Chasing your passion without much success? – SCN Encourager
No worries. I’m a highly regarded “passion guru” when I’m not watching sports.
“How do you do it?”
I get this question a lot.
But it’s always in reference to the Encourager, not romance or technology.
A number of people (those with inquiring minds, I guess) want to know how I manage to compose a daily message of support to school leaders and communicators.
An even greater number don’t want to know, however… they’re afraid it might be contagious!
Perfectly understandable.
But whatever it is, I’m convinced my joy in pounding out the Encourager every school day has something to do with passion.
And know this… I don’t toss out this word frivolously.
How the heck could I?
When I told Cindy yesterday that I was going to write to you about the topic of passion, she nearly fell out of her chair.
She only regained her composure so that she could quickly grill me about what I know about the topic.
When I didn’t – or couldn’t – answer right away, she just scooted off to text our daughters about what a knucklehead “dad is.”
Luckily (from my perspective), Cindy keeps forgetting about the return text message the girls typically boomerang back to her on these occasions, “You’re the one who married him, remember?”
That’s the way to stick up for ol’ dad, girls!
But unluckily (again from my perspective), Cindy’s absolutely right.
I’m a far cry from the world’s leading authority on passion; maybe even a far cry from the unnamed sad sack authority currently holding the spot in last place.
At this stage of my life, I should have a good answer ready when I’m asked point blank about what I know about passion.
It’s not like it’s a brand new subject or anything.
After all, how many times have you seen and been challenged by headlines like these?
What’s your inner passion?
Are you living your passion?
Do you fulfill your passion everyday?
I’d like to know how you’ve answered these questions in the past.
If you’re willing to tell me, I could sure use the help.
And if your answers are short, that’d be awesome.
Because with your permission, I’d text them to my daughters as my own.
That would impress them.
A pretty nice piece of trickery, don’tcha think?
But as much as I’d like to try and pull this sleight-of-hand off with your assistance, though, I was reminded over the weekend in one of my favorite podcasts that living our passion is much like everything else in life – it’s all directly tied to the choices we make.
And, believe it or not, we are in total control of how we pursue it.
The insightful life coach in the podcast said that all of the individuals he’s ever known who are successfully and happily living out their passions never dwell on the question “what’s my passion?”
That’s not the question they ask themselves.
Rather, each one seeks clarity and focus by asking “who’s my passion?”
That’s the secret.
Forget the what.
You’re better off concentrating on the who.
And then once you know, go serve these folks as best you can.
This should come as good news to you.
This is what you and many others in our tribe of school communicators do everyday.
I only wish I had remembered this podcast when Cindy asked me about passion earlier.
But I didn’t.
And by the time I did – she had already left the house to go to Kohl’s with her mother.
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