The power of passion has been of interest to humans for centuries. Ancient philosophers described passion as a desire that motivates us toward our goals. Throughout history leaders have been known to have passion that drive them to accomplish great things. Harriet Tubman once said, “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world”. It is this fervor that many of my coaching clients seek in their personal and professional life. So, why is passion important in our life? Passion energizes us, allows us to approach situations and people with enthusiasm and helps us feel happy about what we are doing. When we experience passion in our personal and professional life, we connect with others more easily, we become emotionally contagious and we have the ability to inspire. Passion can also promote influence; a leadership characteristic that is found in effective and great leaders. Moreover, this powerful internal emotion allows us to remain energized and excited about our life and the circumstances we experience. However, there is a frequent misconception that we only have one passion and we need to find that one thing that will bring us zeal. On the contrary, we can find passion in everything and anything we experience if we shift our focus from our external life to our internal world. In fact, when we focus on our external life, we become short sighted and lose the vision that comes with passion. It is our ability for self-awareness and introspection that can lead us to understand and experience fervor in our life. So, how can we access this passion and incorporate it in our life?
1. Set time aside for introspection- Many of us become so busy in our life that we neglect to set time aside to explore our internal world. Take a 15-minute daily pause from life. During this time do not think, instead allow yourself to experience the different emotions that lie within.
2. Understand your values- Values is what often times drives us. Understand what your values are and identify them in what you do. For example, if you value accomplishment, rather than focusing on the task, connect with the value of accomplishment and the feeling your will experience from staying true to your value.
3. Identify purpose- Purpose like values can also drive us. Therefore, it is important that you find purpose in what you are doing. If you are engaged in an activity, look beyond the activity itself and visualize the end result and the goal. In your visualization stay connected to the positive feeling that accompany your purpose for the task or situation.
4. Be open to possibilities- Do not place limits and be open to exploring all possibilities regardless of how outrages they may be at the time. Creativity has no bounds and often times our ability to be creative leads us to experience passion in our life.
5. Focus on the experience- We can lose sight of the bigger picture when we only focus on the situation and task in front of us; hence becoming shortsighted. Allow yourself to focus and enjoy the experience instead; doing so will help you feel passion.
6. Find the opportunity- Change your perspective in how you view your circumstances. Look at your experiences as opportunities instead of measuring them as good or bad.
Passion is an intense emotion that can be found within all of us. Implementing the above can guide you to better understand and access your passion. When we can incorporate passion into our experiences, we will live a happier and fulfilling life. Passion can also drive us beyond the mundane allowing us to influence ourselves and others to achieve greatness. Remember to live life with PASSION.
Dr. Maria Dowling holds a doctorate degree in Psychology, Masters in Pharmacology and an MBA. She is a transformational certified Core Energy Coach and ICF certified. Interested in taking your life or company to the next level; contact Dr. Maria @ dowlingmaria00@gmail.com or visit or website: aimcoachingandconsulting.com