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26.

 

Re-igniting Your Passion

A motivational speaker's temptation
to ignore his inner calling

Jim Donovan

 

No, this is not about relationships, although the principals will work in any area of your life. Recently I found myself in a very strange state of mind, I felt stuck, kind of like walking through mud. I couldn't really put my finger on it, but something was definitely wrong.

Since I know from experience that when I write about something I am currently facing, a lot of people e-mail me to say how much they relate to it as well. After all, we really are all connected. So it struck me that as I find a challenge in my life, others are going through the same thing, or recently have.

As I began exploring what was taking place, I started to realize that I was drifting away from what I feel was my true calling and going in too many directions. I was as they say, "chasing a paycheck instead of chasing my passion."

If you're in your own business you may relate to this. I found myself going in directions because they looked profitable or secure when in my heart I knew it was taking me away from my true purpose. The interesting thing is that when I've done this in the past (some of us are more stubborn then others) it had never really paid off. All I ever did was spin my wheels and waste some time.

Having experienced enough pain (I said I was stubborn) I decided to take some time and really look at what I was doing. When I do this, I always come back to writing and speaking as my true purpose. I believe God pulled me from the depths of despair and a life of misery and degradation, so that I could use what I had learned to help others and that my books and seminars is how I am to do it.

When I made that decision and reconfirmed my commitment to my true purpose and passion, interesting things began to happen. At a business event, I ran into a friend I had not seen for a long while. When I casually mentioned that I was intending to do more speaking, he remarked, "That*s good, because that*s your true calling." Talk about being the last one to get it!

Doors began opening and I started receiving inquiries about delivering programs. One area where I felt guided to focus in is in delivering talks to students and their parents. I feel strongly that our young people need to hear more uplifting messages and I feel that I can help. Interestingly enough, as soon as I decided this, I received an invitation to speak at a high school and started meeting people who want to help.

I invite you to ask yourself, "What is the passion I'm distracted from?" .

Maybe it is your relationships. Have you been less than fully committed, choosing instead to just coast along, expecting it to take care of itself without input from you?

What about your career or business? Do you still have the passion you had when you began or have you become complacent, just going through the motions? Have you abandoned your passion thinking success is somewhere else?

Don*t be like the man in the story "Acres of Diamonds"  by Russel Cromwell. He left his farm in search of diamonds and spent years in search of them, only to wind up destitute. The person who bought the farm from him discovered the diamonds right on the man*s property. Sometimes we have to look, literally, in our own backyards.

---------- Action step - Renew Your Passion---------

1. What is Your Passion? What have you always felt strongly about? (it may be anything from a business idea, a new service, or a community cause).

2. Why did you want this in the first place? What drove you?

3. How does doing this make you feel?

4. How can you reconnect with your passion?
   (what activities, people, etc.?)

5. What can you do now to get going again?

 

Copyright © 2004 Jim Donavan, jim@jimdonovan.com All Rights Reserved.

Jim Donavan
Personal & Professional Coach, author and motivational speaker
E-mail: jim@jimdonovan.com
Web:  http://www.jimdonovan.com

For more than 25 years, Jim Donovan has worked with individuals and organizations to implement strategies for growth. Jim is a frequent speaker to businesses, trade groups and associations and his seminars have benefited audiences nationwide. As an internationally acclaimed author, his books have been translated into seven languages and distributed worldwide, including This Is Your Life, Not A Dress Rehearsal, which offers proven principles for creating the life of your dreams. His new book, Handbook to a Happier Life, has just been released by New World Library. Since 1991, he has published an internationally syndicated newsletter for personal and professional development, which is available at http://www.jimdonovan.com. Thanks much. Be well and God Bless, Jim Donovan Author, Handbook to a Happier Life

 For your success newsletter, visit http://www.jimdonovan.com