If you think it is a waste of time to pursue your hobbies and passion or if you use ‘lack of time’ as an excuse, I get it. For not long ago, I was you! I had no time for it in my busy schedule and slowly hid it under the rug. But I got a kick in the butt and learnt that I was doing the biggest disservice to myself by not pursuing it. So read on if you want to know the reasons why you must honour your passion.
What is the hype about passion?
A passion is anything that gets your blood rising. It makes you tick, thrive or have the zest for life. Not only does it make you believe and dream the impossible, but it also takes you to far unimaginable places. It is what makes heaven on earth. However if you don’t give it the time it deserves, it will hide in the shadows creating havoc desperately trying to seek your attention.
What is my passion?
My passion has always been reading and writing. I can read anything I lay my hands on! I also love writing about things like life, experiences or people. You name it, and I want to write about it. It is a place very sacred to me because it is where I feel safe to voice myself. Here I feel like I am allowed to be who I am with no censor department in my brain spouting rules. It almost feels like an altar, the only place where I feel whole. I believe it is there for a reason and is connected to my calling and purpose in life.
My journey with neglect
Twenty years ago, when I was at a crossroads of making career decisions, I voted to be a banker and went ahead to do my Masters in Economics. I worked for over 15 years with many banks and I had fallen for the fancy offices and the exuberance and air of importance that bankers possess. Not that I have any remorse, as I love being a banker! I say that with pride! But my angst comes from the fact that over the last 20 years, I slowly and progressively neglected and disowned a creative part of me which was intrinsic to who I was.
The lies and deceit:
I kid you not when I say that at that time I made lofty promises to make time to write, read and drift into oblivion. But guess what? I did not. Every progressive year I let life take over and gave every other things more priority. Sometimes work took priority, sometimes family, other times it was friends. Everything else took precedence except reading and writing.
The Road to Hell: What happens when you don’t honour your passion?
Life lost its lustre when I did not honour my passion
My outer life was perfect with the’ perfect house’, ‘well-disciplined kids’ and the ‘great’ job. Yet, I knew that I was missing something very important and it left a hole in my heart. I couldn’t point out what it was. So I kept filling it with different things but the emptiness never left me. I had not read or written for 20 years. Yes, I did occasionally did read about phonics and children and also researched numerous topics. But reading and writing, for pure bliss sake, got trashed into the bin, and with that, out went my zest for life!
Life reduced to a chore when I did not honour my passion
I moved around aimlessly without asking questions and without a sense of purpose. Soon life turned on to default mode. I did all my responsibilities, ticked all my boxes and didn’t question anything. It was like existing for the sake of existing. There was no passion, excitement nor love.
I lost a part of myself when I did not honour my passion
By the time I reached forty, my passion of writing seemed to be a distant past. A passion I had and long forgotten! I soon stopped believing in it. At times it felt frivolous. Some other times it felt like a waste of time. I told myself that I did not have the time to read with such a busy schedule. About writing, I told myself just because I wrote a couple of plays and skits for my teacher mum or the school assembly or church event, it did not mean I could become an Enid Blyton or a Roald Dahl. With all those lies and justification, I slowly lost that part of myself and forgot it existed.
It created a monster inside of me when I did not honour my passion
I was always angry and irritated inside and all this lay hidden beneath my mask of the perfect life and this hidden rage kept festering. At that point, I didn’t know why I was angry and with whom. In fact, in my mind, I had countless people to blame. Little did I know that I was angry with myself for not honouring a side of me.
I hurt the people I love
The anger had an outlet and guess whom did it trickle down towards? It trickled down to people around me in the form of strict and rigid expectations. Why do you think that was the case? It was because deep within I blamed them for it because they were taking all my time! Little did I know it was my own doing. Slowly I started withdrawing and being distant from them.
The road to recovery – What happens when you honour your passion
I soon realised that no one was benefiting by me feeling lost, so after a lot of introspection and soul searching, I decided to reach out to the side of me which I disowned for so long. I took to books and writing and with my hobbies and passion by my side, I slowly started injecting some life back into me. Some of the benefits I reaped were :
1. It made me feel whole
I took small and infinitesimal steps to read books and write about stuff and it added spark to my life. Each book I read, gave me new insights and served as a lifeline to my split self. Soon, I began to feel inspired to write again! I started small, by venting my frustrations on writing journals like Penzu and giving unsolicited opinions on writing forums. Most of what I wrote lay saved as a draft but yet I chugged along. As time passed, some of the resentment started to die down and reading books and writing became an integral part of me again.
2. It enriched my life
I learned new things and different perspectives and with that many different skills sets entered my took kit. As I kept writing, I understood a lot about myself and what I wanted out of life. Life became more exciting when I was walking on the right path.
3. I made peace with myself
When I started writing, most of what I wrote came out as venom. Anger, rage, and resentment oozed out of it. Despite starting on the negative, it still served cathartic as in it I found a safe place to vent my dark and ugly feelings. I soon stopped getting angry for no reason or expecting perfection which filled me with peace and love.
4. It improved my happiness quotient and helped foster good relationships
With peace and love in my life, happiness oozed out of me and this, in turn, made me enjoy spending more time with the people I loved. I learned how to be accepting of everyone despite how different they were from me.
5.It filled me with a sense of purpose
I slowly figured out what I wanted to do and I understood my calling and purpose. Now, I was no longer running around aimlessly but was slowly and surely following my path.
6.It helped me create balance
Do you think I have put my world of finance in the back burner? No, I am still a Mortgage Adviser and I love being one. I learnt that you don’t have to give up one side for the other. After all, I had first-hand experience of how neglect can create a huge pain- in-the- ass monster! Now I do a mix of both and am happy. I guess this was what the Economic gurus meant by equilibrium which is a state of balance and equality. ( I am sure these economists will be turning in their grave when they hear about this analogy.) But what the hell! I can surely have some fun.
7.It built my confidence and my sense of self
Every time I began to honour my passion, my heart sang with delight and this in turn slowly built my confidence. Soon I began believing in myself. I starting taking steps outside my comfort zone and tested waters I had never dared to before. Soon life began to soar and come full circle.
You can do it too. Will you take the plunge and honour your passion?
Are you willing to honour your talents and hobbies? I promise it will enrich your life and make it whole. It will not only improve your relationships but also build your confidence and increase your happiness quotient. I vote in favour of it.
There is a parable was told by a very wise person about 2000 years ago about people being given talents according to their ability.
‘For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
Mathew 25:29
Will you join me to make this dream of your a reality. It is waiting for you with open arms. Will you take the plunge and honour your passion? I have done it and reaped its rewards. Will you do it too?
Leave a Reply