What is your passion?

There are so many things that we must do in life. We must support our family, we must pay our bills, we must pay our taxes, we must educate our children, we must - we must - we must.....

What about what we love to do? What we want to do? In this frantic race of life that we run each day, there are things that we would love to do instead of what we must do. The 50 million dollar question is WHY aren't we doing it? WHY? Why don't we schedule time to do those things that we are passionate about? Why do we constantly put off what we know we need to do to keep our lives balanced? Why is it that we are making less and less time to work at our passion.

Did you happen to notice that I said "work" at our passion? That's right - work at it. Spreading Joy is one of my passions and making sure I do one thing for someone everyday can be difficult. Sometimes I get wrapped up in one of the 3 classes I'm taking, sometimes I get caught up with my daily job and the needs there. Sometimes its making sure that my family spends enough time together as one child will be heading off to college soon. Working on our passion may be difficult to manage at times, but it is doable.

Regardless of what financial level you are at, what social status you have achieved or where you are in the various stages of life, you can take the time to work on what you are passionate about. We spend time scheduling meetings, planning vacations, family get togethers and doing the necessary things that our day to day life requires that we tend to forget to allow ourselves some time doing what we love.

What is your passion? Is it reading, is it writing, is it musical or artistic? Do you love scrapbooking but can't find the time to preserve those precious memories? Is it woodworking or building things? Is it spending quality and quantity time with your family? Is it sewing and crafting? Is it volunteering or helping others? Is it all of the above?

We all have "to do" lists that we use on a daily basis. Some are on the computer, some are written down on paper and others with great memories keep things straight in their minds. Have you ever thought about putting what you love doing on your daily to do list? Why not? Why not plan some reading time - even if it is just 30 minutes? Why not plan some volunteering time or sewing time? Why not work on things that we are passionate about a little everyday?

I'm not saying plan out everything, everyday - that would be no fun at all. I understand the need for spontaneity. Before gas prices got totally out of control, it would be nothing to get up on a Saturday morning and head to the beach for a day. (4 hours away from here and definitely one of my passions!) But can we plan an evening to work on our sewing projects? Can we plan a family night of fun and games? Can we get out our calendars and make sure we have these things scheduled? Sure we can - if we decide to get passionate about our passion.

So, how about it...what new entries are going on your to do list for this upcoming week? Can you work at your passion a few times this week? Is there a way to make it happen everyday? If not, start small - set a goal for 3 out of 7 days. Yeah, you know you can do it.

Passion and purpose go hand in hand. When you discover your purpose, you will normally find it’s something you’re tremendously passionate about.

~Cup of Joy~

It's Up To You

One song can spark a moment,

One flower can wake the dream.

One tree can start a forest,

One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,

One handclasp lifts a soul.

One star can guide a ship at sea,

One word can frame the goal.

One vote can change a nation,

One sunbeam lights a room,

One candle wipes out darkness

One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey,

One word must start each prayer.

One hope will raise our spirits,

One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,

One heart can know what's true,

One life can make the difference,

You see, IT'S UP TO YOU!