Without passion you will not reach your fullest potential.
Without finding your passion you will not understand your unique purpose.
It doesn’t matter what age you are or what stage of life, understanding and cultivating your passion is a vital first step to be all that you were created to be.
Coaching is sometimes diminished to setting SMART goals. Many think it’s about looking to the future and creating a plan.
Yes it does that! ……. But there is a vital process to go through before you even think about setting goals.
The Destiny Coaching process offers a new approach. Instead of focussing on fixing problems and setting SMART goals, first you find and ignite passion.
This is a different approach to getting breakthrough. Problems and obstacles are at first ignored. An in-depth process of finding and cultivating vision, desire and passion is undertaken. This uncovers the greater things God has for you.
Passion is like the fuel in the engine of the train taking your life forward. It is the key to success. After finding the very things that move you, that make you feel strongly, you can then start to clarify your unique purpose. Clarifying purpose tells you where the train is going. The Bible says; without a vision the people perish. (Prov 29:18)
There is not much point to having goals unless you are excited about reaching them and understand how they fit into your overall purpose. Have you ever set goals that you don’t achieve? New Year’s goals are the classic example of non-starters.
Usually, when I coach people we find that the very areas of your life, your business and your organisation that are not flourishing are the very areas you do not feel passionately about.
Try this simple exercise just for fun! Think of where passion currently is in your life. What would be left if you extracted everything except what you really care aboutfrom your life. This can be a real eye opener of what you need to change.
How do we find and cultivate passion?
Mostly our passion is suppressed. ‘Shoulds’, ‘should nots’, ‘busy ness’, logic, ‘sensibleness’, rebuff or rejection of ideas have caused this.
The First Step
Step 1 – Find your passion
Go to places where it’s easy to find. Go to past places of passion, such as ‘resonant events’ or life shaping events. You can also look at injustices that prompt you to feel strongly. What is your ‘hobby horse’ or ‘soap box’ issues, i.e. issues that make you feel strongly?
Spend time feeling what you feel about any of these. Visualise the past resonant event, relive it, engage with the feelings you have about these things.
Step 2 – Find a safe method of expression
For example, journaling, acting, singing or being with friends with whom you can be expressive. Find ‘dream buddies’, who will be on your same page and allow you to explore and cultivate the passions of your heart, whilst you do the same for them. Try drawing, to express and extract what is on your heart. Be bold try abstract expression or whatever comes easy. Try movement. Find the words. Get a Destiny Coach!
Step 3 – Redefine how you see yourself
This step is far more important than you may think. Now you are discovering you are in fact a passionate person. Spend time reflecting on this. You dohave things that you really care about passionately. There are issues in the world you care about a lot. There are things you want to see different. Create some declarations that express your passions and redefine who you are:
Eg.
I am a person who cares about the world
I am passionate about seeing old people cared for
I care deeply about business being run fairly
I care that government takes notice of improving education
… or whatever it is
Each of these steps so far need time. Don’t rush through. Your heart needs time to be let loose.
Step 4 – Choose your cause
Ok so this is where you honour what you have found. You are honouring you and your heart and purpose. Take a look at all that has come up and pick just one thing that feels particularly highlighted. It may be something that has surprised you that you care about. It may be something that comes up in your life repeatedly. It may be something that you know really matters to you. It may be something random that just feels highlighted and you don’t know why.
Step 5 – Make it your own
Now ask yourself:
What would I love to see happen in the world around this topic?
What would I want to change?
Spend time thinking of what your ideal outcomewould be
Finally, ask yourself: In what way do I want to contribute to this outcome?
You are learning how to access the passion in side you, your hearts desires. You are learning how to turn them into a purpose for your life.
Our purpose comes from the very things that we care most about. Our capacity increases when we are passionate about something. We have more energy and motivation to work on it. We discover more creativity and tenacity in these areas.
This is why finding and cultivating your passion is a major key to you stepping into the fullness of your potential.