Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Ken Robert from Mildly Creative.
If you really want it, it doesn’t matter what you do to it.
It doesn’t matter what you call it: your hobby, your work, your mission, your curse. Those are just words, and words can mean different things to different people and different things to you from one day to the next.
But the thing that always stays the same is the thing you really want, the one that doesn’t care how much you deny it or how slick you are in hiding it. It’s still the thing you want.
It doesn’t care if you belittle it, if you spit on it, if you roll your eyes and laugh at it. It will take all the abuse you can dish out and still remain standing.
It doesn’t care if you fail to make it a priority. It will rise to the top again and again and again.
It doesn’t care if you try to calmly let it go. It doesn’t care if you meditate and empty your mind. It will still be there waiting, ready to pop up as soon as you utter your last “ohhhmmm.”
It doesn’t care if you run away, if you sleep all day, or if you bury yourself in some addiction. It will follow you, sleep beside you, and cling to your chest no matter what you do.
And it doesn’t give a damn what anyone else wants. It’s not interested in what others think of it. Its focus is on you and its goal is your attention.
It will not give up. You might, but it won’t.
It’s relentless and, until you acknowledge it, it’s willing to sabotage all your attempts at peace.
Do yourself a favor: surrender. Your resistance is futile.
I like this Ken, our passions are indestructible. They may sometimes be dormant, and get pushed aside, but they will always be there, and always return.
I reminds me of when you see a tree in the middle of a footpath and the surface gets re-laid right up to the very edge of the tree.
Then a few months later the pavement has started cracking up and crumbling as the tree’s roots begin to poke through. Same with our deepest passions. They’ll always find a way through.
Thanks for the reminder to surrender and listen to our deepest callings.
Love this! I would argue that you need to make sure everything you agree to connects with IT. Or IT will just nag you as you do the less passionate thing.
I wrote a blog post on 3 questions to ask yourself to test if you have the passion to complete a project that you won’t get paid for:
http://www.careergreenlight.com/working-for-free/
Hope it helps someone!
“It doesn’t care if you fail to make it a priority. It will rise to the top again and again and again.” I’m starting to think that’s true. And I’m starting to try to give it the attention it deserves. Thanks for the insight!
I couldn’t agree more! This is one of the great truths of our Calling. It won’t go away, ever. Now, time can run out, and we can miss it, but the Calling is remarkably persistent. That tugging, nudging, quiet little voice can only be feed, not silenced. Fortunately, there’s meaning, purpose, and passion on the other side of surrender. Thanks for the post.
I think you’re right, Dr. Dyer. Regret is the product of ignoring that calling.
I agree. The timing of realizing one’s passion can vary. It took me a few years from creating my artwork to selling it online + out in public. But now I’m moving uber-fast with development. The pacing ebbs and flows with life happenings but passion is a constant undercurrent, a consistent force driving us and leading us home. : )
This to the point so much that its just incredible!
This article is one of the truest I’ve ever read. It head the nail on the head perfectly. Our true calling is there from the beginning, you just have to wake up to it and realize that it’s not going away. It will be with you until you die. Grasping it and running with it will be the best decision of your life.
I totally agree with this post. Our passions, inter alia, make our personality. They lead us through the life and help us make the correct decisions in order to pass through the obstacles which prevent us from achieving our life goal. Ignoring our passions would make the life pointless.