Hello my dear listener ! Welcome back to yet another inspiring episode of Morning Cup of Sunshine podcast. I can not tell you how happy I am today to record this episode for you. It has been almost a couple of months since I recorded a solo episode. I took a long break from recording a solo episode, of course I did have several podcast episodes still posted regularly during this time. But a lot has happened during these two months. We took the most awaited trip to India in April. I had all my episodes for April pre-recorded in the month of March so the entire month of April, I didn't even touch my microphone to record. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to India. We had a wonderful family time. We soaked in their love, warmth and with a heavy heart but fond memories we came back. I had a series of very interesting interviews lined up for the month of May. I decided to talk about following your passion for the month of May, but this time I wanted to bring the guests on this show. I had so much fun talking to all of them. They not only talked about their passion but gave so many helpful tips to find your passion. During this month, I received several messages, feedbacks but there was one common thread that I noticed in all those messages. They all were curious to know the practical tips to find those pockets of time to follow your passion. Finally, as we are almost closing the series, I want to talk about the simple ways to find time to follow your passion. So, are you ready for these simple yet actionable tips?
Give yourself permission to dream
I am sure you have been there, sitting in front of your computer or in your cubicle, crunching numbers, working hard in your day job, or waiting in the carpool pick up line dreaming about the day when you can leave all this behind and just dive into that one thing, that one hobby, that one passion, the one that you hold closet to your hard. It is such a powerful feeling to work on something that you love the most. It is such a comfortable feeling to think about a day when you wake up excited to work on your half complete painting, your incomplete article, your new tune for the song but the reality is different. The comfortable feeling feels far away, what seems real is the pressure to submit that report, to deliver that project on time, to finish the work before 5 just to start a homemaking job after 5. It feels a distant dream to even take out the 5 minutes to work on your passion project. You feel terrible to ask for that time when you see you have a mountain of tasks lying in front of you, waiting for you to pick them up. Then you convince yourself, I am not forfeiting my dreams, I am just pushing them further and further to accommodate my responsibilities. I need to do this, I need to finish all my chores, I need to finish my project on time, I need to cook homemade, delicious food all 7 days a week. I want you to stop there, just for a minute, and I want you to intentionally give yourself permission to dream. I want you to give yourself permission to follow your passion, I want you to give yourself permission to spend 10 minutes a day just for yourself. It is not a big ask, my friend. Nobody else can work on your passion project. Nobody can come even close to doing it better than you, because it is your own passion project. So, as a first step, give yourself permission to dream big.
Keep the inspiration alive
Not everyone can follow their passion by leaving their day job and jumping into something that they love. There are a lot of factors, there is financial stability to consider, there is fear of unknown territory to consider, there is the fear of uncertainty, there could be lack of support system. Sometimes, the setup for your passion might be crucial , sometimes the skills needed to grow your hobby into a passion project could be tricky. But does that mean you just give up on your passion? Let’s say one day you want to be a published author. But your current roles and responsibilities do not allow you to spend much time on your writing project. Maybe your progress would be slow, maybe you will need way more time than an established author to finish your book. You do not know the process of finding a publisher, editor. You are scared to even submit your manuscript because you are afraid of the rejections. There are a thousand reasons to give up on your dream but there is only one single reason to stick to your dream and make it a reality. You work and you work consistently, one step at a time towards your dream because , “It is what you dream about” It is what you can not stop thinking about, it is what makes you feel good about yourself, it is what makes you feel alive. So, keep that inspiration alive, take one step at a time. Enhance your skills, learn from the experts. In Gauri’s interview that I did as the second episode of this series, she mentioned a very valid point. She said, “The time when you can not pursue your passion with a full force, don’t consider it as a waste of time. Use this time wisely and use it for embracing new skills, enhancing your existing skills, honing those strengths” I loved this thought so much, you need to keep that fire burning if you want to reach your dream destination.
Learn to say No
I am really losing a count of how many times I have stressed this point in my episodes. When you say Yes to something, you are saying No to those unnecessary and redundant things in your life. I have learned this lesson a very hard way. I am in fact still trying to hone this skill, yes it is an acquired skill. If you want to prioritize your passion project in your life, you have to say No to fluff and concentrate on the substance. Already, you are not keeping this passion project as your top most priority. It is always going to come second to your day job and family, friends, but please don’t push it down further. We always have an overflowing schedule. Please take a look at your schedule, see where are those pockets of time? Take a good look at your schedule and try to find those time wasters, time blockers that block you from doing the things that you love. I understand that it is hard to say No. But you try everyday, think if you have to do this task yourself or can it be delegated? Is there someone who would enjoy that responsibility, or who could do it better than you could? Can you hire someone to do it for you? Is there a way you can do it faster, ask for help, or do it less often? Eliminating even one or two unnecessary activities per month can free up time to follow your passion. Try to become the master of your own clock. It’s important to realize the things you love and love to do. But it’s just as important to assess the things you don’t love. Realizing what you don’t love will give you a better understanding of the things that make you who you are.
Surround yourself with the right people
I think this is as important as working on your passion consistently. I have seen this first hand. Every time I think about my close friends and my circle, I feel blessed to have so many inspiring people in my life. I have learned so many things from them. There are some with extraordinary understanding of theater, some with the best taste in books, some with the unparalleled compassion and love for the near and dear ones. Every time I see them I feel grateful to call these people my friends. I give them all the credit for whatever small success that I have achieved while following my passion. I highly recommend it if you can find somebody who shares your passion. It’s easier to stick with a new habit or goal when you’re not alone. Finding a friend who is also interested in the same subject. Try to find someone who has decided to make time to follow their own dreams and goals. Just trust dreams do come true, dreams with plans become goals and goals with determination become reality. You just have to keep walking that path, taking one step at a time, trusting the process, following your instincts.
You are here to do the great things, it is up to you to choose those great things, pick the ones that you love and leave behind the ones that distract you from your dream ! I would love to end this episode with a quote from Oprah, “If you really want to fly, harness your power to your passion. Honor your calling. Everybody has one. Trust your heart and success will come to you. ”
Comments