I came across a story of a woman who discovered a buried talent as an artist. She didn’t even know that she had a talent in her. She wasn’t frustrated and didn’t even wish she could follow her dream. She didn’t even realize that she had a gift, but she stumbled upon it and she allowed herself to recognize that what she was doing was truly art. It took one or two people to validate their enthusiasm for what she was doing, and that just continued to feed her passion that just kept growing.
Years later, she’s highly regarded in her field, is making a wonderful living and is fulfilling a dream she didn’t even know she had. She was open and receptive to the fact that what was showing up in her life was something that she could nurture. She chose to make something more out of it and allowed it to flourish. This is remarkable.
Can your passion or hobby lead to a Reinvention?
Maybe you're still searching for your passion and just can't quite figure it out. Well, maybe you’re trying too hard. In my own journey, as I interviewed people for my book and podcast, THE POWER OF RE:INVENTION, I've heard many struggle with finding their passion.
Finding your passion is a very lofty and ambitious goal. Like your Reinvention journey, there’s a roadmap to get there. You can’t necessarily wake up one day and “know” what your passion is or should be. It becomes daunting and eventually, you become disillusioned that you haven’t got a passion and there must be something wrong with you.
So start with a simple hobby – no agenda, no long term plan that this is going to “save your life” or get you out of what you’re doing. Just something that complements your day-to-day journey. Cooking, jewelry making, play an instrument, create some art, learn a language, kite flying, knitting, cycling, rock climbing, start a collection of something… Allow yourself an hour or two a week to indulge in something easy, fun, and distracting. Take note of how these hobbies make you feel.
You’ll mingle with like-minded people around something of interest and you never know what might come from that – but you have to allow it, that’s all. Often, as we get older, priorities shift and we start to let go of those things that are important to us. We take care of others in our lives and commit to our jobs and careers, which often aren’t related to our hobbies or interests but are simply a means to an end.
We then justify why we don’t have time for the things that make us feel good and settle for a complacent life. It could be that a simple hobby, something you can have fun with and enjoy may ultimately become your passion. Then you can figure out if that hobby can transform your life.
You may need to pull your head out of your phone or computer long enough to see what’s going on around you. Do you realize how much of the world you’re missing as you text and email while you walk around? You’re probably not always as present in the real world as you could be. You're missing out on surroundings and human interactions that could be sources of inspiration - catalysts for Reinvention.
So do something new, look for a hobby, not a passion and let it take you places unexpected. It’s good for the soul. It’s your Reinvention.
