I read quite a few blogs. I get behind sometimes and read a couple entries at a time per blogger, and comment along the way. Yes, I'm one of those people that comment. No, I'm not one of those people who gets into arguments and heated debates via comments. I promise you that's not sarcasm; I'm really not one of those people. But I do like to leave comments here and there, especially if it's a personal friend's blog. I think we all need the kuddos every once in awhile (*ahem*).
As I was strolling through my typical list (Don Miller, Jon Acuff, Alden Blair Events, to name a few) I happened upon a blog post by Jon Acuff entitled "Pretending You Didn't See The Hangover Part 2 Last Weekend". If you want a laugh, read his blog. He makes me laugh out loud every post... EVERY POST! Anyway, the blog itself doesn't quite matter in this equation, it's a comment I found referencing Don Miller's post about The Hangover Part Deuce. And if you can believe it, what I'm getting at is yet another comment left this time on Miller's blog about ANOTHER blog by Michael Hyatt. Michael had a guest blogger (are you keeping up?) by the name of Mary DeMuth who wrote a post about finding your passion in three steps. I've recently been on a personal journey about finding out who I really am; the real me, no barriers, no fears, no justifications or excuses. Figuring out what makes me tick, what makes me fall, what am I good at and what are my true temptations. Where do I consistently error and where does my heart beat? This culminates with the big question everyone seems to ask themselves: what am I passionate about? Mary has three ways to figure this out.
1. Where does your need and joy collide?
Yes, this comes from the (in)famous quote: "Vocation is where our greatest passion meets the world's greatest need." If you attended a Christian college, raise your hand if you've heard that quote over 500 times. *Raises hand* But yet, it's still poignant, isn't it? But how do you determine that passion? That deep-seeded heavy-gutted reaction of satisfaction? Simple, ask yourself, "what do I believe is the world's greatest need?" My unbridled answer: comfort and care in the form of physical and emotional touch. There's not much to that answer. It's a "soft" answer, if you will. What I mean by that is it's unmarketable, it's not a tangible talent, it's a soft skill. I'm not a doctor and I can't cure cancer; I don't know how. I don't have that skill. I don't have the passion to sit through year's of medical exams and classes that would bore me to tears. I don't have the mastery of words. I"m not a great orator or a dentist or a businessman or a superstar. I can't sing well and I sure as hell can't play an instrument as beautifully as my roommate Jasmine. My skill and passion are not marketable to the 21st century. My passion lies in spending time with people, whether we're talking or reminiscing or playing a board game. And people need that. People need people who will just be with them. Lend an ear and maybe a terribly unwise voice (I say that because sometimes we need to hear other people's struggles and bad thoughts, not more "positive" reinforcement; sometimes we just need to hear that other people have made the same mistakes and feel the same god-awful way).
2. Do the three-movie exercise.
My favorite idea ever. I love movies. Maybe a little too much. I see the Indie movies, I see the blockbusters, I see the small gorgeously crafted movies that no one hears about. I watch them at home, in the theater, at friends' houses and on my laptop in my room by myself. I have Netflix and it is one of the most God-given things this world has seen. This step is simple: what are your three favorite movies? Go.
1. The Sound of Music
2. Return to Me
3. Sense and Sensibility
Now, what do they have in common? (Note: I did not think this through beforehand. I just listed the first three movies I knew I loved. Let's see if this really works...) Let's see, the first is about a family that overcomes tremendous historic odds together, with a love story. Sweet. Second movie: what remains of a family (a grandfather and granddaughter), their "extended" family, her love story and them overcoming a huge emotional (and physical) blow. Check. Third movie: a family (I think I sense a theme here) reeling from the death of their father and how their lives become what they ought to have been ("Do you compare your conduct with his? / No. I compare it with what it ought to have been; I compare it to yours"). Now here's the big question: what is the common thread in one sentence? Groups of people - mostly families - that are just normal who end up being where they're supposed to be (love, location, etc) by going through trials they never saw coming. I think that sums it up, do you? Looks like my passion is family, love and being where I was meant to be. But is that a passion? Do you see further? Do you see more in there? If you know me, do you see something that I've missed, being able to see me from an objective viewpoint?
3. Ask others about "the thing".
This goes along with my last sentence in the previous point: objective viewpoints. I love what Mary's says in her blog: "When I struggled to find my passion, I knew I was too close to myself to identify it." She wrote on her Facebook status "What is my one thing?" and had her friends and family answer the question for her. What is Alli's one thing? What is Karen's one thing? What is Joy's one thing? What is Greg's one thing? What is John's one thing? What is your one thing?
This is just a rather long tangent to say that I'm still figuring it out. I (hopefully) have a lot of life to live to keep figuring it out. Being in my mid-20s, there are always the questions of "what do you want to do?", "what do you love?", "what do you want to do with your life?" They are overwhelming and can't be answered in a brief conversation. Hell, they can't be answered in a week, or even a few years. It takes time. Give it time. Let your passion overcome you until you can't but live your life by doing your one thing. One of the comments left on Mary's blog will finish my post nicely:
"For me, passion isn't one thing or action specifically. I guess it's bringing life (Jn 10:10) to people in any form I can deliver it."
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