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Art of Living Passionately
By Connie Pombo
Did you realize that your
passions are as unique and personal as your fingerprint? No one passion
is exactly the same. It’s like a mosaic—put together piece by piece—and
one day the picture reveals itself. Although our passions are diverse,
there is one common, universal theme—intensity!
When I ask the question, “What are you passionate about?” Often I will
get a blank stare. But if I rephrase it and ask, “If you were given one
year to live, what would you do differently? The light bulb starts to
flicker. And then I ask, “What if time, resources and money were no
problem—what then? It’s as if a volcano erupted and outpours untapped
secrets, desires, and longings of the heart—ranging from scuba diving to
writing a children’s book. What causes our passions to remain dormant
and how do we develop the art of living passionately every day?
If you talk to passionate people, you discover another secret, it’s a
conscious choice of living and there are sacrifices to pursuing your
passion. No one can thrust it upon you. It lives and breathes inside of
you—like the pounding of your heart. And the landscape of passions is
forever changing—with the ebb and flow of life—one may fade and another
will take its place.
Think of areas in your life where you have received a blessing,
compliments, and encouragement. Believe in them and embrace them. When I
was 8 years old I received my first diary. I loved writing in its clean
crisp pages every night before going to bed. My teachers complimented me
on my writing and often my essays were showcased like works of art. In
college, my English professor said, “Connie, I believe you have a great
career in writing—you should consider changing your major.” The problem:
I didn’t believe it! Embracing the gifts of encouragement and believing
in yourself can make your passions come to life. Now at the age of 51,
I’m enjoying what I should have always done—writing full time. It’s
never too late!
Some of the most passionate people I’ve known are the ones that have
experienced the greatest tragedy, pain and loss. It reawakens our senses
to the fragility of life and the importance of living purposefully every
day. Often confronting our own mortality, reawakens our senses to the
beauty of living in the present moment and encourages us to explore
areas we feel are missing in our lives.
A cancer diagnosis 10 years ago changed the way I would live the rest of
my life. Faced with my own mortality—at the age of 40—I wrote a list of
27 things I wanted to do before I died. By God’s grace, I have
accomplished every one of them—except #27—parachuting out of an
airplane! That list carried me through the darkest and most difficult
time in my life, but the person that emerged was transformed. Lying
beneath the rubble of hectic 21st century living, was a passionate soul
waiting to emerge and embrace the world.
Being flexible and creative with your passion is the key. Life is full
of interruptions: jobs, family activities, time constraints,
relationships, and money. Life is not black and white—there are moments
of gray, where the future doesn’t seem clear. I recently talked with a
mother of two children who gave up her passion of oil painting while she
worked to finish her business degree. Her once large studio became a
closet where her art supplies were stored. The constraints of family,
career, and school activities became her focus, but inside her heart was
the beating desire to paint. Now that her children are grown, she is
taking up her “lost” passion and hopes to open up an art studio—pursuing
her love of painting full time.
Praying for guidance and listening to my instincts directed me into a
new career path. After 20 years in the medical field, I gradually let go
of the familiar and embraced the future with wonder, joy and excitement.
It was scary to leave a life of guaranteed income, benefits, and a
secure retirement, but I have never looked back—not once.
The art of passionate living is a journey—sometimes taken in baby steps
and sometimes in huge leaps of faith—but the end result is renewed joy
for living!
Transforming tragedy, pain,
and loss into a life of joy and purpose is what I’m passionate about. A
cancer diagnosis ten years ago reawakened me to the joy of living
beautifully, meaningfully, and passionately. Through my experience, I
have developed an Internet gift basket company for cancer survivors and
speak and write about “living life passionately”.
Author, Trading Ashes for Roses: From Pain to Passion
www.conniepombo.com
www.livinglifepassionately.blogspot.com
www.basketsfullofhope.com
www.conniepombo.com
www.womensmentoringministries.com
www.boomerbabesrock.com/blog
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