Our loves lead to our life’s work…

While walking at Maywood Park on Pruneridge Avenue, I heard the sounds of a flute drifting on the warm air currents; a man was sitting in his car practicing on a flute. Hearing this dedicated musician, I wondered why don’t I practice my drumming more? Isn’t this the way for many of us? We are forced to face our lack of determination, when we encounter someone else’s discipline. I was reminded of a fact about British guitarist, Peter White:  he taught himself to play the guitar at age 8.  So, what do they have that allows them to take up something and persevere at it? 

 Love.  When someone loves doing something, then they can practice for hours and do so tirelessly.  This love, passion, drive, desire or whatever we call this internal motivation or determination can’t be overemphasized. Living from this part of ourselves feels as if we are moving in alignment with our purpose for being. 

Everything in life we do, healthy or unhealthy, gives us some payback, which keeps us coming back for more.  The feedback we get while engaged in a much loved activity is the feeling of being separated from our thoughts and critical mind; we enter into a “zone” of pure response and flow from moment to moment. Very few activities in life provide us this valuable meditative space, and we can use it as a stepping stone to guide us on our path to living a fulfilled life.

 Discovering your purpose

The first step in living your purpose and discovering “what you want to do in life,” is to consciously acknowledge what you love doing. 

·        Begin by making a list of all the things you love doing.  Write down everything no matter how big or small, important or inconsequential.  This is a list for your eyes only so try not to censor yourself.

·        If this is overwhelming, then as much as possible, begin to pay attention to what you do in a day.  Notice which tasks are easy for you, uplift you, are enjoyable, and also take note of those which drain or deplete you. 

Doing these simple exercises will help guide you on your path to living a passionate and meaningful life.

After you’ve identified the things that enliven you, begin to work on trying to make that a reality in life.  Start researching what your ideal job, career, or path will look like on a daily basis, what education or skills you’ll need to acquire, who and what contacts you’ll need to make to further yourself in that career. By becoming familiar with your path and life’s work, you’ll know what it takes to make this possible in your life.

One of the dangers of loving something is that we tend to become attached to the outcome manifesting a certain way.  Sometimes what you truly love doing may not allow you to fulfill your responsibilities, so it may have to become or remain a hobby or vocation (paid or unpaid) you engage in on weekends and evenings.  Many people have discovered that doing the hobby they love as a full time job robs it of the freedom, free flowing expression and loose time frame they so thrived on. So learn to let go of how you want things to unfold and remember to keep what you want clearly in focus.

 And also know that discovering your passions and loves isn’t wasted effort.  When you know what truly fulfills and energizes you, you become clear about what you value in life.  And then you’ll endeavor so much more to honor that part of yourself, as it most clearly moves you in the direction of living a passionate and meaningful life.