Passions

What motivates you?....Really think about it for a second and think about the motivators in your life.  Is it money?  Is it your children or spouse, or perhaps other relationships?  What about religion, or standards?  These all are very good and common things that motivate us all.  Although these are prominent in our lives, I believe the biggest thing that motivates us is our passion.  Some of the things I mentioned can be the things that we are passionate about, but that is why they motivate us.  There is no way parents would do what they do if they didn’t love their children and passionate about their success.

Just as the quote above says, these things that we are passionate about are not random.  We may think that we choose what we are passionate about, but if you think about what you loved as a child. Most of what we love today was something that we had a deep desire of as a child.  If it wasn’t something you loved as a child, how did you know you were passionate about it?  Most people would say that they didn’t know they loved it, until they tried it or stumbled upon it.  With certain things, your heart just takes hold to it, and it’s all you want to do.  If there wasn’t a deep desire in our hearts, we wouldn’t put our heart in it.  All of these feelings and passions that we have are not random, they are a part of us.  If you ask a painter, why they paint, it’s because they put a part of themselves in their art. The same will occur if you ask a dancer, a doctor, a business professional, or even a high school basketball player.  These passions are our calling in life.

We need to embrace our passions! These aren’t just petty interests that we love or want to do.  They truly are our calling in this life.  Not everyone can do what we can, or even if they can, they can’t do it the way we can.  Was Van Gogh a great artist?  Yes…does that mean that Michelangelo wasn’t? No, it just means that they are different.  Don’t let fear get in your way of following your passions.  It may be different than what has been done before, but that is what makes it beautiful! That is what makes it yours.

If you don’t know what you are passionate about, look around. Try new things. Like I mentioned above, there are a lot of people that didn’t know they loved what they love until later in life when they stumbled upon it.  This happened to me. I love to write, but when I was younger I didn’t even like to read, non-the less write anything. I’m the worst speller ever, but that doesn’t stop me. I’m not the best writer, but I love it. 

Never give up on your passions!  Your passions are a big part of you…if you don’t follow your passions then you aren’t living your life.  You can do it!

Take Courage

Has anyone ever told you to, "take courage?"  It was a phrase the was introduced to me while I was in my teenage years while I was listening to an inspirational speech.  It took me off guard at first because I didn't quite know what it meant. How do you "take courage?"

For starters, let's talk about what courage is.  There are a lot of definitions out there, but they are all summed up to something close to this: Courage is to act on or do something despite personal fear or danger.  That is one reason that I loved this quote so much.  Because it includes courage when following your heart.

It does take a lot of courage to follow your heart and your intuition.  More often than not, what your heart wants and what your intuition is telling you is not what the world or society thinks is the best plan.  Don’t get me wrong, it is always good to look at your options, but don’t for a second think that you are stupid for not following the norm.  Like I said in my last post, it’s good to stand out.  I am SO glad that everyone is not the same! Then why do we undermine those that had different ideas? That is the reason why it is hard to follow our heart and dreams,or basically be different.  Because sometime society doesn't agree with us.  Well, look at the wright brothers and what they accomplished?  I can guarantee that all of the great technology and machinery we have today was because someone followed their dream and stepped out of the box. 

It is scary to do that, but that is why we need to take courage, which simply means to have it, own it, and use the courage that you can muster.  If you can’t seem to find any of your own, look to others to help you. Look to history.  There are so many historical figures that have helped society because they were different.  Look to their strength, and believe in yourself.  You can do this! If this is what your heart is telling you, then do it! Don’t let anything hold you back!  Once you are able to listen to your heart and head on that path, it helps you become the person that you want to be deep down.  The end part of this quote explains that too, that as we do so, we can become something greater.  Those other things that seem important to the world, but are not what your heart desires, are merely secondary to your nature. 

I truly believe with my soul that as you follow your heart and let fears leave, you start becoming the most beautiful, amazing, best person you can be.  That happens because you are letting your soul shine through. 

Take courage and never give up!

Stand Out

There are a lot of things that motivate people to do certain things. Some are positive motivations, when others are detrimental. Interest, money, & obligations are a few to mention. One motivator that I don’t agree with is to be accepted by society.  So many people do things so they will be accepted by their friends, family, their classmates, or co-workers.  I believe there are some things that should only be done when you are alone, or in your home.  What I’m talking about are decisions or choices that you make that hinge totally one what others will think of you if you do it. 

I love how Emily Giffin said this.  It doesn’t mean that wanting to belong is bad or belonging to some sort of organization is bad as well. It simply is saying that you need to be your true self.  If that means that if you like wearing galoshes with a button up shirt, you should do it. If it means that you like dying your hair bright red, dye it! This can also go into what you decide to do in life. If your family has always gone to a specific college, but you want to attend a different one. Then why not attend the one you want? Don’t let other people’s opinion decide your life.  Whether they are family, co-workers, or your best friend, you need to follow your heart. Follow what YOU want to do. This all starts with asking yourself this question, “What do I want?” If you don’t know that answer, that’s ok; don’t give up in your search. Just because you don’t know, doesn’t mean that you have to give in to what others are telling you. If you don’t want to do it, then don’t.  Part of following your heart, is finding yourself. Learning more about yourself is the most important thing we can do in this life. Why? Because once you start to know who you are, it gives you a guide and then you can start laying down your pathway for your life.  Knowing who you are is not an achievement you gain at one point in your life. It is by living your life, and following your heart when you learn the most about yourself.

Don't be Afraid

What are you afraid of?  What is your deepest fear?  These are questions that we ask ourselves sometimes, but I'm not sure we always know the answer.  One thing that I think is the most common answer for people is that they are afraid of failure.  Failure at their job, as a spouse, as a parent, a sibling, student, girlfriend, boyfriend, cartwheels... the list goes on.  Being afraid of something isn't a bad thing, it's only when you let it stop you from doing something when it becomes detrimental to yourself.  

Someone might tell another person that they aren't good at art and that is why they don't try, when in reality, it's one of their dreams to have a painting shown in a gallery.  They are too afraid of failing at their dream that they don't even try.  This is my message for the week. 

It's not all about being perfect. It's not all about having everything easy or stress free.  Life is about LIVING, and Living it well.  Too many of us don't allow ourselves any room to make mistakes or even be a little silly.  Who cares if you want to dye your hair pink?  It's okay to take chances and trust in yourself.  Or in other words trust in your heart.  If you have always wanted to do something…do it!  The only person holding you back is yourself.  Don’t listen to what others have to say, or think that you are crazy for doing it? If you want to go sky diving, make it happen. Don’t wait around for someone to knock on your door saying you’ve won your tickets to a one time sky diving event.  If you want to find love, go find it. Make mistakes and take chances. Follow your heart!  There is nothing wrong it. It doesn’t mean it will be easy, but it’s going to change your life for the better!

Although the author is anonymous, I hope he or she would know how cherished their words are.