Finding your passion in life is one of the most important things you’ll ever do.
Think back – when was the last time you ever felt a passion for something? Remember how it put a big smile on your face and some extra bounce in your step? That feeling is magical. It lifts your spirits and increases your energy level tenfold.
A great example of this watching 5 and 6 year old boys and girls playing soccer and baseball. It’s absolutely magical. These kids are doing what kids do – that’s play and have fun. Not a worry in the world.
Finding passion isn’t about checking off boxes on a list. It’s about doing things that make you happy. It adds hours of satisfaction and joy to your day.
Your passions are all about you – not somebody else. I know not everybody is passionate about the things that I am. If something satisfies your needs and lifts your mood, then that something is worth pursuing no matter how other people see it.
Whatever your passion is, it’s important to find time to do it each day or whenever you can. It will help create great memories and will help boost your confidence and self-esteem.
I coached for a long time and one of the things I stressed to my players was to make sure they were passionate about something.
The world we live in today is all about having stuff. Luxuries such as a new car, bigger house, more money and jewelry. People think that it’s stuff that brings us happiness. It isn’t. It’s just stuff. When you pull back the curtain, you’ll find that people who have a lot of stuff aren’t really all that happy.
You might be surprised to learn that happiness also includes other areas in your life such as good relationships, a great career path, humor and even love.
Happiness is actually composed of links in a circle – each must be satisfied to complete the circle and bring you the happiness you’re searching for.
Your passion won’t suddenly appear or be clear to you in a moment. You may have already brought a passion into your life and don’t realize it yet. It could be a hobby that makes you happy when you spend time enjoying it.
I never thought I’d be a baseball coach. After my playing days ended, I started umpiring because I loved the game of baseball. It wasn’t work. For me it was being outside, getting some exercise and being around the game I loved.
When my son, Kenneth, turned 6 and wanted to start playing baseball, he asked me to be his coach. He didn’t need to ask me twice. I was all in. I ended up coaching for the next 20 plus years.
The funny thing is that I never really thought of it as a passion. It was something I did, but it didn’t occur to me to see it as a passion.
Baseball truly transformed my life. It helped me realize who I was and what I was meant to do in this life. I didn’t do it for the money, I did it for my boys and myself. The payoff today is the pride I have in seeing how all of my players are doing after their playing days ended.
You can get a lot of satisfaction in learning to play golf in your 50s but may never see yourself as becoming a professional golfer. Just heading out to the course to play a round or to hit balls on the range can boost your happiness and confidence level.
I’m going end this section on passion this way.
Your passion doesn’t have to be something you’re certified for or even really good at. It’s all about you. It’s what make you happy and glad to be alive.
No one else has to understand it. As long as it makes you happy – go for it.
