Creating Space to Engage in Our Passions

While teaching in a middle school enrichment program, my focus was on supporting students in discovering and growing their talents and gifts. Yet, oftentimes, when I asked my students what they were passionate about, the response would be a blank stare. Often, we would examine how they spent their time and how they felt about the various activities in which they engaged. They would admit that they spent their time doing things that they were not really engaged in or passionate about. There were so many activities packed into their day that they didn’t have time to be present and enjoy their favorite parts of the day. Their experiences became more of a doing than a being.

What I have observed, too, is that many adults have this same experience where their days are so packed with doing things that they do not leave any time for identifying and growing their passions. Our actions and routines become so engrained in our being that we are just going through the motions, looking at only what needs to be done. During these times, it can be extremely supportive to engage in some activities to clear out our schedules in order to create space for more opportunities to engage in our passions and bring more joy in our daily life. Below are three things that we can do to create space for our passions:

1. Welcome Stillness: Simply be still for some time, whether it is an hour or a day. Spend some time away from your normal routine, creating space to listen to the messages of your soul. Use this time to reflect on what parts of your day you enjoy most. If nothing comes to mind, think about what you loved to do as a child, or what your ideal day would look and feel like.

2. Clutter Clearing: Particularly if you have a jam-packed calendar, examine which activities, organizations, obligations do not bring you joy and do not represent your passions. Release these with love and gratitude to create space for new and exciting ways to spend your time, or to open up space for something that you would like to spend more time on.

3. Investigate New Ways of Being: Sometimes, just as the students experienced, we may not immediately be able to identify what we are most passionate about in this moment. Make time to experiment with new activities, try out something you’ve already dreamed about but either didn’t make the time to do or you were fearful about doing. Play without judgment to get to know yourself and your current passions. Look at yourself and how you spend your time from a new perspective.

Clutter clearing is all about getting to the core of who you are and how you engage with the world, including in relationships, with objects, activities, time and more. When we create some time to be still, identify and release what is not in alignment with our soul and are open to welcoming in new, more aligned opportunities, we can find new ways to engage in and grow in areas of our passions.