Live your passion!

Live Your Passion! by Dr. Caroline CoombsDo you wake up each morning feeling excited, or does a subtle sense of dread impel you to push snooze and pull your pillow over your head to block out the day for another 10 deliciously avoidant minutes? The way you answer that question most likely correlates to the degree to which you are living your passion. Feelings of excitement are the roots and fruits of living a life with purpose. If you find excitement lacking, it may be time to re-program your life and mind for passion. Dream freely: The first step in connecting with your passion is to allow yourself to dream. Let go of the analytical mind. Dream as if you were a child who has not yet been told to ‘be realistic.’ Allow this process to be light and fun. Create a detailed and beautiful picture in your mind of what it is that you love, and what you want more of in your life. Consider what you loved as a child? How do you spend your leisure time and disposable income? What has helped you move through the challenges of your life? What do you value most? If you have trouble getting started, you can build a list of things you don’t want in your life. Then burn or shred this list and write down a list of it’s opposites. For example, on the list of things you don’t want, you might write “to feel isolated, bored and unfulfilled at work” This would help guide you to the fact that what you do really want is “a challenging and interesting career that engages you in a meaningful community.” Once you feel like you have a good idea of what lights you up, start living it today. Paint a picture of it, write it out, or build a collage of images that you are drawn to. Share your vision with as many people as will listen and engage with it in such a way that you simply have to close your eyes and the image is there waiting for you. As passion writer Greg Dinsmore points out, “those who wake up excited each morning aren’t just the lucky ones. They condition themselves to experience and deserve it.” Our thoughts are powerful – they dictate how we perceive our world, which emotions we portray and reinforce, and therefore determine the nature of our interactions with others and the character of our lives. Center your thoughts around your vision, and return to it often. Gratitude: The most effective way to connect with your passion and to draw more of what you love into your life is through gratitude. Look around you. Find the aspects of your life that bring you joy and purpose, and let your heart fill with gratitude for these gifts. Be thankful for what you have and for what is coming. Keep your vision present in your mind every day, know that it is manifesting, and cultivate gratitude for it as if it has already become reality.