Passion: 2

Okay, now we’ve discovered something you are passionate about – hooray! But Caryn, why did you ask us to sit with it for a minute?

I’m glad you asked!

If you’re anything like me, it can take a moment of reflection to determine if something truly is mine, or if it’s something I have assumed or adopted as “supposed to be mine.”

I’ll give you a more specific example: scrapbooking. If you look at mommy blogs and craft stores, you might come to the conclusion that all mothers LOVE to scrapbook. A hand-crafted memoir of my children’s life experiences. Of course! I *should* want to do that!

But if I take a hot minute to self-reflect, I (a mother of two, mind you, squarely in the middle of that demographic) will tell you that I hate scrapbooking. Loathe it. The process makes me feel overwhelmed and dead inside. But admitting that out loud requires that I stand against the social and cultural norms that say I should enjoy something.

See where I’m going here?

Once you’ve identified a passion, you need to determine if this is something you are truly driven towards, or if you are picking something because it’s the “right” thing for you to select. Are you blogging because everyone else is doing it, but hate to string the words together for a post? Have you begun taking photos for an Insta feed, but disinterested in finding something interesting to photograph? Are you doing the thing because it’s the THING, even when that act drains you?

Maybe time to reflect on whether it’s your actual passion, or just something you’ve decided should be your passion.

Passions are something that you would choose to do independently, regardless of pay or reward, without worry as to what others think. This should be something that fills your cup and leaves you refreshed to handle all the other things that make life go round, but might have nothing to do with your personal passion.

Passions should fill you up to handle all the other parts of life.

If your passion passes the test – GREAT. If not, I’d encourage you to take some time to reflect, maybe bounce some ideas off a friend, and determine if you are choosing what’s expected over what is exciting.

Can’t wait to hear what you’re discovering! Drop me a comment or DM with what you think!

~Me