Synchronicity

It is funny how I am currently part of two writing workshops.

I joined a Copywriting workshop on May 5th. I came across it through LinkedIn and I said to myself, why not?! I had always enjoyed writing and I saw it as an extension of my passion. We are a motley group of 25 being taught by a very passionate teacher. Some in the group are advertising veterans and actual copy writers. But many like me, are novice to this art.

Then, I happened to sign up for the Writing workshop organised by the ICF South Africa Chapter as part of the International Coaching Week. Synchronicity! Sign from the Universe! It struck me then that perhaps unconsciously my mind had meandered and chosen this workshop.

When I connect the dots, it is clear to me that my own passion for writing has led me to participate in the above two workshops.

Clearly, it is about our passions, about what interests us, mixed with the curiosity of wanting to know something new.

Identifying your passion

Can we truly say that we all are aware of our passions, as to what excites us and what puts us off? Take your professional work for example. Can you confidently say that you are truly doing what you are passionate about?

Perhaps it is to do with the very basic – identifying your passion.

Many of us think that what we are passionate about today will stay with us forever. It does not. Passions ebb and evolve. They change as we change and learn new things in life. You may currently be enticed with learning guitar. But who knows whether you will actually enjoy playing it once you have learnt it. Perhaps you may completely move away from music as you find new interests somewhere else.

Nurturing your passion

Then there is that whole bit of nurturing, strengthening and further developing your passion. This is a classic situation when you find yourself with a job that in the beginning is of interest to you. Maybe you accepted the offer because of the salary. Maybe you joined because hey, the office is just a street away from where you reside. Or maybe, you are here because you were tired of the job search.

Whatever may be the reason for your being in the current job, there is always a way for you to develop a passion for it. Do not limit your thinking.

Aligning your passion with your values

Professor Jon M Jachimowiz from the Organisational Behavior Unit of Harvard Business School says that it is easier to focus on what you care about than focusing on what you love. He says, “The distinction is subtle but meaningful: focusing on what you love associates passion with what you enjoy and what makes you happy, whereas focusing on what you care about aligns passion with your values and the impact you want to have.”

If what you are passionate about does not bring you joy, you are less likely to pursue it for long. We love to associate ourselves with beautiful memories. Use these memories to create further experiences of the same kind, over a period of time, we are likely to notice a heightened sense of inclination for similar experiences.

Passions come and go

As we grow and move across our professional journey, we may find it difficult to be passionate about things that once gave us happiness. But we will always be able to remove time for things that we care. These could be simple pleasures like journaling. Or calling up a friend at regular intervals. Staying true to your passion is a test in resilience. And patience. There will be phases when you will lose interest. And then there will be phases when you have found a new interest and you go all for it with all that you have to give.

Your understanding of your own passions may also blind you to certain shortcomings and make you overconfident of what you can achieve. The perfect balance is achieved when you can be passionate about things that you care about and at the same time are aware of your own limitations towards the lengths that you can go in pursuit of your passion.

The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Sarita Bahl

Sarita Bahl is an alumnus of Tata Institute of Social Sciences and the Swedish Institute of Management Program. An experienced and versatile leader, she comes with nearly four decades of professional experience. She has over the years successfully overseen the communications and public affairs function and led the corporate social responsibility strategy for Bayer South Asia, Pfizer, and Monsanto, among others. Sarita has held multiple roles across diverse industries, the public sector, trade associations, MNCs, and the not-for-profit sector. Her areas of interest include advocacy, stakeholder engagement, sustainability, and communications.

As an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) from the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and Senior Practitioner (Mentoring) from the European Council of Mentoring and Coaching (EMCC), Sarita specializes in career transition, inner engineering and life issues. Sarita enjoys writing and is passionate about animals, books, and movies.