Misha Hoo's Blog - Posts Tagged "passion"

A newsletter from a self-development colleague arrived in my inbox this week and I opened it enthusiastically. I always enjoy his updates which usually feature some good food for thought - helpful hints, inspiring quotes and challenges to my perspective. The headline “The real meaning of Passion” caught my eye.

The article explained that the origin of the word Passion was in fact Suffering (a fact I quickly checked in the online dictionary) and questioned the common advice to ‘follow your Passion’, asking “Why would you want to choose Suffering?” Further investigation revealed the early Latin root passio refers to the sufferings of Christ as well as his crucifixion. Well that got me to thinking about the things we sacrifice and what we do it for…

We’ve all had experiences of sacrificing small things for a greater goal, like curbing our spending to save for a big trip, or cutting out tasty treats in order to lose weight. Anyone who has undertaken a difficult course of study, physical training or brought children into the world knows that in order to enlarge our life we must move outside of our comfort zone. If something is important enough to us, if we are Passionate about it, if we love or desire it enough, we are willing to sacrifice for it. Whilst we might occasionally fantasize about winning the lottery or catching a lucky break, in truth we know that nothing of real value is accomplished without hard work and a certain degree of sacrifice.

Where I see problems arise is when our sacrifices are made out of fear, guilt or belief in lack. Those sacrifices make our world smaller rather than larger. Many of us regularly sacrifice our personal freedom for the security of a full time job, for example. When the sun is out and we are dreaming of being out on the water, riding our bikes or soaking up the sunshine we are often sitting in an office or shop doing the work which will pay the bills.

Time and time again I counsel clients who have a deep desire to follow their Passion, whether that is starting their own business, quitting their job to take a trip around the world or commence full time study and their fears are holding them back.
“What if I fail?” they ask, eyes clouded with doubt. I urge them to think like my favourite Greek heroine Antigone, who risked her own life to give her brother a proper burial on the battlefield, proudly declaring, “When I have tried and failed - I shall have failed!”

Very few things in life come without risk. We go to bed every night assuming that the sun will come up tomorrow to dawn on another day of the same old routine and yet, here we are, hurtling through space on a giant rock with just enough atmosphere to keep us alive. Anything could happen, really. Since my last post of the Death card, two well-known spiritual teachers in Cairns passed away unexpectedly and many are gathered in prayer for Gabrielle Roth; world renowned teacher, author and creator of The Five Rhythms dance modality, as she exits this life and dances into the Light. These women lived their Passion and shared it with the world; their influence will be felt for many years to come.

Really, life is too short to make fearful compromises. To follow your Passion requires courage and sacrifice, true, but seriously – would you prefer the alternative? To live a small life, quietly, safely, conservatively? To never risk failure or defeat is to never give yourself the chance to discover what is truly possible. I saw a quote in a boating magazine which says succinctly; “A ship is safe in the harbour, but that is not what ships are built for…”

In this adventure called life, what are you truly Passionate about? If I could wave my magic wand and anything was possible, what would you choose? What would you do, create, learn, discover or achieve if money was no obstacle? What does your heart truly desire and what are you willing to risk in order to follow it?

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