"On The Go With Almine": PASSION: "The Fire of Life"

Monday, April 26, 2010

PASSION: "The Fire of Life"

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~Howard Thurman

Route Name: "Carla The Stripper," Smith Rock, Terrebonne, OR., Apr. 2010
(I'm leading this route on the arete in the picture. I look like a little ant on the rock. My friend, Julie Z., is belaying me below)

It seems that outdoor climbing season has finally descended upon Central OR. Fri.-Sun., unless I'm treating patients up in Portland, I'm now out climbing. This will last until it gets too cold to climb outside again.

It feels good to see all the hardwork and training I put into "CrossFit" and "Bikram Yoga" over the winter pay off with my passion. I feel more confident about my strength, balance and flexibility this year than I did the year before. My endurance feels better, and my mind feels more focused.

What is your passion? Do you have one that draws you back to it, over and over again? Do you have several that overlap and accentuate one another (an example may be: dancing/acting/singing)? Is there a passion that has always nagged you to be expressed, but hasn't been given a voice yet?

When you give expression to the latent talents or tendencies within you, you'll find that a host of wonderful things will come your way. From new friends to new opportunities, you'll find that when you go after what's important to you, new adventures ensue. I have a friend who once said to me, "I just go after what I'm interested in. The Universe handles the details." How I interpreted her statement was in light of the following:

We all have hidden talents, or latent seeds that want to flower. When we "follow our bliss" its like the Universe gets "in step" with us, and does what it can to help us express those talents. We meet the "right people," are put in the "right situations" to help "nudge us along" in that direction. Its a wonderful cycle of expressing your passion, and being "rewarded" for it through a flood of abundant new experiences and people that come into your life.

Perhaps you've always wanted to be a dancer. All of a sudden, as you put thought-energy into wondering what it would be like to pick out your dancing costume, find a dance studio, or purchase your new dancing shoes, the lady on the bus turns around and says to you, "Are you a dancer? I thought I saw you in a performance last week." Or, "Hey, did you watch 'Dancing With The Stars' last night?" These "little things" are clues: clues that are affirming your intent with your new-found passion. Urging you to express it, hone it, love it, cherish it.

Passionate people are what this world needs. "Doers," not "talkers": "doers" make their passions come alive, and thereby inspire others to do the same as well. Passionate people make the world a better place. They inspire change, action and enthusiasm. Ask yourself what your top 5 passions are. Write them down. Ruminate on them, meditate on them, see yourself in your mind as not only doing them, but being successful at them. Pretty soon, you'll find the Universe "conspiring" with you to create all the right circumstances for your passion to find an outlet. Ultimately, that outlet is you...