Finding Your Passion

I am not entirely sure if this is an age or a stage-related issue but I am finding it more and more difficult to know exactly what I am meant to be doing with my life! Perhaps finding my passion has become important it is because I am on the cusp of turning 40! Yes, only a few months to go, or it may it is part of the woes of being a SAHM.

Finding My Passion

Of late, I find myself in a situation where doors are opening but am not sure whether I should walk through them. Fear maybe – but my biggest dilemma is what if I become too busy and my children suffer. I am not sure if anyone else has had these same issues but I thought I would share this post I wrote a while back on “Finding Your Passion”. Reading it again has helped me realign my thoughts and have a better perspective on where I am going or at least how I am going to get there!

After having to spoken to a few, close, friends recently, I realised how difficult it can be, for people in general but especially women to make “life changes” after a certain point in their lives. I think it is particularly difficult, as a mother, to make life-altering changes without first having to consider how it will affect your family. This motivated me to write this post, to motivate you on “how to find your passion”!

How To Find Your Passion

I think I am definitely more aware of this with 40 looming in the not too distant future but I think it has less to do with age and more to do with the expectations and dreams I have for my life. We all make certain life decisions, early on in our lives and mine was to settle down and have a family. Being a SAHM {stay at home mom} means that there are certain sacrifices you are required to make and usually your career is one of these sacrifices. I know that there are a great many moms who do both but our own personal decision was that I would be a full-time SAHM; fortunately for us, we were able to do this. I feel that young children, benefit hugely in the early years of their development if you are able to be at home with them.

The only dilemma that quite a few moms’ find themselves in is that once their children are of school-going age, they tend to have more free time on their hands. So this begs the question – “What Now?” and this is especially true if you did not pursue a career path BC {before children} because you could then simply continue on that path. Well, I guess this is where my need was born to find something” that I could do that would be primarily “for me”. This is not as easy as it may sound when you have spent the better part of 10-12 years teaching children to eat, walk and sleep. Which is a completely different focus and although physically and emotionally challenging, it leaves you rather lacking intellectually.

Self-fulfilment versus Monetary Reward

In my search to find my passion and purpose, I was given some very wise advice from my man, to find something that I am passionate about and not, if possible, chase money as a reward. I do understand that some families require both parents to work but if you can follow your passion before you follow the money all the better. “It is so hard not to want to follow the financial reward but ultimately it will not bring you self-fulfilment if that’s all you chase after!”

So now that you have established your need, to find your passion how do you go about deciding what your passion or purpose actually is? Simple really, get out a pen and paper and write down all the things you love to do and the things that you would love to do. Remember these are generally the things that keep you awake at night and you have always dreamt of doing. Then comes the tricky bit, you need to eliminate the probable or possible ideas, from the impossible ideas. It’s not that you cannot achieve whatever you set your mind to but more about the practical application of these ideas. For instance, the prospect of becoming a world travelling photojournalist, although exciting would be near on impossible with kids and hubby in-tow.

My Passion for Blogging

For me, a mom of two school-going children, finding my passion resulted in me starting my blog.  I have always loved photography, fashion and cooking, pretty much anything that is a creative outlet and writing and sharing about these things on my blog is greatly fulfilling. The one factor I had not banked on was how much I actually love writing, this came as quite a surprise to me but I guess I am writing about the things I am passionate about! For you, it may be as simple as taking a photographic or art course or as big as taking the first steps to a degree.

I believe that it is not necessarily about what you decide to do but more about recognising your need to do something and that it is never to late change the direction you are travelling in!

Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion. ~ Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Passion and purpose go hand in hand. When you discover your purpose, you will normally find it’s something you’re tremendously passionate about.” ~ Steve Pavlina, Blogger and Author

“So remember to remain focused on the end goal and no matter how other things may try to distract you do not let them stop you from realising your passion and full-filling your destiny!