Not so long ago, I was listening to a lecture on how parents can help their children find and embrace their gifts, talents and passions. I walked away from it with some valuable insight on how to encourage and support my kids in finding success doing the things that make them happy.
Never once during the lecture did I think that these same insights and suggestions could be applied to me at all. It’s so unfortunate that as we get older, we often accept the idea that we can’t or shouldn’t try new things. I was guilty of it for years. But, I see now that the ship, metaphorically speaking, really had not sailed after all. I just needed to get on it.
It’s never too late to find your passion(s)
The most frequent question I get asked is whether I have always wanted to be writer. I have discussed my answer a few times in my blogs, but in case you missed the answer it’s, yes and no. I have always liked to write and toyed with the idea of writing a book, but I never thought of myself as a writer and I really didn’t know if I was any good. I didn’t know it was a passion and I didn’t know if it was a talent. Turns out, it is something I’m very passionate about and it also turns out (based on your feedback) that I’m pretty good at it too.
Another thing that I’m passionate about is tennis. I’ve always been an athlete but I never really tried tennis. Now, a week without tennis is a very bad week for me. I love it and find that playing has given me so many gifts: it is great exercise, playing allows me to feed the competitive nature of my personality and most importantly, I have made some really amazing friends through tennis connections. I’m not where I want to be as a tennis player quite yet, but I have come a long way over the last year and am proud of what I have accomplished on the court.
Who knew it could be so rewarding?
I’d never thought that at my age I would discover something that could be so life changing. Yes, life changing. Writing Stay and being on this journey has done wonders for how I feel about myself. The process has been one of self-discovery on so many levels. I never expected these kinds of personal rewards when I began writing, and I am appreciating every moment of it. The best part is when people reach out and tell me that something I have written has touched them in a meaningful way. It blows me away and makes me want to keep writing forever.
What should you do?
So, how do we find our passions? I don’t think there is just one answer to that question. For me, it was pretty basic. As far as the tennis goes, my husband wanted to join a country club to play golf. I decided to utilize the club too (largely to justify the expense) and picked up a racket. I was scared to death to play. I didn’t have a clue what the rules were, I was playing doubles so I had to be accountable to a partner and although I could hit the ball over the net, my backhand was horrible. But, I kept at it and worked hard, and now I feel confident when I step out on the court.
As far as writing goes, I literally woke up one day and decided to try to write a book. I didn’t know what I was getting into and I didn’t even know if I would finish. Happily, I found that once I started, I couldn’t stop. But, that was just the first step. As I went on, I didn’t know if what I was writing was any good and I didn’t know the first thing about actually producing a book. But, I kept putting one foot in front of the other, asked a ton of questions, did a lot of research and relied on the people around me for support. When Stay came out for sale in November, it was a seriously magical day for me. I have no idea how successful I will be or if I will actually make any money doing this, but to be honest, I feel like the rewards have already outweighed the sacrifices.
I’m not alone
If I stop and think about it, I am surrounded by a bunch of great women who have recently started new adventures in their lives or who are amazingly creative and passionate about so many interesting things. I have a friend who started a cupcake business because she is an awesome baker. Another who loves animals and is now a dog walker. I have another who started selling a new line of clothes because she has a great sense of style and wanted to share a great product with others. I have friends who have gone back to school to become something they dream of being: a teacher, a nurse, a lifestyle coach.
I also have friends who just rock at things like decorating their houses for every holiday, throwing great parties, knowing all the best books to read or who dedicate huge amounts of time to worthy causes. They are all passionate about what they’re doing and I try to support them as much as they have been supporting me.
Book your ticket
To get back to the ship metaphor, don’t just assume that because you’re older, you can’t go after your dreams. It’s not too late. Me and all those ladies I mentioned above are proof. You don’t have to have a lot of money, and you don’t have to have all the answers. You just have to have a dream. Take a little inventory and make a list of the things you love to do. Then just do them BIG. I promise, it really can be life changing!
Image credit: Evelyn Giggles
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