Re-light Your Fire

     Passion. It is what separates the good from the great. The booked from the bored. The open from the closed. If you don't have passion for what you do, it is obvious to everyone. To your boss, your co-workers and especially your guests. Passion pushes talent to new heights. When someone is passionate about what they do it's palpable. They have a more intense energy, a drive and attraction that draws people to them without even trying. Passionate people enjoy better relationships, better quality of life and more successful careers. So if you are only lukewarm about your life and your work, bored with this business of beauty, is there a way to ignite your passion? Absolutely. Everyone's journey is unique and you will most likely have to apply a few different strategies and approaches to find out what works best for you. It will be worth the effort, I can guarantee that much.

 

     Re-evaluate your goals and determine if you are working towards your dreams. If you've lost your passion chances are you're on the wrong path. It's easy enough to do, after all there are so many choices and avenues on the way to your goals. Get back centered and dig deep. Are you really pursuing your life's dream or someone else's vision for you.  Did you get sidetracked by an opportunity that seemed like a good idea at the time? When you get back on track to your true path passion returns and reenergizes your life.

     Are you so busy planning the future that you've lost sight of the now? Take time to savor small pleasures and victories in your personal and professional life. I have many people around me that remind me of this all the time. It's easy to lose sight of how much we have already accomplished when the work is never done. At every new level of success, celebrate the achievement, remember someone is struggling to get where you are. Happiness is in the here and now, constantly thinking and planning for the future robs you of that. Happiness and joy are key ingredients for passion.

     Consider your spiritual side. A deep faith and belief in your higher power often times provides safe harbor through the storms of life and answers the deeper questions. Seeking your purpose can lead you to finding your passion. We have a new priest from the seminary helping out at my church these past few weeks and he exudes his passion for his faith. I just love watching and listening to him and am so drawn into his teachings because of his passion. Being around passionate people is transformative.

     Develop your relationships with other passionate people. Passion is contagious. I try and surround myself with people that have a deep passion for what they believe is their life mission. Just engaging in conversation with such passionate people can give you a fresh outlook on your purpose. Ask yourself am I as passionate about what I do? Remember people are drawn to passionate people, seek out some new, fresh relationships to jump start your own passion.

      Take time for yourself to reignite your passion. Make a list of things that you have been putting off. Develop a plan for how you are going to pursue areas of interest that you normally wouldn't take the time for. Spending even 15 minutes a day can reap big rewards. When you start to feel passion emerging, or re-igniting it is electrifying. You will start to develop new habits and create new successes and the cycle becomes self sustaining. Being passionate is great marketing. I love this quote from John Wesley, Christian Theologian "When you set yourself on fire, people love to come and see you burn.”

Oh and one last thing, if you want to research further on your own, don't use the work computer when you google how to become more passionate...just saying.