Staying true to your passion

What is passion? The definition I found for the word passion in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary is: “a moving of the mind or soul; excitement of the feelings, whether pleasing or painful; disturbance or agitation of mind caused by a specific exciting cause and manifested by some sensible effect on the body.”  Is there anything in life that excites you and makes you want to pursue it in an effort to better yourself and others around you?  Whatever it is, please do not let go of your passion.
So many people today were once passionate about some things, then when difficult times came, they decided to let go of those things. They decided to give up because someone who did not truly have their best interests at heart told them they should. They decided to give up because nothing was truly keeping them rooted and grounded. Never give up. I know everyone goes through a time where they wish goals they have are not so difficult to accomplish. However, it’s during the difficult times in life when we see what we are made of. My pastor used to say before he passed away, “If it doesn’t work under pressure, it doesn’t work at all.” So when the pressure comes while you’re pursuing your passions, it’s coming to build you up, not tear you down.
While doing something that centers around pursuing your passion, someone might approach you with some constructive criticism.  Be careful to not see it as an attack on you; but rather, see it as helpful information.  If someone really cares about you, he or she is not going to tell you to do anything that is going to cause more harm than good to yourself. Evaluate the constructive criticism someone gives you and try to see why he or she is saying what they are saying.  If you look hard enough, you might be able to see the chance to grow and mature in different ways.
While pursuing your passion, do not be afraid to do things differently from the way you might normally do things. This often involves leaving your personal comfort zone. Staying in your comfort zone (i.e. doing things only the way you want to) can be dangerous because then you are not willing to be flexible enough to adapt to change. Sometimes leaving your comfort zone means breaking tradition. This is difficult for many of us because we get comfortable doing things that have always been done in the same way they have been done. Trying new things can be scary at first, but once you get the hang of it, getting out of your comfort zone will not seem like such an arduous task. Many times leaders are the ones who are willing to step out into unknown territory to do things that need to be done because they see a need that needs to be met.  Staying true to your passion will cause you to meet great needs at times.
With that, be true to your passion. If it’s singing, dancing, ministering, teaching, advising, mentoring, or just being there for people in different ways-whatever it may be-don’t lose your drive and determination. Great things come from people not giving up on the right things that are really important to them.