My Reality Check Bounced! - Jason Ryan Dorsey [16]
Finding and following your own passion separates you from the millions of people with dreams but no drive. These are the people who harbor the most painful regrets as they grow old. They recognize what could have been but instead are prisoners of inaction. I know pursuing your passion won’t make your life perfect, but I promise it will make it unforgettable.
Think about it this way:
• Your dreams show you what’s possible.
• Deciding to live these dreams puts you in control.
• Finding the passion within you propels you toward your destiny.
* * *
BOUNCED:
I’m just not motivated.
CASHED:
My passion is my motivation.
* * *
WHAT BURNS INSIDE OF YOU?
In your Future Picture, you see yourself inspired, smiling, peaceful, creative, dedicated, and purposeful. What makes this picture so satisfying? The things you own? Your job title? Where you’re living? How others see you? I don’t think so. If you’re truly inspired by the future you can create, it stems from something deeper and more personal.
This deeper motivation is the why behind your passion. This root of your most meaningful dreams might be a longing to make a difference, a longing to feel included, a longing to know your life means something, or a longing to know you lived life to the fullest. When you can see and name the why behind your passion, you gain the ability to take your passion to a new level.
The why behind Ben’s unstoppable passion was his knowing how it felt to be abandoned, alone, hopeless, and beaten down. He knew what violence, drugs, poverty, and prejudice can do to the human spirit. He wanted young people around the world to rise above this pain to live their gifts. In helping young people find a meaningful path, Ben found his own.
Andi is another twentysomething who found her passion and used it to inspire a movement—albeit an artistic one. At twenty-seven, Andi had just quit her job and wanted to do something that really brought meaning to her life. She decided that more than anything she wanted to connect people in her city who would normally never talk, while creating an environment that fostered creativity and acceptance. Her solution: “Burn the Box”
For one evening a month, Andi arranged for a Realtor to donate the use of a very expensive house that was empty and for sale to showcase the work of local artists and musicians. Local businesses donated food and drinks, and all attendees made donations at the door that went to fund health care for the arts community. At these jam-packed underground events, it was common to see investment bankers talking politics, news, and art with blue-haired painters and nose-pierced college students. By bringing so many diverse people together, Andi not only revitalized her spirit but uplifted her entire community.
ASK YOURSELF WHY—THEN THINK WHY NOT
Are you still having trouble narrowing in on your passion? Speed up your search by answering these why questions:
1. What job would you do without pay for three years? Why?
2. Who is the person you would give everything you have to learn from Why?
3. Which one of your four snapshots could push you to work without sleep for days? Why?
4. How much time would you invest daily if I told you that it would take one thousand hours of learning and action to get exactly what you want? Why?
5. If you had to give away all your material possessions except one, which would you keep? Why?
6. What do you most want to experience in your lifetime? Why?
Now answer the big passion question:
7. Why is living your Future Picture critical to your very being?
If you had trouble answering the last question, you may need to redefine what you want from your life. When you are locked onto the right vision for your future, you will know