I am in a big hurry to knock off some things from my BIGGER gotta do list. Next year I am having a big birthday - ( those of you who say '40?' are invited to my party) - and I am pretty sure this has something to do with it.
I have wanted to get better at public speaking and so when I was asked to be the guest speaker at an AGM for a not for profit that I am a big fan of- I could not resist.
Because it scares me and makes me nervous.
The topic was passion and following your dreams. A few of you asked to read it so I thought I might share a bit of it.
"...It is said that being happy and having great passion in your life may rely on the ability to do one or more of your favourite things that you did when you were 10 on a very regular basis now as an adult.
Maybe when we are 10 we are our truest selves- happy and passionate.
When I first came across this idea I could not believe that I was doing all of them almost every day. This made me very happy and pointed to alot of the passion I feel for my life.
My favourite things at 10 were doing any kind of art, baking, writing, running, spending time with younger children, teasing and playing tricks on others, swimming and playing outside in every season.
It is said that a "supreme accomplishment is the ability to blur the line between work and play"This is what I feel has been my greatest source of passion.
I loved to write at 10 and always since but I never had anything of real value to say. My separation in 2006 and subsequent divorce gave me something to say. Today I have the insane pleasure of writing every day. My hardship gave me that gift.
No one really wants to hear about the baking but lets just say it is a means to the end of my love of sweets. It is also a way for me to show affection.
10 months ago I began running for the first time since I was 10. It is said "if you run, you are a runner" I like this as it lacks judgement. This is what I say to my artists as well- "if you do art, you are an artist." Period.
One of the things I have discovered about passion is that it needs to be fed on a steady diet of new and a bit scary.
Challenge is the big meal for passion. Challenge is only possible through vulnerability.
Vulnerability prepares you for living deeply and opens you up to the best things in life. This means not being afraid of saying "yes" before others might think you are ready. This means launching a business in Fine Arts with no Fine Arts background or teaching degree. This means telling people how you feel about them even if they may not feel the same way. This means writing a blog about the hardest life experience you have had and then forwarding it to everyone you know-especially those who might judge it harshly.
As far as challenge goes, I have a list of fears I am trying to overcome. The first was the fear of lack of privacy. My blogs blew that one open wide. Sharing my story made me feel better about making sense of what I had been through. I felt useful. I felt creative. I felt seen and heard. I felt passion even for my hardship.
I am and always have been afraid of heights. Two Fridays ago I went rock climbing.
I am nervous to public speak. Tonight I am with you. Apparently speaking. Publicly.
Because doing the hard invigorates the spirit and feeds the passion, the hard must be done.
Challenge and re inventing ourselves makes us passionate in a wide open way. It honours life and how short it is by giving each day the credit of possibility it deserves..."
Now I need to tackle the next BIG thing.
What are your fears and how are you trying to overcome them?
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