting inspired is fulfilled. It won’t take much long to become passionate about all these areas. And while I write these lines, I am already losing sleep, and I am already focusing on impactful living.
Next time you think you are passionate about something, ask if that something leading you to your purpose of life, is that something that you are ready to walk the path of suffering, the path of sacrifice, is that something will lead you to sleepless nights.Remember the path of greatness goes through your passionate work, and its not easy, but that’s where our salvation lies.
Live abundant!
The Arrived Hermit! 
Nice brother…
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