Put Passion Back in Your Life

(Published in Vitality Magazine, February 2002)

If you have been feeling lately that your life is dreary and you’ve lost your sense of fun, you could be suffering from a loss of passion. 

Passion is our connection to that deep inner part of ourselves, the part that loves to laugh, sing, play and to love.  It’s the zany part of ourselves, the wild child within who plays till he or she drops.  The one who loves to mix crazy colours, to draw outside the lines and the one who builds sand castles at the beach.

Maybe you’re thinking that you don’t have time for passion or childish games. You are busy holding down a job and you have children and volunteer work and the list goes on …  But how can you not afford to feel really alive and joyful.

Putting the passion, the sizzle back into your life requires your attention. Who wants to lead a life that’s becomes flat, stale and empty?  Your passion can also help counteract stress.

How do I go about it?

Meditation and reflection can help you to rediscover or uncover your passionate side.  Sitting with the silence within and paying bare attention to any thoughts, feelings or sensations can help you to connect with your heart and with the beauty and sanctity of your life. Concentrating on the breath allows you to connect with the silence.  It can lead you to finding again your joy and playfulness.  Even 15 minutes a day can make a difference.

Focused reflection also will guide you to your passion.  Allow yourself to fully relax and then ask yourself the following questions:

What do I love?  What do I love to do?  What did I love to do when I was 10? 15? 20? Was there something you always wanted to do but didn’t?  Explore that as well.

Make sure you are relaxed as you ask the questions and be open to receiving the answers.  Allow yourself 30 minutes to ask and listen.  Then make a list of your top 10 passions/loves and start to put some of them into practise. 

Overcome those resistances!

This means creating some time every week for you and the pursuit of your passion. This is where commitment comes in -- commitment to spending some time doing what you love.  You might also need to negotiate with loved ones so you can free up time to pursue your passion.  Block off some time every week in your calendar to do these things. And while you are involved in your passion see how you become fully engaged moment by moment.  This will help to keep you on track.

For example, if you love dancing, look around for a dance class or explore movement on your own at home.  Really allow yourself to explore your senses as you connect with your body, your emotions and your spirit.  Give yourself up to the process.

Maybe your passion includes walking in the woods and communing with trees and birds, but lately you’ve got so caught up in your work that you barely spend more than five minutes outside each day.  You feel disconnected from your core and from the natural world around you.  Start walking again in the outdoors and re-capture that genuine feeling of aliveness and joy.

Whatever it is that captures your heart, your imagination and that absorbs you, make time for it.  Be kind to yourself.  If your inner critic begins babbling about how you are too old to follow your heart’s passion or you are being too self-centred/selfish, tell it thanks for its input and go ahead with your plans anyway. 

Make the commitment, pencil in the time.  Take the time to paint, play a musical instrument, sew, make furniture, write a poem or take up a new sport that you’ve always wanted to try.  Do whatever brings a smile to your face.

Passion brings us joy and fun

Passion will re-kindle your life and it will make a difference in the lives of those you love as they see and feel the joy you exhibit.  When we bring play, fun and imagination into our lives, passion naturally seeps over to affect others in positive ways.  

Passion can bring excitement and fun into our intimate relationships with our spouses. It can deepen friendships and strengthen bonds with children and extended family.  When we allow passion to grow in our lives, we flourish.

As we value ourselves and connect with our heart, we will treasure the time we spend pursuing our passions and we will grow and sustain ourselves in a rich and fulfilling life.  Gratitude will naturally fall out of our passion.

It’s never too late to put passion back into your life and reap the rewards.

Deborah Ferris is a Psychotherapist, Hypnotherapist & Reiki Master specializing in Stress Relief, Goal Setting, Motivation and Career changes.