The fruits of passion

My partner, Tony, got into Cambridge University in part because he played the drums. During his student days he was in a number of bands including the one that supported the Footlights Review. Towards the end of his time at university, Tony met the tutor who had interviewed him for his place there. The tutor said that it was the fact that Tony had mentioned his passion for playing the drums on his application form that grabbed the attention of the assessors. People notice when others are passionate about something.

Passion drives many of the most successful people. It helps them to have the application to push themselves beyond what most would find comfortable. It also makes them more interesting and gives meaning to their lives. Imagine for a moment those you know who are passionate about the sport they play, the music they make, the politics they follow, the work they do.

Many of the people I come across in my work have lost sight of what their passions are. If you don’t know what your passions are, you’ve got no chance of doing anything about them. If you know what they are, but don’t express them, then your life loses depth and colour. My passions are cooking and entertainment, making people feel welcome and helping them to thrive. This last one is what motivates me to work as a life coach. What are yours? What are you going to do about them?

Take time today to think about what your passions are. How could you express them more? Use the five steps below to put together a plan to explore your passions. Let them become more important parts of your life. And enjoy their fruits…


How to help your passions to bear fruit

1. Know what’s important to you

What matters most to you? What issues do you feel most strongly about? What do you most like to do? What gives you energy? Make a list of all the things that are important to you, the things that you value.

2. Identify your passions

This might be easy. You may already know what your passions are. If you don’t, take the list of what’s important to you and identify the things you feel most strongly about. Choose one or two things that could be your passions. It doesn’t matter if you don’t feel passionate about them yet. The important thing is to identify one or two things that you are going to develop as passions, and to work on them.

3. Make a plan

We don’t do so many of the things we say we want to do because we never get round to doing them. This is where a plan comes in. Take time to work out how you can express your passions. How much time do you need? What support or equipment do you need? How are you going to come by it? Make your plan realistic. If you know that you can dedicate only two hours per week to something, say, include only two hours in your plan. This will increase the likelihood that you’ll do it and your sense of being in control of things.

4. Follow your plan

Do what you set out to do. If you find yourself getting distracted, remind yourself of the importance of what you are setting out to do. Passionate people are more interesting, more attractive and get more done. Your passions are your passport to a more colourful life.

5. Enjoy them!

Your passions should bring you pleasure. Notice as you grow in confidence and competence as you practise. This should help you to feel yet more passionate about them. Enjoy the process, and see how much fun exploring your passions brings to your life.

Don’t live a life of regret for all the things you could have done but didn’t. Recognise what your passions are and do something about them. Enjoy the process and savour their fruits.