What’s Your Passion?
Did you ever wonder how some people manage to find time for ‘hobbies’ and ‘pastimes’ when you are only just fitting in everything you HAVE to do in the space of each 24 hours? The answer is passion.

It’s been said many times before, but the phrase ‘ if you want something badly enough you’ll get it’ is 110% relevant to our everyday lives.

Are you passionately committed to keeping a clean and tidy house? Then I would hazard a guess that your house is clean and tidy most of the time.

Are you passionately committed to your job and promotion prospects? The chances are you are on your way up that ladder right now.

However, the majority of us live our lives according to the passions and sometimes the whims of everyone around us. Why? Because we never stop to think what we actually WANT, what we actually LOVE or what we are passionate about.

Do you really, deep down in your soul, believe that the world will fall apart and no-one will like you if you don’t keep your house clean? If so, then take a few tiny baby steps out of that box and remember the dust will be there tomorrow… your friends or your dreams may not. Phew.. Now there’s a kick in the teeth.

I often imagine I would like a clean and tidy house fit for a royal visit. But I’m never able to commit myself to the time and energy it requires – Why? Because I’m NOT passionate about housework. Never have been, never will be. I would rather spend time with my family and friends, chatting on the phone, going for long walks or dancing the night away. And guess what – a member of the royal household has yet to turn up on my doorstep un-announced!

Do you really want a clean and tidy house for YOU or is it just so the neighbours won’t say bad things about you when they drop in for coffee? If you are using your precious time to keep on the ‘good’ side of other people, pause for a moment and remember that those other people are definitely NOT perfect. There will be areas of their lives you will not resonate with – guaranteed!

Most of us are committed to spending a certain number of hours every day working, often for someone else, just to earn enough money to get through to the next paycheck. Does this sound like you?

At the end of the working day, we need to find something to make us feel good, to enable us to endure the next day’s hard graft. Governments are wise to this formula and have enabled the average working man/woman to be able to afford entertainment in their homes.

Television helps us wind down – or does it?

I don’t watch television. I’ve always felt, although there are some great programmes and lots of learning to be gained, the television companies are determining WHAT we watch and WHEN we watch it. I want to decide those things for myself.

I had a cold sales call one evening. While trying to sell me a phone package deal, the sales person referred to a TV advert. I told her I was unaware of this advert because I don’t watch TV. She kept me talking for 10 minutes during which time she referred to this particular TV advert a further 4 times, and each time I assured her I had not seen it because I don’t watch television. She didn’t believe me at all.

So everyone in our region watches the same adverts, the same programmes, the same news stories every single day or night? Yep, I guess that’s what’s happening. We are all thinking the same thoughts. Our brainwaves are tuned to the exact same brand of fish fingers being the best thing for our kids since sliced bread – a highly debatable point! And we have no time left for ourselves.

So coming back to passion…

Find your passions in life. Make a list and seriously consider each thing you write down. Is it what you want or is it what you think other people want from you. Remember your life is yours alone.

You may be responsible for the care of others, children, parents, the sick or needy. But ultimately this is YOUR life. You only get one shot at it.

Don’t waste another minute watching those adverts – you can watch the exact same ones tomorrow if you so wish. Believe me they won’t go away! Television is one of the biggest time-consumers. And every moment you are watching, could be spent enjoying one of the passions in your life.

Try this experiment to find time for YOU in your life…

1. Make a list of your passions – remember they must be YOUR passions, no-one else’s

2. Pick one and find time for it.

That’s it!

Many years ago I learned to knit. Knitting has often had a fairly dull press.

-Knitting’s for grannies
-Knitting is boring and time consuming.

But I enjoy the challenge. New yarns and stylish pattern designs make knitting fun and fast, and I can knit even if I am watching a film. Knitting can be picked up during the adverts and worked at for 5 or 10 minutes at a time. The equipment takes up very little space. It’s cheap – often costing nothing – to set up.

Knitting is one of my passions, and over the years I have learned to design my own clothes, toys and many practical household items. And, although at moments in my life I have had to live within an incredibly tight budget, I have always found the materials needed to be able to continue with my hobby.

Knitting is MY passion….what’s yours?

Reading? Writing Poetry? Stamp collecting? Scrapbooking? or maybe your passions lie outside your four walls – Gardening? Tennis? Gym Club?

Find your passion and you WILL find the time AND the resources to carry it through. You may even turn your hobby into a thriving business. Many books have been written on the subject. I am on my way to creating a knitting empire at the moment!…. The Ekokids are teenage dolls who were created during a low budget moment and are now gaining a global audience! (Pop over to this page to see all the knitting patterns I’m developing: Stix & Yarn )

Find time for your passion today – you deserve it!

Linda x

P.S. You could even make a family heirloom like this in just a few minutes every day (find it on the Stix & Yarn page)