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| "Passion is a one-night stand." ~Elizabeth Gilbert |
Recently, I heard Elizabeth Gilbert talk about passions and purpose. They seem to be the buzzwords of the last several years. You always hear and read that you MUST find your passion and purpose in order to be happy. It's important to find your purpose and you find it through your passions. Huh? Really? Who made this rule and why didn't I get the memo? Okay, that's great advice if you have a clear one.
Oh and I bought into it hook, line and sinker. Makes sense. Everyone wants to be happy, right? Did I really believe it. Truth be told, not really. And boy did I struggle with it! My passions are all over the map from tiny houses and helping women with their businesses to art and writing. How do you combine those? And if my passions lead to my purpose...good grief. I don't even know where to begin there.
And what if you don't know? What if you aren't feeling passion for anything in particular? Or heaven-forbid, what if your passions change? You may begin thinking that there is something wrong with you, especially if you're in your 40s, 50s, or 60s. I hear you say, "I should know this by now!" I know, because I have said these exact words.
Ms. Gilbert also talks about people being jackhammers or hummingbirds. Jackhammers are people who are focused on one thing. I like to think of these people as Hawks, laser focused on their task. On the other hand, Hummingbirds flit from this flower to that flower, tasting a little bit here and little bit there. Is one better than the other? Personally, I don't think so. It's just how our DNA formed and we're all needed.
How much stress do we put ourselves under trying to be what we are not?
My good friend, Wendy wrote an excellent article about this Navigating the Heart: Life Purpose
It really opened my eyes and began to change my thinking on purpose and passion.
What if we put passion and purpose aside for right now, especially if you don't have a clear one or have so many. Let's not put ourselves under that kind of pressure anymore. What if you followed your curiosity instead? It would lead to a magnificent life of fun and play. You can't go wrong there!
Let's talk curiosity...
What has you curious as of late?
What tickles your fancy?
What have you always wanted to look into?
Let's start there and begin a new conversation of ease and exploration.
Leave a comment below. Do you subscribe to the purpose and passion scenario or are you all about curiosity? Are you a Hawk or a Hummingbird? Inquiring minds want to know.
Yes. I think we talked about this... and I struggled to find my passion. In the end, I figured my passion is to be myself... fully and wholly me. And that is good enough for me right now. In fact, it's underneath anything else I could think of. It's all about being free and being able to express myself in my truth.
ReplyDeleteHow does that feel for you to look at life as a curiosity and be free as you pursue a path? Is it freeing?
DeleteI love this post. I love the thought prompts here! As I read I find myself seeing that I am the hawk, the hummingbird, and the curious explorer! I have always been unable to narrow my purpose and passion down into a set and clear path. (hummingbird) AND, when I get a fire lit in me to do something I am all in, focused, and intense. (hawk) AND I am good with the continuous nature in me that is always asking, seeking, observing, and wondering. Lately, I am curious about simplicity with my business. Which may just come from stopping the chaos of trying to make me and my business being more than it is...and something specific that it isn't. Curious about how to let my energy be what I send out into the world as my business instead of all the things I create for my business.
ReplyDeleteMmmm...I love that we can be all three at the same time and still show up on a path, but not necessarily "the" path. What would it look like it you translated this to your business? What if you simply enjoyed the thing that you're working on, then the next thing, and the next? How would that feel to you?
DeleteSuch a good set of ponderings, Heather. I'm such the hummingbird, and sometimes my passions don't meld fluidly. If I were to think of one passion overarching, it is as Jill was saying, living authentically. That's enlivening! The inquiry "What do I have to offer as myself today?" feels more opening than "What are my passions?." And as Nissa was asking, I too have been wondering how I can live myself out into the world, offer me versus my credentials or business plan.
ReplyDeleteToi, I think, you and Nissa have a valid point. The problem of credentials go away when there is social proof. If you are serving people and seeing results...those are your credentials. And you can get these creds by simply showing up and being you. Well, you do have to show up! :) As for a business plan, in my humble opinion, you need a plan...what you call it and how you create it is up to you and what works for your business. What would a more soulful business plan look like to you?
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