Then you must embrace learning!  I’m a continual learner, however I’ve noticed that I’m most passionate about what I’m actually interested in. Learning something just because I “should” or need to be better at something practical doesn’t always inspire me in the same way as having insatiable curiosity about something that fascinates me.

To me, bookkeeping and data analysis are blah.  Crystals are woohoo!  I’ve had a thing for rocks for a while now.  It evolved from acquiring a few lovely stones from my grandmother to becoming more fascinated and then following those that called me.  Well that passing interest became more of an obsession recently as I began attending rock and mineral shows and expanding my collection. Now I’ve accepted that it’s a “thing” that I actually enjoy and I’ve been diving even deeper. More about that later.

Now maybe there’s something you love that you don’t give yourself permission to play with. It may be how you choose to spend your free time without acknowledging how important it is. Perhaps you consider it a hobby or just a general fascination, but you don’t actually own or appreciate that this “thing” of yours could be a real passion, if not a career or a calling. Maybe you love to cook or bake (similar, yet totally different) or plan travel itineraries or build things. Or maybe you’re a Tough Mudder, sailor or skydiver….

• Are there ways you could embrace your fascination and go deeper?
• How might you combine your passion with other interests to create something new?
• What lessons from this interest have you learned that apply to your personal or professional life?
• How can this important part of your life enliven and inform other aspects of your life to bring in more meaning?

Bring it to Life!

Not everything we do has to be super meaningful. And yet, what if it were?  Why not be more intentional in integrating more of yourself in all that you do?  How might it feel to show up fully with all your interests loved and accepted, rather than hidden and disowned or denied?  How amazing to just be yourself instead of only showing parts of yourself to the world in certain situations.

Of course we do need to be thoughtful about how and who we share ourselves with. I’ve always been struck by Jack Nicholson’s character in A Few Good Men saying: “You can’t handle the truth!” Such wisdom that we often don’t want to look at or see things that make us uncomfortable. Of course, hiding things through obfuscation is the opposite of transparency, but we must be willing to embrace all parts of ourselves and the world.

Not such an easy task these days. Frankly, turning off the news and crawling into a hole sometimes seems like a good option. Though of course, that’s not dealing with reality. So how can we be in the world and still be in integrity with ourselves. I believe there’s an opportunity to find and create brave spaces that allow us to take risks, be vulnerable and not avoid challenges or confrontation.

To be brave requires us to be resourced and whole. We must be present and also welcome more presence into our lives. BEING more, doing less. Being with what is. Being present with others. Noticing what we feel. Recognizing that others have different perspectives. We can have our own point of view that we then choose to share or keep to ourselves. With the divisiveness we’ve experienced post-pandemic, it’s not surprising we find ourselves feeling divided internally at times.  How should we show up?  Who do we present ourselves as?  Which version of ourselves is real?

I used to consider myself a dabbler and dilettante. Now I just own that I am a person with many interests that I bring together in my own unique way.  Though choosing to learn more about anything involves a bit of a commitment. A decision and a choice about how we want to spend our precious resources (time, money, energy).

Yet only through our commitments and deep engagement can we approach flow state more of the time. Being in flow helps us find more happiness through optimal experiences. (Check out this helpful summary of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s groundbreaking research in this area to learn more and apply this to your own life).

How can you give yourself permission to be yourself and do more of those things that you love, rather than denying them? I see so many clients blithely dismiss what actually brings them joy. They swat aside their interests like so many flies – “oh, that thing I love doing, I can’t make time for that,” rationalizing what they truly care about (friends, family, sleep, exercise, meditation, you name it), isn’t important.  It’s not “valuable” the way work, work, work is.

MAKE YOUR LIFE PLEASURABLE

Can you see where I’m going here. Why shouldn’t life be fun? Who says it has to be all pain, suffering and then we die? Don’t save up all your happiness for vacations. That’s too little time (with 4 weeks or less a year at most companies) and weekends passing quickly. That leaves you to either find more joy from your work itself or discover how you can value your interests as much as your paid work.

Which environments let you be more of yourself?  Where and how do you want to spend your time? We get to make of our lives what we wish, so what would you like your life to look like?  When I really ask myself this question, it helps me better evaluate how I spend my time and reorder my thinking towards more of what I love. I hope it inspires you to rethink what you truly enjoy.

AN INVITATION

As I develop my book and new offerings, I would love your input as part of that process. I’m offering 10 free 45-minute exchange sessions to gather information that can inform my thinking. For 15 minutes, I will ask some questions about your interests, media consumption and aspects of my work that you find engaging. Then 30 minutes will be for a crystal healing session or tarot reading (your choice).  These sessions will be held virtually over the next 3 weeks and are open to anyone who receives my newsletter.  Claim your free 45-minute session here. No sales pitch or obligation, just 45 minutes to support you and get your perspective.

I’d love to hear more about what you’re passionate about and how you make time for this in your life.   If you want your life to reflect more of what you love, let’s hop on a Discovery Call to explore new possibilities. Looking forward to connecting!