Passion: a strong and barely controllable emotion

A lot of what I write about, or have written about before is passion -- finding my passion, using my passion to do good in the world, having a passion to guide me through the pitfalls of adulthood.

But after this TEDTalk, I've begun to think that maybe I shouldn't be looking for a singular passion to guide my life. I've had trouble (and noted before) that I have too much passion for many different things, passions that change with ebbing tide. These passions change depending on where I am, and what I feel I am supposed to be doing to help others at that point in my life. For awhile, my passion was being an RA. Helping others, giving advice, cultivating a community that still thrives today, regardless of the fact that we no longer all live ten doors away from one another. I've found an overall passion in Student affairs, but some days the draw to cultivating community through social media consumes me -- other days it is working towards the implementation of a first generation student group. I guess I am lucky in that I have so many passions that help fuel me every day.

So now I'm thinking, that instead of trying to narrow down my passions, or define the fact that my passion is a fluid yet all-encompassing thing....maybe I should just work on being passionate about life as it comes. Take every day as a an opportunity to find new passions, revive old passions and just be passionate about the experience of life as is.

Maybe this is the answer. That to fulfill my goal in life I don't NEED one passion to fuel me, or even three! That my passion for all things will allow me to fulfill what so many miss in their own passionate paths: I can find passion for life itself, and everything that comes my way. Instead of having passion hold me back, I can use it as my ticket towards a greater understanding of what it means to be me. To be human in its most simplistic form. To be passionate about living my life, regardless of the fact that it fits no molds, or follows no particular path.

Passion is what I felt always set me apart, but not for the right reasons. Now, I'm finally seeing it as it was meant to be -- the thing that sets me free and allows me to become what this world needs me to be.