Inspiration from T. Alan Armstrong: Become Your Passion
December 13, 2009
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“If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you, and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you.â€
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I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who contributed to the Passion Paradox conversation this past week. I received so many comments, emails, tweets, and response posts about it, that I suppose I’ll write a follow-up post, at some point, with all the lessons I learned from this experience.
The main thing I learned is that Passion, in life, is vital. Whether you have a single passion, or infuse passion in everything you do; whether you make a living pursuing your passion, or enjoy it only in your spare moments, to replenish your soul… we all need a splash of passion to add meaning, purpose, and joy to our lives.
I think it’s important that we understand our passions are as varied as our means of pursuing them, and that we need to find ways to remain true to ourselves, and respectful of others, as we are all on the same quest.
If you have about 2 minutes, here’s a cute video (called “Prickles and Goo“) that illustrates the importance of finding this balance.
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THANKS!!!
PS: Arina Nikitina has published an interview today, in which I talk about finding my inner passion. You can read it at Real Self Help… if you are curious.
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- Inspiration from Yoko Ono: Seasons Pass
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Hi Lisis,
I think it’s great you’re taking a pragmatic point of view here by saying that what works for each individual is right. Being too dogmatic about these issues only gets one into knots. Let’s all be prickly goo or gooey pricks together!
Gordie´s last blog ..Why Deadlines Are For Deadbeats.
Sorry, that was meant to be gooey prickles.
Gordie´s last blog ..Why Deadlines Are For Deadbeats.
Lisis,
The quote really strikes on the beauty of being connected to something deeper within all of us. When we can do that, when our own passion for life is allowed to flourish – we touch upon that spot that makes our heart sing. Looking at the video, I see that as the gooey part for me. And then there’s the prickles – a house to live in, bills to pay, food to buy, etc, etc. How can we find balance? Or – how I’ve been trying to look at it – how can we find harmony?
Lisis, while I missed when your Passion Paradox article first came out, I have read it. Having passion is so important to really “living” life. I’m sure I haven’t always realized this. And I’m also sure that sometimes I still let slip, and get caught up in “going through the motions” of life. Can passion pay the bills? The dreamer in me likes to think so. The believer in me says that I have to keep doing what feels “right”…and somehow life will be okay. And with passion…I really think that okay becomes something much greater, even if to the outside world it still just looks like “okay”. And…I’m okay with that…
Lisis, your heart continues to shine through in your beautiful writing…
Lance´s last blog ..Sunday Thought For The Day
@ Gordie: Haha! I was going to say… we’re probably already gooey pricks! But, yeah, we can work on being prickly goo or gooey prickLES together!
It’s interesting that early on in the passion vs. profit discussion, it became apparent to me that there were four distinct groups represented: gooey dreamers like me (hoping I can have enough passion that profit just oozes out of it,) prickly doers (who probably, and justifiably, think I’m an idiot for buying into the “money for nothing” scheme,) legitimate life coaches/ business gurus (who know what they are talking about and want to help others,) and the famous snake oil salesmen (who were hiding behind a cloak of silence.)
At first these groups felt very distinct to me, very “Us vs Them” until I realized what is called for, once again, is balance. I believe it really became clear for me when I read David’s post, at Raptitude, that a life of practical passion is probably a good place to start… prickly goo, and gooey prickles.
@ Lance: You know, when I saw first part of the video, I could relate to the goo… but I knew that I used to be 100% prickly (back in college, flight school, grad school, and work). So on some level, I could relate to both; and I really didn’t know how I managed to change completely from one to the other. But at the end of the video it dawned on me that I didn’t… I just became a little of both, and that allows me to appreciate the benefits of each.
Balance and Harmony are one and the same. I have the Chinese character for harmony in various places throughout my house, as a constant reminder. I guess we really ARE on the same page these days, huh?
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by LisisMB, Lance. Lance said: RT @Serene_Balance: Inspiration from T. Alan Armstrong: Become Your Passion http://bit.ly/6PHJvU –> passion is there for all of us… [...]
Hey Lisis,
Short, but sweet comment: why not have a passion for life in general, and not one or two things?
Brett – DareToExpress.com´s last blog ..Your Most Powerful Tool For Personal Growth: A Notebook
Can’t we all just get along??!?!
Jay Schryer´s last blog ..Paying It Forward
@ Brett: That’s what I’m thinking. I’m all for infusing passion into everything we do. But maybe that is just because I can’t make up my mind. Some people have one or two things they love more than all others (like my hubby LOVES the outdoors), in which case, they should definitely create a life that includes those one or two things in a big way. But, by all means, let’s approach everything in life with passion and enthusiasm!!!!!! (< – See how many exclamation points I used?!)
@ Jay: I’m working on that… I happen to believe we can. Do you even HAVE a prickly side?
Now this quote speaks volumes to me. Passion at some point or the other just needs to come out…remaining bottled up inside, it just leads to regrets…..Live with passion and Do with passion…Life will be wonderful in our pursuit of happyness
Love
Z
p.s.I loved your passion paradox post so much…i cant wait fro you to do a followup
Zeenat{Positive Provocations}´s last blog ..Human Experience {Inspiration from Helen Keller}
Hi, Z! When I saw the kid in this picture, it totally reminded me of your beautiful daughter, who looks like she has enough personality for 100 people, bottled up in one, tiny, adorable package!
Kids are the perfect example of how to live passionately. They may have one thing they love above all others (LEGO’s, ponies, video games, whatever), but they still bring joy and energy into everything they do. We could learn from these little zen Masters!!
@ Lisis: I look at a passion for life from a position of gratitude, if you can call it that. My thought process is thus:
1) I think, therefore I am… Alive!
2) Being alive is waaaaaaaaay better than being dead. Infinitely so.
3) Since I’m so happy to be alive, why don’t I inject passion into everything I do? Everything is worthy of my full attention and effort. Why? Again, because I’m alive.
I want to die knowing that I gave everything of myself while I was alive.
However, I know that some things get us fired up more than others – which is certainly true in my case. But if we can approach everything with zeal, then our lives become much more… alive. Full of energy. My ideal is like having a default level of passion for everything, and taking it to the next level when we’re pursuing what we call our “passions”.
Brett – DareToExpress.com´s last blog ..Your Most Powerful Tool For Personal Growth: A Notebook
Brett, I LOVE IT!!! If you can figure out how to bottle that energy and zeal, send me a whole case of it. I could sure use it on my “down” days. Phew! I feel rejuvenated just reading your comments!
You strike me as one of those people who, if given the opportunity, would choose to live forever (like my hubby). That’s awesome!
You always offer such uplifting material for reflection. I am gratefulto Lance for connecting me with your beautiful soul. Nemaste!
Liara Covert´s last blog ..What do love and joy feel like?
I really like what you say about passion and how it can express itself in many forms, which is individual to each person. Loved the video! Thanks for sharing it!
lena´s last blog ..Friday Shoot-Out–Christmas Weather
Hi, Liara! Oh, I wish I could always be *truly* uplifting (like Lance!)… some days my disposition is a bit down in the dumps. But I will say, I try my best to find the silver linings (even if some days they are more like muted gray linings). That’s all we can do, right?… our very best!
I can’t wait to go read about what love and joy feel like! If the answer is anything other than Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, I’m in for a surprise!
Hi, Lena! My son and I have watched that video a few times in the last day or so (OK… hundreds of times!). We were just talking, this morning, about how LOVE works the same way… how some people show their love doing certain things, but others show it a different way; and so we all end up feeling UNloved, when we really shouldn’t.
I think one handy-dandy trick in life is to learn to appreciate when someone else is doing the same things we are, just in different ways.
Hi Lisis,
Passion is vital and if someone does not have any, I think it makes life quite dull and boring. The problem is that passion is a word that means so many different things to different people. And on top of that confusion, we live in a world where we are not encouraged to discover our passions. I never once recalled while in school someone telling me to live a passionate life. That was something I realized on my own.
Anyway, that clip was great. I I love the music at the beginning and end. It brought back some wonderful memories. Makes me miss my times spent in Buddhist temples and convents. I have always viewed Alan Watts as a very interesting dude.
Hey Lisis,
Great follow-up post – very well done! (And, I second Lance: I love to witness your heart flowing via your writing.)
The video was fantastic! While I was watching it, I kept thinking, “Oh yeah, I’m definitely a Prickle.” I love structure, organization, order, etc.” But then, I found myself thinking, “But, wait, I love the arts, music, creativity, inspiration – no, no, I must certainly be a Goo.” I feel like a revolving door of prickles and goo – and I like how that was captured in the video.
Maybe I’ll just start thinking of myself as a gockle or a prioo?
Thanks for this, Lisis.
Lori´s last blog ..Front Porch: Of Bands, Explosions, and Cattle Auctions—Laughter with Jay Schryer
@ Nadia: You are so right… even with this current trend of career renegades and rat race trap escapees, the overwhelming influences on most individuals still point to conformity. Schools, universities, businesses and government institutions all prefer dealing with homogeneous groups, instead of large numbers of individuals.
When we truly discover ourselves, who we are, and what we love, it becomes very difficult to just be like everyone else. Not that we are any better or worse, but unique… each in our own way. Then we get to learn the lesson of how much alike we are, despite our little differences. Funny how that works, huh? Different, but the same!
@ Lori: Thanks! Although, technically, this isn’t THE follow-up post… more of a thank you note, really. I haven’t been able to wrap my brain around a sure ’nuff follow-up yet.
I basically said, “Brain, we need to put together a comprehensive summary of all that we learned about passion and profit and different types of people.” And my brain said, “Nah! Let’s write about prickles and goo!!!”
And who can resist prickles and goo, I ask you?
Lori, the Goockle (like Google, but Dr. Seussier!)… I like it!
Lisis,
It’s funny you follow up that post with another on the subject because I did the same
. I think you have created the hula hoop that won’t stop spinning which is awesome. I think that its’ absolutely true that without a passion for something your life doesn’t quite have the same meaning. I think between writing and surfing I’ve discovered two passions that had been inside, but fire’s that hadn’t been lit. The more I let go and just let the passion drive me, the more I find myself growing as a person.
Srinivas Rao´s last blog ..Q1 Marketing Plan For the Skool of Life
@ Lisis:
Don’t get me wrong, I still have my down days as well. But when you slow down and look at things in a positive way – like everything is a means unto itself, then you’re golden. It’s just a matter of coming at things from a default mindset of positivity and energy. Of course, I’ll have to expand on these ideas more in later blog posts.
By the way, I can’t bottle my energy and send it to you
My energy is different than your energy. Make it yourself… Via meditation. Does wonders for me!
Brett – DareToExpress.com´s last blog ..Your Most Powerful Tool For Personal Growth: A Notebook
@ Srini: I should’ve named that post the Passion Hula Hoop! I’ve seen the word “passion” so many times lately, I’m not even sure what it means anymore!
You know, I could totally see you combining your love of writing with surfing. You could travel around the world to major surfing events and write awesome articles about them for publication in surf magazines (online and the old fashioned kind). Plus, already, the lessons you are learning from surfing are making for great material on your blog. You are well on your way to Passion Hula Hoop bliss!!
@ Brett: I used to do the yoga and meditation thing, even teaching it for a while! These days, my energy comes in pint-sized freezer cartons, with a picture of two hippies from Vermont.
Well, that, and I stay in a constant state of mindfulness, no matter what I’m doing. It’s a serene and peaceful version of passion, if you will. Oh, and I agree that our most powerful tool for personal growth is a notebook. (I always called them journals, because it sounds more romantic and adventurous, like in the movies!)
@ Lisis:
I love Ben and Jerry’s with all my heart, except… I no longer eat ice cream. It’s not good for me! Magic Brownies is the best ice cream ever, hands down. Maybe tied with Steven Colbert’s Americone Dream. But I digress.
Meditation is incredibly useful. You should bring it back… It makes everything you do better. It’s crazy, but it’s true.
But that “constant state of mindfulness” is what I like to call “presence”. Your description is very accurate – being present the best state possible, in my opinion. Sort of like a fool’s mate where everything you do improves (so it’s like meditation without meditating).
And you reference my post but don’t bother to leave a comment on it!? How shameful!
Brett – DareToExpress.com´s last blog ..Your Most Powerful Tool For Personal Growth: A Notebook
Brett, I was about to leave a comment, but I seriously have to consider what it means to leave a comment for someone who does NOT eat ice cream.
Luckily for you, Lori up there has already gotten me past the shock factor of realizing there are people like you in the world. Of course, I knew her well by the time she confessed her horrible ice cream secret. I’m a little suspicious, but… I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.
(And Magic Brownies, though the ice cream is great, needs more brownies, btw… or a different name!)
“Meditation Without Meditating” is TOTALLY me. As is “Fitness Without Exercising.”
Lisis,
It’s not like I don’t eat ice cream. I’m like the guy who says he doesn’t smoke yet still smokes a few cigars on the weekends. Ice cream is a luxury – and I don’t have it unless the occasion is special. That’s when I really indulge myself. Day-to-day, on the other hand, I don’t even consider touching it.
Sold on me yet?
Brett – DareToExpress.com´s last blog ..Your Most Powerful Tool For Personal Growth: A Notebook
You’re growing on me.
Phew, looks like I won’t have to hire a marketing department after all.
Brett – DareToExpress.com´s last blog ..Your Most Powerful Tool For Personal Growth: A Notebook
I love how the video illustrates your point. Because it truly is all about passion but that balance of passion is different for everyone.
Joy´s last blog ..Day 4 – Holiday Cookie Time
Exactamente, Joy! We only *think* we are all having a conversation about the same thing (Passion), but if the word means different things to each of us, then we are talking circles around each other, aren’t we? Miche, at Serenity Hacker, has a great discussion going about what we mean by “passion” anyway.
Semantics can get so complicated… I figured prickles and goo would do the trick!
Couldn’t agree more Lisis; “Passion, in life, is vital.” Life without it is really just existing.
Sami – Life, Laughs & Lemmings´s last blog ..Kick Arse Question – Favourite Christmas Tradition
Hi Lisis! Gooey prickles and prickley goo, I love it! Gimme all of it!
The passion inquisition was fun!
Cheers,
Miche
Miche´s last blog ..Is Passion Necessary for a Meaningful Life?
Fun video, thanks for sharing it. I wonder what the ideal prickle/goo ratio is for happiness:)
Thanks for the video! I agree that passion IS vital and I cannot imagine being happy in my life without it.
Positively Present´s last blog ..the best ways to embrace solitude
Hey, ladies! Awesome to see you gathered here. It’s like Margarita Night, but on a Monday morning!
Hmm… the ideal prickle to goo ratio… probably has to do with your current phase in life. If you are 18 to 30, probably more prickle. Over 30, a little heavy on the goo. That’s what I’m thinking, anyway!
Hi Lisis.
“If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived?’
I would say nope. That easy and simple answer reminds us of what we need to be doing.
Cool video there. It sure does bring up a valid point about how some can describe others. Having both the prickly and the goo makes for a healthy compatibility. Too much of either one is not as easy to work with.
Long live passion, because other items get forgotten.
Armen Shirvanian´s last blog ..Sites To Mention 12-10-2009 Plus Podcast Plus Map
What a great little video. Thanks for sharing.
Erin´s last blog ..Reconcile
Hi Lisis,
Great video. Alan Watts always cuts through.
In the end, we don’t know about passion. We don’t really know why or how some people get passionate. We don’t even know if passion is a good thing. Hitler, Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, Hannibal and Idi Amin were very passionate people.
My grandfather was a very modest man who lived very modestly in a village of huts in rural India. Nobody would say he was passionate, and yet he lived fully and took care of his family and he was happy. I am watching a show about four “natives” from a Pacific Island who visit various places in the US, and they don’t have any particular passion, and yet they are more alive than anyone else I know.
It seems to me that when people say passion, they mean they want to have energy behind certain beliefs.
I would say to people: relax about having passion. It is not cultivated. Rest in awareness, be your true nature, and you will know.
k
Kaushik´s last blog ..How to mend a broken heart
Hey, guys! I’m so glad you liked the video. When all else fails, use a cartoon to get a message across, huh?
Kaushik, you are so right: we need to chill out and relax about the passion thing. I’ve met so many people in tiny villages in Costa Rica who live like your grandfather… modest, simple, happy, totally fulfilling lives. They are not merely existing, or wishing their life away; they are living, working, sharing, and enjoying the moment.
Ha! And I love the examples you provided of passion in the extreme! Is it even such a great thing to fuel our passions, and can we be our own judge of whether our passions are healthy and constructive? Such interesting angles, Kaushik… I hadn’t even thought of these! If you write a post about this, let me know so I can link to it in the original post.
Thanks!
I’ve learned to live without a driving passion. I lik things; I’m just not compelled by them. It’s like being color-blind — I recognize the differences in perspective, but don’t regard it as missing something vital. And even if I did — it’s not as if you can graft one on, is it?
Hey, Bill… I totally get what you are saying here. Sometimes I wonder if we put too much emphasis on this whole passion search thing. There’s a lot to be said for contentment.
Hi Lisis. As the little passionate embers die, perhaps I can rake some tiny coals. Before I do, I’d like to comment about Bill’s comment. Yes indeed going without Passion in life can be done. Trouble is, there’s a name for men and women who never have anything to put heart and soul into. People who go through the motions, always knowing there “must be more to life”. Having lived that way myself for (too many) decades, I’m qualified to speak candidly about this vast group of carefree souls. But I’m not a mean person at heart….so I’ll just say the name begins with “Z” and vaguely rhymes with “Tomboys”. Anyhow. I really loved your prickles and goo post. So much so I dedicated a blog to it. In summary it says prickles and goo are the REAL “Secret”. The secret to finding your Passion in life. (Which…..unlike the other Secret….does attract an abundance of riches). The Real Secret is called “wholeness”. Anyone interested can go to mine humble site and browse contentedly amongst the foliage. Anyone not in the least interested can….uh….not. Ciao Lisis. John Duffield
John Duffield´s last blog ..Happiness Is: Prickles and Goo
Haha! You are so right, John… the real secret is finding wholeness within ourselves and as a society. A mind divided against itself is a terrible thing.
I’m heading over to check out YOUR prickles & goo (it’s fun just saying that, isn’t it?).
Nice video! The animation is funny, though it’s simple, the video is very meaningful. It differentiate prickles and goo people. I’ve noted a part of it “you know the words, but you don’t know the music” if you are a prickle. But this isn’t always the case, you can possess both.
Maria´s last blog ..Bodytronics ProCal Calorie Pedometer Review: An Advanced Pedometer!