Principle Four: Follow Your Passions

How many people do you know that go through life doing what they think they are supposed to be doing rather than what they want to be doing?

How many people work at a job they hate, making lots of personal compromises so they can patiently save as much money as possible so they can start living when they stop working?

I think the way that many of us live and work now is a bit crazy. How different would the world be if we were all doing what we loved to do?

What would you do even if you weren't getting paid for it? What would you do if you knew you could not fail? What does your heart ask you to do?

Following your passions is a path with Heart. It is often not very easy and can be emotionally very challenging but it provides you with opportunities for true happiness. As such it is the next essential principle to master.

The key question is, "Are you brave enough to identify your passions and then follow them?"

Begin again by reading the Theory. Once you have done that your commitment this month is to do the Exercises in the Toolbox and then to spend thirty minutes every day on the core practice.

Link: Theory

Link: Toolbox

Core Practice

The core practice for this month is to do the Vision Quest and the Values identification exercises in the Toolbox and then to spend time putting together a Vision Board with pictures of the things that you want and drawings of your ideal life.

Once you have done that your task is to sit and still your mind - then take yourself off to a time in the future.

Imagine that you are sitting at your favourite place looking back on the time that has been. Imagine that things have worked out just how you wanted them too.

Now write a paragraph about what has happened making sure you address: the thoughts that are going through your head; the feelings that you are experiencing; the physical sensations that you are having; and your overall sense of self.

Write this paragraph and keep re-writing it until it is exactly how you want it.

Now spend whatever time you can re-writing this paragraph, reading it out load and visualizing yourself there.

Resources

The resources for Follow Your Passions include books about Life Purpose as well as Defining Moments and Ethics.

I have also included some Visualisation resources and some Shamanic resources.

We are all different so see which ones resonate with you.

Links

• Find Your Great Work www.findyourgreatwork.com
• The Inventure Group www.inventuregroup.com
• The Dream Change Coalition www.dreamchange.org

Articles & Books

• 'The Pilgrimage' by Paulo Coelho  see the website www.paulocoelho.com/engl/
• 'Man's Search for Meaning' by Victor Frankl
• 'The Power of Purpose' by Richard Leider  see the website www.richardleider.com
• 'Defining Moments' by Joseph Badaracco, Professor of Ethics, Harvard Business School
• 'Creative Visualisation' by Shakti Gawain  see the website www.shaktigawain.com
• 'The World is as you Dream It' by John Perkins  see the website www.johnperkins.org
• 'A Guide to Liberating Your Soul' by Richard Barrett  see the website www.valuescentre.com 

MP3s and Videos

• For MP3s it's always good to look at Sounds True www.soundstrue.com
• For videos see TED www.ted.com

Relevant Posts on The Catalyser

• Well, What Did You Expect?
• Can You Feel Your Future?
• Learning is The Art Of Remembering
• Learning is The Art of Remembering - Part 2 - How to Forget
• Learning is The Art of Remembering - Part 3 - Releasing Judgement
• Learning is The Art of Remembering - Part 4 - Feeling the Natural Path
• The Art of Remembering Who You Really Are
• What a Wonderful World It Would Be - Part 1
• What a Wonderful World It Would Be - Part 2
• What's Your Code of Honour?
• Who Do You Need to BE to HAVE What You Want?
• I Dream I Am The Dreamer
• Walking Between The Worlds