Don’t follow your passion – Cultivate it…

It is a misconception that a few of the people lead successful, enjoyable and meaningful lives because they believed in "Follow your Passion"; while others didn’t get the chance to do so because they were not passionate. Let’s take a deeper dive to decode the patterns of success and glory.

Follow your passion – is to find out what you love to do and find a occupation/career that matches; and the story is over.

However; we suggest to Cultivate your Passion – is to look at your work/occupation/career or give it a try as if you are a designer – craftsmen. Carving out your potentials – honing your skills and then raising the benchmark of your moral values, all together would help you to shape up your future and will give you a life style that resembles your dreams. It might look like a lengthy process – but trust you….it has very high returns.

We all look up to Steve Jobs – and we do what he said – hopeful to attain what he did. No…please don’t do that. Do as he did and not as he said. He did not follow his passion - rather he cultivated his passion. He was with apple computers as a thoughtful move of making $ 1000 and this was the time when he was passionate about the eastern spirituality. But on his way to cultivate his passion and an approach of openness towards opportunities – he was quick to realize that his project was worth a lot more than he dreamed of and so successfully channelized all his energies to build up the business to sell computer products and services across the globe. He is one of the best examples – to cultivate passion and not follow it.

When you are following passion you are likely to get excited about your idea, but on facing the very first hurdle or barrier the idea and you – both lose the thrust to see your vision to success. Why it is so…what is the issue?

An individual has a passion about becoming a successful musician – famous artist – poet – salsa dancer; but the options you find with these segments are very less.

A typical individual who loves cricket – knows very well all about cricket. Tries to pitch in like Brett Lee of Australia and can copy Alan Border’s batting pattern. The only problem with him is that he is a hopeless player. So in no time his passion turned to apathy and the new passion that evolved was music, and then it was theater and then fashion modeling –in the end all with the same unfruitful outcomes.

Passion can be cultivated in varied fields and hence it is useless to think and believe “I have not yet discovered my passion”. Normally students on reaching college search for such passions.

Tips to hone your lifestyle and cultivate passion:

1.    Daily meditation and/or spiritual practice do help.

2.    Start writing something – enabling your ideas and views to flow out profoundly through words

3.    Nourish your mind and soul to help yourselves to hear the voice of your intuitions

4.    Stay connected with your role models

5.    Visualizing – giving way to your imagination – mind affirmation work well to attain what you want