Finding your passions
Sometimes it’s better to get out of the way. This is one of those occasions. In this moving opening address, Ray Bradbury shows writers where to find inspiration. As he points out, writers may find their best ideas by digging deep into themselves for those experiences they feel passionate about.
The following passage from his lecture sums up his advice:
“Surprise. You don’t know what’s in you, until you test it. Till you word associate. You’ve been writing self consciously, intellectually, for too long. The deep stuff, your true self, hasn’t had a chance to come out. You’ve been so busy thinking commercially, what will sell? Wat will I do? Instead of saying: Who am I, how do I discover me?
You word associate. There’s another thing you can do hygienically. Go to the typewriter, and just type any old thing that comes to your head, start word association. And by god, maybe about the bottom of the page, or the second page, all of a sudden, some characters will take over.
Then, begin to write. And, this will be your true self. Your true fear. Your true hope. Your true love. You’ll be writing a passion. You’ll be writing with excitement. You’ll be finding out things about yourself you never, you didn’t know you knew. And all the things in your near past that you haven’t touched yet. You haven’t begun to touch them. I’m still touching mine.”
This is true for any creative endeavor. We must feel passionate about anything we do, to do our best and enjoy ourselves while we’re at it.
Next, I recommend you go over this short list of areas where you’re likely to encounter your hidden passions:
- Passions which satisfy basic psychological needs
- Activities where you invest considerable time and energy
- Passions you forgot about along the way
- Your dreams
- Free word associations
Look for your passion (s) within activities that satisfy your basic need of autonomy (a desire to feel a sense of personal initiative), competence (a desire to interact effectively with the environment), and relatedness (a desire to feel connected to significant others).
Studies show that these personal needs are stronger performance motivators than money incentives. The Wikipedia is a good example of the strength behind this kind of motivation.
You’ve probably developed over time, a passion or a strong inclination towards a few activities that you like, find important, and in which you invest time and energy, which have resonance with how you see yourself.
You enjoy a sport you play, watching the games of your favorite team, have a hobby on your own or within a group, or contribute to communities that you like and support.
We all have to earn our living. Sometimes we leave behind and forget some of the things we liked to do, that excited us. Go back as far as you can. Ask yourself, what was it that you liked to do as a child, as a teenager? Also, there must’ve been things you were good at doing, that you don’t practice any more. What were they?
It’s not all about your past. Maybe you have a dream. Something you would like to do with your life. Go out for a walk. Maybe you need to rekindle a lost and forgotten dream. Let’s jot these down too.
Lastly, follow Ray Bradbury’s advice. Ask yourself about your passions, while writing down on a notepad anything that comes to your mind, regardless of how unimportant or embarrassing the recalled word seems to you.
You might surprise yourself. Your opening a new door for some new passion to emerge. Wouldn’t this be great?
What should I do, once I’ve found my passion (s)?
Set your passion (s) in the horizon, —it’s alright and natural to have more than one passion—, to magnetize your life’s direction. Your passions should set your North because they make your life worth living. Work to advance in the direction of the needle. Your passions are the fuel which will allow you to make outstanding achievements.
And maybe, someday, someone will love you for what you have done to them.
Huh, can you imagine, can you imagine?
