Passion

Following on from my last entry about happiness it made me think more about devoting time to the things in life that excite and amaze us, and it may not necessarily be limited to what we believe we are talented at. Last weekend when I found the old list of goals, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed about each item I was unable to cross off. Though I feel tired just thinking about how hard I have worked my first thought was that I must have been inefficient and unproductive. Since then a further notion came to me. I had not included on the list any goals for my day job.

I began to consider what may be perceived as my professional achievements in the last two years. My salary tripled, I have helped choose and worked with a team of talented people whom I greatly respect, I have learned firsthand from some extraordinary entrepreneurs and witnessed the inner mechanics of a multi-million pound company. I’m proud of my work and grateful for the range of opportunities I have had, which makes me wonder: had I pursued my passions as fervently and diligently as I have pursued my work, would the list be a little more complete, and would I be able to earn from this success?

There are a million moments that exist between now and finding out if I can achieve my goals and by focusing my efforts which excite me I hope to enjoy those moments more, rather than working hard, waiting for the payout. I would certainly love a house with a heated pool and holidays in Barbados, but I feel I would be trading those moments in between to achieve this. The path of my passions may not be as immediately lucrative as the path I’m currently on, but I can’t help feeling there’s not much fun in a swim up bar if I’m exhausted, anxious and on the verge of a breakdown.