The title of this post sort of seems like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? If we’re really and truly passionate about something, shouldn’t it just come naturally – without us having to “make time”? And yet, I’m sure we can all relate to the notion of being too busy for the things (or the people) we love. When we have many things going on – school, work, social obligations, extra-curriculars, family – it’s easy for our love of the easel, microphone, or keyboard to fall by the wayside. We all have a little bit of creative genius inside of us, whether we express that through computer programming, graffiti, juggling or flower arrangements. Or maybe our passions are less about creation than they are about consumption: books, art, music, fashion shows, blogs, magazines or restaurants. (I’m sure that most of us have passions that lie in the realms of both creation and consumption.) And if personal experience is any indication, our passions are the first thing to go when life gets busy and time gets scarce.
But hold up. Why should this be? After all, our passions feed us all the nutrients our spirit needs: joy, satisfaction, beauty, love.. Without them, we are flat, boring, listless. Uninterested. Uninteresting.
Of course, we all live in the real world. We all have pressing concerns, such as making a living, studying, or caring for others. Maybe it is unrealistic for some of us to pursue our passions on a large scale. But I think everyone has at least fifteen minutes in their busy day to practice their passions. And that first fifteen minutes is all it takes! Once you make it a habit, I think you’ll find yourself looking forward to those 15 minutes of you time, starting to stretch it out to half an hour, waking up earlier, going to bed later – doing anything you can do to feed your soul.
