An Elephant Tightroping

"The only way to do great work, is to love what you do."

-Steve Jobs

     You honestly can never anticipate what life has in store for you. Just like I never could have guessed I'd find an elephant balancing on a tightrope when I type passion in Google images. Even if you have a plan for what is going to happen in your life, it will not happen the way in which you thought it would. A planned life will go as follows... If it can go wrong, it will go wrong. I wish I would've known this before I graduated high school, but I probably would have considered this to be a pessimistic point of view. Now however, I know it's neither optimistic or pessimistic, IT JUST IS. 

     Have you ever woke up one morning and wondered how you got to where you are? Well, that's exactly where I was this morning. I woke up, rolled out of my hammock and out loud asked myself "How did I get here?" The reason I asked that is because it was then I realized that nothing that I've done in the past year was part of the plan I conceived a year ago. In fact where I am now, wasn't even on the map. Where I found myself was disappointing. I never thought that I'd be in a place in my life where I'd feel completely and utterly passionless. In fact, it was just in this past week that I'd finally admitted to myself that I wasn't actually happy. I could smile and put on a good show, but it was just a show. How did this happen? How did I get here?

I added this photo from Trolls, because this is what happens
when doubt wins. Passion is diminished and you're left with
a pale, hollow reflection of how you once were.

     After I'd asked this question to myself, I reflected on all the aspects of my life, and why I was not happy with them. In all areas of my life, I found that I felt passionless for, but why? I have had passion in all of them once before, but what changed? Why is the passion not there? Then I started thinking back in time and found my answer. At one point or another, there was a seed of doubt planted in all of them. Whether it was music, my relationships, or my spirituality I found doubt planted in all of them. It was only now that I realized that I'd been nurturing doubt and not passion, and doubt diminishes passion. 

     Passion doesn't all of a sudden just leave you. It goes away slowly. For me, little disappointments happened, people leaving happened, projects falling through happened, heartbreak happened. It seemed that a lot of opportunities and people that I had planned on being here now had left me behind. So what? Those things and people did happen. That doesn't mean it gives me the right to blame them for where I am, because the only person who decides what you do about those things is you. Just own it! The blame game never gets you anywhere except alone. But how can you regain your passion? If only I knew the answer to that! I don't think there's one answer to that question. I just know that doing what makes you happy, being grateful for it and sharing it with others makes life much better. So maybe that would help regain passion. If not, at least you're doing what makes you happy.

     Regaining passion is a difficult task. Especially when the past seems so full of darkness and doubt. But we need to realize that we didn't lose our passion overnight, so we can't expect to regain our passion overnight. It's a process. All life is a process only to be completed over time. Just remember to LIVE NOW and enjoy the process, and maybe just maybe you'll find yourself passionate and not passionless!