Passion, Purpose, Profession…

As breadwinners, we may one day look up and recognize that we feel more shackled by our careers than inspired. As we become more seasoned in life, not only do our needs change, but our sources of inspiration can change as well. Mid-life crisis? Not necessarily. Instead it’s a stark realization that, by tradition, some of us chose a career as young adults or adolescents, before we truly recognized our passions in life. Upon this realization, we find ourselves at a crossroads.  Do we choose passion or profession?

An effective approach would be to honestly begin assessing our purpose in life. Why are we here?  What is life really about? Those are always difficult questions that will take the average person decades to answer. Some of us will indeed discover those answers within the context of our own circumstance, and others of us never will.  The lucky ones who detect their unique purpose in life will discover that it boils down to impact. Our purpose in life is to be impactful to others- to leave this earth in a better state than we received it.

So how do we go about manifesting our purpose? How can we exert the most impact in our lifetime? Through our passions, of course! Our passions bring forth in each of us a powerful emotion of joy, coupled with boundless energy. It fills our spirits and makes us feel complete.  Our passions bring forth euphoria without the use of chemical substances, and can conjure an out-of-body experience right here on Earth.

For some, a profession is simply an occupation. It’s how they will spend the bulk of the day-everyday- for the rest of their lives. Their profession is the vehicle through which they pay their bills. And it’s an entity from which they can’t wait to retire. But if profession and passion are not one in the same, their lives are being squandered away on a path other than one meant for them. It’s hard to fulfill your purpose when you are pre-occupied with an unfulfilling profession.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that profession, passion, and purpose go hand-in-hand. These concepts are symbiotic and synergistic. Once we find the courage to align our profession to match our passion, we will have a better chance of realizing our purpose! So if we are not feeling fulfilled in our careers, we should explore more deeply the passions inside of us that we may be ignoring. I honestly believe that our inner passions are God’s way of whispering what we were meant to do with our lives. We should be fearless in the pursuit of passion and purpose. The true meaning of our lives is worth fighting for!