Awaken Your Passion & Find Your Joy!

Joy: It is time for bringing it, sharing it, embracing it, and yes, feeling it. I’ve written on joy before and I write on this topic once again, if for one reason: joy is a stepping stone to understanding a brighter perspective on life. The sentiment it brings can be infectious. It inspires others to see the upside in situations that may not have been so obvious ahead of a joyous occasion. It also allows for us in its midst to desire it more, to crave it; thus we seek the things that bring us further joy, leading us to identify our passions in life.

It seems today the struggle for clinging to joy is greater than ever. With constant information flowing in our direction and with much of it being the opposite of joy, our minds are polluted with so much suffering in addition to our own individual struggles. The sense of overwhelm is abundant today and at times debilitating.

I recently had this train of thought while in a van traveling from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco to the Sahara Desert along the border of Morocco and Algeria. Observing the colors, the landscape, the people along the side of the roads, I began to reflect. I felt a sentiment I’ve had since I was a child. It was a sense of passion for exploration, for discovery and for knowing comfort in the unknown. That sense had been asleep in me for some time now, occasionally blinking awake in times of excitement, but for never long enough to remind me of what I truly desire and who I really am at my core.

Morocco was my 20th country. I really should only count about 17 countries as ones where I’ve actually spent quality time, as some were simply pass-through countries. I have had a curiosity for exploring distant places since I can remember. Collecting maps and hanging them on my wall as a child, and reading National Geographic as storybooks, I learned of cultures and foods that seemed beyond my reach, and by the time I turned 18, I knew I would study people and cultures and travel the world. It was then that the joy brought to me by this notion, began to evoke a desire to make it happen. I left my hometown of Tallahassee, FL at 19 years old and moved to the Pacific Northwest, and from there the world became my oyster.

That sense of joy and excitement comes to me when I embark on new things; new people, new places, new career paths, new experiences, new challenges. It has become clear that for me, newness is exciting. Realistically, some things in life require routine, but adding newness is essential for happiness. What’s the fun in always knowing what comes next?

Every person is unique in their passion, but understanding yours is essential to maintaining joy. We all have it and if you think you don’t, perhaps challenge yourself in finding it. Add in something new to your day even if it starts as something simple, like a new coffee flavor. Challenge your comfort! Nothing brings change more effectively than getting out of your comfort zone, or what I refer to as the “comfort rut”. Eventually, escaping the monotonous will lead you to your joy. If you already know what brings you joy, and have identified what your passions are, don’t let them remain in slumber! And this is where goals come in, but we’ll address that in the next Words on Wellness blog.

For now, remember, passion never dies, it may lie dormant, but it’s screaming to be awakened, so rise and shine!