That Which Energizes You Leads To Passion
As I began to write this week’s posting, I looked out my window to see several inches of snow. Additionally, I knew all around my surrounding area there are broken off tree limbs, downed power and telephone lines and blocked off roads because of these factors. I live in the Northeastern United States, in New Jersey. These might be occurrences I would see in January or February. However, it’s the end of October, and for one who does not care for snow even when the season calls for it, this is very disheartening. In fact, I learned from my parish priest that the last time conditions like this were prevalent where I live before Halloween was during the American Civil War. And, neither the priest nor I were alive to witness that storm.
I then moved to my Motivations calendar to look toward November, and view the monthly quote and theme. Oh, the theme is Enthusiasm. I sure didn’t feel too enthusiastic at the moment. This past weekend during the height of the storm I was headed to a wedding. What is normally a 10 to 15 minute drive became a one hour journey. Between the falling snow, falling tree limbs, closed roads and constant rerouting I was just grateful to get to my destination. Fortunately the proximity between ceremony and reception were very close. Once getting to the hotel where the reception was held, all the guests were greeted with a power failure. Only through the power of emergency generators was the reception able to go off as scheduled. Having braved driving through the storm during the day, I decided it was best for our party to stay at the hotel overnight and proceed home in the daylight, (even if the hotel still did not have any power).
Even though things could have been far worse, I know I felt drained the day after the wedding. I certainly did not have much energy. And, then I looked again at the calendar and the quote for November. The quote reads, “Without passion you don’t have energy, without energy, you have nothing.” I have been writing my first post of the month from the calendar’s quotes since the beginning of 2011. Usually the thoughts flow freely as to what to write. This time, I just stared at the quote and it stared back at me.
For a time I decided to step away from the quote and the piece I was writing. Instead I began reviewing the week coming up in front of me, which I do on a regular basis. And, slowly but surely my energy started coming back. I looked ahead to the clients I would see during the week. There was the Monday morning presentation that I was making available to a Transitions’ group at my local library. There were catch up telephone calls with fellow colleagues in the profession. I began to realize the quote was starting to come alive in me.
The work that I do as part of my coaching profession, whether it is one on one coaching sessions, preparing educational materials, being an officer in my state’s coaching association or meeting with those in my profession and fellow business owners has become a passion for me. I enjoy it so much that I do find it an energy boosting experience. When a client makes an insight that they did not previously have and it helps them move forward toward a goal, that is definitely an energy boost for a coach. When an audience connects to materials you have to present to them, and can see where those ideas may help them that too can charge one’s batteries.
I know that if is often popular to say to someone who is looking for what it is they may want to do next in their life, to find their passion. I would say another way to approach that is what in life makes you enthusiastic? What is something that when you think about it or do it, boosts your energy level and makes it something almost effortless for you to do? When you can identify that activity, you have found your passion. And, as I learned this past weekend, if you find your energy drained by what is going on around you, getting back and involved with your passion is a great way to get your energy back.
