Blog September '22
Hello friends it's been a minute, hasn't it? How have I been you ask? I've been riding the rollercoaster just like all of us on this majestic blue planet. Highs: finishing my business diploma, getting social again, no more masks while singing and chanting yippee! Lows: recurring lung infections and unwell family members - even my laptop had a virus lol. Nevertheless, The Lomi Room continues to be a source of growth and meaningful connection and on that note, if you haven't visited in a while I'd love to see you. I guarantee we'll blink and it will be (dare I say it - yes I will) Christmas. In this blog I'm tackling the topic of passion, which I think is usually talked about like it's a far-away thing that only a select few get to experience. That's simply not true and I'm here to break it down for you. It covers:
No pressure but... you need passion in your life
Indicators you're passionate about something
Build the fire gradually – you can’t light a large log from a match
Micro passion to turn up the heat
Wet wood won’t burn - make sure your kindling is dry
Priming your life for passion
A fire needs oxygen - if it smoulders, blow air on one spot to ignite a flame
4 ways to build inspiration
Sometimes you need to leave the fire alone, giving it time to build momentum on its own
The embers from a fire can remain hot for a long time
5 ways to “cool down” negative hot feelings
Whew! That's a lot so let's get cracking...
No pressure but… you need passion in your life
In the 1990s and 2000's it was commonplace for bosses to preach about having more passion for the work you do. Do you know how awwwk-waaard it can be for people who don’t know yet what their passion is? Hopefully, most leaders have evolved to a better way of talking about passion with staff. These days we know that workers who are passionate about what they do is more engaged and productive with a higher quality of work and they’re just happier in general. Who doesn’t want to be happier in general?
Work aside, passion can be anything in life that you just feel very strongly about. Feelings that are so strong that you must act on those feelings, that's why passion sits in the action stage of the universal cycle of creation.
I don’t have any passion for knitting. When I tried it, time dragged and mistakes were an excuse to give up - I only felt good at the end due to the relief of it being over. Thankfully my life isn’t defined by my ability to knit. I’m also thankful for the people who are passionate about knitting.
What happens when your passion is flatlining? We’ve all felt blah at some time, wondering where the enthusiasm has gone and that you could feel more fired up. I recently spent four days off the grid in the bush doing my inner work. Most of the usual distractions were removed – no people, no phone, no books, no food. I’ve built plenty of fires before but this time it was different. With more time and attention than usual, I realised that building passion is much like building an actual fire.
HOW TO BUILD THE FIRE
#1 Build the fire gradually – you can’t light a large log from a match.
Accept what is and work with what you’ve got. You’ve got to start somewhere, what’s wrong with starting where you are? If you start where you are, there’s a better chance you’ll have fun because you’re feeling good about what you’re doing. Adopt a narrative of building a passion not finding one. We can have talents we don’t know about yet but don’t let that trick us into viewing passion as something “out there” (and unattainable) and not “right here” (and growable). Trust that you’ll naturally want to progress with time. You’ve never seen a baby crawling and thought “gee I hope they don’t quit now before they get to the walking stage”.
#2 Wet wood won’t burn - make sure your kindling is dry.
If an area of your life causes you to feel bad, it’s not ready for passion. You need to give it “drying out” time to feel a little bit less sh*t. Learn to know which parts of your life are ready to burn and which ones need more time.
#3 A fire needs oxygen - if it smoulders, blow air on one spot to ignite a flame.
Your passion needs the inspiration to burn. Are you allowing inspiration to flow or are you accidentally snuffing it out? If you can feel something smouldering, it’s time to build relevant inspiration.
#4 Sometimes you need to leave the fire alone, giving it time to build momentum on its own.
Know when to stop pushing for more passion and let it unfold in its own time. Is it possible your expectations of timing are a little off? Try shifting your focus from the result to the enjoyment of the process.
Wait, didn’t you just say “smouldering passion needs focused intention?” Yes, I did! That, my friend, is the art of knowing when to focus more and when to de-focus. It’s a skill you build with practice. But I’ll give you a hint: follow the feelings. If you’re feeling good, add focused inspiration. If you’re not feeling good, de-focus and find something else to feel good about.
#5 The embers from a fire can remain hot for a long time.
The rant is a great example of passion being directed in a negative direction. If you’ve disagreed with a person which you’ve kept mulling over, then you retell the story to someone, then get back on that bandwagon when you wake up the next day … that’s how you know you’re letting the embers smoulder. Be aware of the direction you direct your passion because it can build momentum which if left unchecked can become a habit of negativity.
Spring is a great time to nurture your passion. Nature is raising the temperature for you and with it the lifeforce that we’re all plugged into. Allow it to gently lift you to a new level of fun and enjoyment!
Good health and much love,
P.S if you enjoyed this read, please look out for my invitation to join my subscription coming soon so that you won't miss any future news.
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