Nov 8 Tip: Learn to Live with Passion and Purpose

November 8 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace

Read Terry Taylor's article about "Living with Passion and Purpose" in this month's (Louisville) Natural Awakenings Magazine


http://www.napublishers.com/lville

Learning to Live with Passion and Purpose

By Terry Taylor

For most of us, passion is about how we live our lives, purpose is what gives our lives meaning. I might choose my passion, but my purpose picks me. If we can learn to be more aware of what our passions and purposes are, we can lead healthier, happier lives. And if our passion and purpose work together, we can sometimes work miracles.

Learning to Recognize Our Passion

Our passion is what consumes our thoughts and shapes how we spend our days. My passion is spirituality. Most mornings I wake up and sit in candle-lit darkness, meditating on the next spiritual event I am planning; I go to sleep each night with Tibetan prayer beads in my hand. Between waking and sleeping, most of my days swirl in a whirlwind of activity devoted to planning concerts, art exhibits, interfaith prayer services, dinners…and on and on. The one thing these events have in common is spirituality. I eat, drink and breathe spirituality.

So, what is it that captures the attention of your mind and spirit “24/7”? What is it that you work at with every ounce of your strength simply because you love it? Is it playing music? Cooking? Watching movies? Hiking? When you can recognize what consumes your attention and demands your devotion, you will have found your passion. Once you have found it, learn to befriend it, but also beware.

The word passion literally means suffering. Because our passion can threaten to devour our very souls if unchecked, it can cause pain—for us and those around us. For example, if we love writing, we may spend so much time at the keyboard that we ignore family responsibilities or fail to complete assignments at work. We must be sensitive to the fact that those around us may not share our passion. We need to recognize when enough is enough. Clearly, we sometimes need to take a break even from the things we are passionate about.

Our Purpose? Why we are Here

In a word, our purpose is why we are here. You can sometimes recognize the purpose of someone close to you by observing their lifelong pattern of behavior. Perhaps it’s your sister who is the person who always manages to cool people down when family conflicts heat up. Or it’s a colleague who has the clearness of vision to wade through seemingly mountainous details and come up with simple, healthy solutions to the most onerous problems. Or maybe it’s a friend who can listen to people kvetch about personal problems and then offer kind words that help a suffering person find solace.  

We may not be aware of what our purpose is until someone points it out to us. To get a sense of your purpose, pay attention to what people say about you, especially those who love and care about you. If you want to take a shot at discovering your purpose without involving others, write your own obituary. It will cause you to look back over your life and perhaps uncover a pattern that defines who you are. From what I read and hear about myself, I think my purpose is to bring people together.

Passion and Purpose Can Come Together in a Magical Mix

When passion and purpose come together, magic can happen. Think of Gandhi who started his life as a simple, everyday lawyer. When his passion for nonviolent direct action came together with his purpose (ensuring human rights for all people) he changed the world.

You and I might not be Gandhi, but if we find a way to bring passion and purpose together in our lives, we might just change the world…or at least our little corner of it.

Terry Taylor is Executive Director of Interfaith Paths to Peace. He is the author of A Spirituality for Brokenness. Follow Terry on Twitter @interfaithterry