“Chase down your passion like it’s the last bus of the night,” Terri Guillemets.  Passion is defined as a strong and barely controllable emotion, characterized by an intense enthusiasm, dedication, and emotional connection to their pursuits which often drives them to achieve their goals and inspires those around them; usually with respect to a particular person or thing; ardent affection (Merriam-Webster).  I speak a lot about emotional control and managing our thoughts but passion is something that falls beyond that realm.  When it comes to our passions, these are things we are not meant to control.  These are the driving influences that bring us ever closer to who we are and to source.  While I still maintain we can’t fully let emotions run the show, we do need to understand their influence and their importance in guiding us.  Those things that feel good, that interest us, that create curiosity, the things we can’t stop ourselves from doing/being drawn to—that isn’t merely an emotion based off of a temporary feeling.  Those are the things that make us who we are and we are 100% meant to dive into them, to lose ourselves in them because they are part of us.       

I pull cards every day to begin with positive affirmations (I share these on Instagram) and today’s said “Feeling good will bring me far more than whatever I thought I needed,” deck by Gabby Bernstein.  With all the talk of time and what feels right and what calls us, it is important, especially this early in the New Year, that we remind ourselves the things we enjoy and the things we can’t let go of are what drives us to where we need to be.  We are meant to go after the things that feel good to us because the more we pursue them, the more we become the person who can attract them.  It isn’t so much about chasing, it’s about becoming and aligning with those things that call to us.  The fastest way to bring in what we need is to be what we need—become what we need, but the reality is, sometimes we don’t even know what it is we need and we won’t until we begin the journey of following that passion.  Feeling good is the guidepost toward what we are passionate about and those passions become the value and foundation of our lives.    

Think about the times we have been around passionate people. Think about how they speak, and act, and how they carry out their work.  Their level of engagement and understanding of life and work is on a different plane—time does not exist to them—they are simply of their work all the time and they love it.  Someone who becomes the master of what they love is someone who has mastery over themselves—their decisions are based on their scope of interest and how it impacts the world.  When we are passionate it goes beyond ourselves.  Just as a bad attitude is contagious but so is feeling good.  We influence our own lives and those around us so why would we want to or allow a negative influence of any kind to seep through? It’s important on so many levels to follow those passions and not let them fade away through ignoring them.  It isn’t so much about the chase rather than the following of curiosity and being authentic with our interests and desires and our drive. 

The truth is passion is as important as catching that last bus with one caveat: I don’t think our passion ever really leaves us—I don’t think there is a last bus.  I do think we need to take it that seriously because the more we ignore the passion, the more we will struggle to know ourselves and in that struggle we become miserable.  It’s a funny trick of the universe that the things we feel uncontrollable about or bring us to the brink of madness are the very things that can bring control to our lives.  They give us purpose and direction.  When it comes to time, I will continue this refrain: we never know how much time we have so there is no reason to not go after what we want whole-heartedly, to not find our desires and to try them out, to see what works.  What’s the worst that can happen?  We find it doesn’t work and we need to try something else.  That is an easier cost than regret and wishing we had done something differently.  Don’t be afraid of that passion, be curious.  Pursue it.  Those things that start off as feeling good, give them a shot and see what comes of it.  They can be the very things that reveal the greatest things about ourselves and what we can contribute to the world.