Are we really following our passion? This must have been quite a common inquisition for most of us- pursuing our higher education, being an entrepreneur, working for an institution, or anything that aspires us. How often have you been detrimental to yourself for not being happy about the current state of your life? Or are you among those who had found their passion, but didn't perceive its light over the long run? Perhaps you might be a victim of the infamous lines "Follow your dreams", "Follow your passion", and "Follow whatever excites your soul".
Whether we accept it or not, a huge population of our society doesn't follow the path which they are supposed to take, to become who they are truly meant to be. Or at least, that's what is believed to be the truth. Let's take the example of an average student like most of us, who wants to take up the path of breaking through the shackles of several competitive examinations.
Case 1: The student gets through it with an overwhelming victory and gets into his/her dream institution and enrolls in the desired course they had been passionate about. But unfortunately, the thing that they were passionate about begins to dissolve and fades away. They no longer have the sense of excitement or yearning for it.
Case 2: Yup, you guessed it right, the student didn't make it through (*_*) and began lamenting over every possible reason for the missed opportunity. They begin to paint a bleak picture of their life spiraling towards the bottom. They stay this way for a while.
Before we tackle our way through each of the above test cases, let's clearly understand what passion means and what it can mean to different people, so that you can come up with your own solutions for both cases. By definition, passion is an emotion one goes through. It is an intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction. A strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept. Feeling sugary already? But how long does the feeling stay?
Dr. Fred Nour, a neurologist in Mission Viejo, California, said that passion can only last up to two to three years at most. I know this sounds disheartening, but this is the reality we need to begin to understand. We need to change our perception of the term passion. It's not something that comes out of nowhere as people describe it. Rather it is something that is “developed over time and with patience”. Don't try to associate having the time of your life with passion. Try to relate it with your values, and the things you care about. This would not only make you a better person, but also it would aid in the betterment of other people too.
Are you having a hard time finding your passion?
It's alright, everyone goes through this phase in their lives. It proves you to be normal, also proving the fact that you're serious about being successful in life. A simple piece of wisdom that we all need to learn is that "Nothing lasts forever". We might all be insignificant when our world is destroyed. Who knows our planet Earth might get eaten up by black holes or even get sucked in by the Sun. Or what if we were to be abducted by aliens? So don't wait for perfection; just pursue whatever feels right at the moment. You don’t have to be certain about the outcome. You will be surprised by the wonders you could discover when you work through them.
And if you end up not finding your passion with your professional journey, you can still have it as a
side hustle. Nobody stopped us from having our passion involved in our personal lives. You could be passionate about nature, astronomy, photography, your relationships with your family, your spiritual relationship with the Almighty; the list is endless. Create your trend and be a trendsetter.
Don't go after what's been portrayed as life. Live it, feel it and define it. And just make sure you're doing the right thing. This is what “PASSION” is all about.
Written by Zaina Pasha
Edited by Aashik S