Written By: Robyn Shulman

Passion is a gift.

There are certain areas, talents, ideas and natural interests in all of our lives. These areas tend to be the ones in which we are both highly knowledgeable and truly passionate about.

This passion and zest for knowledge tends to display itself in early childhood, as long as there are no obstacles in the way of natural development.

Adults can easily observe natural curiosity and preferences in activities by observing young children developing. For example, in a preschool room filled options, kids will be scattered. Some children will be focosed in art, others will be building block towers, while some will be reading, singing or dancing. As toddlers become elementary children, the love of knowledge in certain content areas will grow, while other pedagogical areas can be considered boring, challenging, and simply uninteresting.

Passion and education can and should go together.

It is natural for children to be enlightened and excited about certain topics, while others can have little or no interest. The areas of great interest will most likely produce active participation in class, higher satisfaction levels and amazing grades. The areas of low interest will result in zoning out, talking out in class, low participation level, and possibly, lower grades.

If kids have a background that consists of a varied amount of diverse exposure, they should be able to determine their passion when they reach high school or college level.

As adults, we tend to forget about our passion and/or make excuses for the lack of nurturing things we simply enjoy. Most of us are not meeting these needs, nor do we bring them into our homes or within our careers.

It is time to remember and reclaim your passion, use it, and nurture it. After all, this passion is unique to you and will be with you for the rest of your life. Why ignore it?

Reclaiming Your Passion:

1. Remember and Reflect: Think back to your childhood; dig deep into your memory, as there must be something you loved to do, see, or talk about.

2. Reclaim: After you have found it, invite it back into your life, slowly. Start off with 10 minutes a day and make the time for yourself (no excuses)!

3. Use It: Bring this passion into your home and work life (if it fits accordingly). This passion can cause a new positive chain reaction with family members. If it is useful within your work environment, bring it back in, if possible (you may find your job more enjoyable). If you are unemployed, try and gravitate toward areas/careers in which your passion can be used. Major life changes are not necessary; little steps will make a big difference.

4. Nurture It: Find opportunities to share your passion with others who may share some of the same interests (i.e., classes, discussions with friends, etc.).

5. Don’t Force Your Passion On Others: Remember, your passion is your passion. There is no need to push views on others who do not hold the same interests. Respect differences, agree to disagree, and find commonalities.

Making time for things we enjoy is pertinent to overall mental and physical health. As caring adults, we tend to put others first. However, we cannot care for others if we don’t care for ourselves.

passion