We are always told to follow our passion for passion is something that makes us happy, keeps us engaged and maybe somehow makes us feel better about ourselves.
But, wait!
Take a breather and think, ‘Should we really confine our pursuit to something temporary like happiness which has massive potential to backfire in the form of disappointments?’
Certainly,it would make us happy but are we sure being happy is the only goal we have for our lives?
Let’s dig deeper!
What exactly is passion? Imagine anything that has kept you engrossed for years and hence made you believe it was your passion. Wasn’t it the hard work you put into it which made you do it better and you start feeling good staying engaged it to? Essentially, we develop passion for what we have been doing for quite some time, with or without having a clear focus on what it would entail for us in the longer run. It’s like sailing along the tides of your favorite sea without reflecting upon the destination that resides on the other side of the sea. Maybe, you know it’s beautiful out there but it still doesn’t have enough to feed your soul and nurture your uniqueness.
Needless to say, in our constant endeavor to fit in and follow our passion blindly ,we fail to realize that anything that excites us isn’t always something that would make our lives meaningful in the longer run.
As Anaïs Nin,renowned French novelist, beautifully quoted,“There is not one big cosmic meaning for all; there is only the meaning we each give to our life, an individual meaning, an individual plot, like an individual novel, a book for each person.” Absorbing this well, what really matters at the end of our lives is how well we have channelized our individuality to make this world a better place. That’s only possible if we are really familiar with our inner self. But, we get so lost amidst the chaos and the rat race, that we develop quite a good number of layers over us which even our own selves find difficult to penetrate through. We fail to realize that there is a fine line between following our passion and aligning our passion with a purpose that goes beyond ourselves and yet brings us peace. And we end up moving forward with the thing that aligns with our idea of happiness.
Interestingly ,each of us has something unique with which we could make an unparalleled impact in the world we live in. Those unique nuances within us serve as the root to your purpose. While passion is more about emotions, purpose tends to dig deeper in the why’s of our existence to make life more meaningful .Finding our purpose is not as simple as finding our passion. Self awareness and exploration with an open mind are the key ingredients that would lead us where we should be. Failing multiple times at things , desired or not desired by heart , is the other imperative that brings us closer to our true self and subsequently our purpose. So, we need to free ourselves from the fear of failures and explore the unexplored as much as we can. Most importantly, we need to reflect and ask ourselves the right questions:
What have been the most inspiring moments of my life that brought me closer to my true self? Could I recreate those moments with me being the subject who ignites the fire within others? Could I make an impact through it such that it changes lives and marks my existence?
What do I care deeply about? Am I willing to face whatever it takes to achieve that?
Would this thing which I address as my passion help me make the biggest impact I am capable of?
Am I pursuing it just because it makes me happy or am I really willing to struggle in its pursuit to go beyond my happiness and be a source of light to the world?
Remember it’s never too late! So, let’s begin exploring and embracing failures. Let’s get closer to our true calling with open minds and deeper introspection. In a nutshell ,let’s not follow passion as our ultimate goal, instead let it be the driving force to our purpose.