Books, songs, graduation speeches, politicians, teachers, actors, and anyone else who’s able to vocalize some motivational sermon will tell you to follow your passion! Follow your dreams. Follow, and you shall live a more meaningful, fulfilled life. They say that it isn’t easy; that you have to sacrifice and persevere. It takes courage and hard work. It takes strength and patience. It takes a true believer and a fighter. And if you don’t have it in you, then, oh well, you’re not passionate enough. Your fears get in the way, taking you down. They say, if it was all that simple and easy, then it wouldn’t be worth it, it wouldn’t change you or push you towards that path of creative living… But, hold on, wait a minute! There are many, without a passion. They don’t have a need or strong pull towards anything that calls for such great fight. Yet, they too want to live a meaningful and fulfilled life. With no passion to follow, what the hell do they follow?! And that’s when I heard a brilliant discussion. Elizabeth Gilbert argued against passion. Yes, against it. She said to forget following your passion. Passion is not in everyone’s repertoire. Instead, follow your curiosity, for curiosity is more flexible, manageable and forgiving. And it made me think, of course, more thoroughly about the topic. So, I asked myself- What are you curious about? What interests you? Where does your mind go when you have time to be you? And then, I gave myself permission to go ahead and explore it. Read about it. Try it. Don’t like it? No problem. Try something else. The curious mind can be as simple as trying a new recipe or fashion advice, or as bold as traveling to the jungles of South America to become an expert in a rare butterfly species of the Amazon. My point is that it doesn’t matter! The truth is, passion and curiosity are close cousins. They, might have different personalities, but they come from the same family, and same DNA traits are innate. Though undeniable, my passions and dreams are still very vivid and alive; it’s my curiosity that draws a broader roadmap. This map leads me to many diverse places. Some places in fact are so interesting, I continue to explore and learn about them, and probably will for the rest of my life. Those places call upon me, as I need them, and they need me… They too push toward the path of more meaningful and creative living. The power of the curious mind is a plethora of opportunities and adventure… So, the question remains – What are You curious about?
-This letter is a re-post from Feb. 28, 2016… I never had doubts. I never gave in… Though the road wasn’t always smooth, to say the least, there was always something deep. This powerful internal drive. A common thread in all my writing. A light that keeps on shining brightly ahead… Three years later, here I am, realizing my dream by following my passion, my curiosity. What a gift life is…