Susanne West's July 2009 Newsletter: RECOVERING YOUR PASSION

"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." Carl Sagan

People come to me with a wide variety of concerns, hopes and dreams about their relationships, livelihood, financial life, creativity, and spirituality. Some are clear about their intentions and goals, but may be blocked around bringing them to fruition. Others are unclear about what they want, what their life purpose is or what their true passions are. Peter said recently, "I don't have a clear direction for my life. I want to know what my soul's calling is." Comments from others include, "I know there's something 'out there' that I can sink my teeth into, but I don't know what it is. And I don't know how to find out what it is." Patty, a social worker, said, "I'm great at knowing what my clients, friends and family members should do with their lives, but I'm clueless as to the right path for myself. I've focused on the needs of others for most of my life. Now it's my turn, but I don't know what I deeply need."

You are not defective if you don't know what your passions are. Don't let your Inner Critic berate you for not having this clarity in your life. It's likely that no one close to you modeled purpose and passion in healthy ways. Or you were frequently told as a child, adolescent and, perhaps, young adult who you were, what you should value, how you should behave and what you should do with your life. Your uniqueness wasn't encouraged, understood or valued. Your natural instincts were stifled. You were rewarded for being a good follower, for keeping your voice down, for keeping your feelings, curiosity, and imagination in check.

Five years ago I was sitting in my living room with my daughter, Heidi, and her first child, Sam, who was three weeks old. "Who are you going to be in this life, little boy?" she spoke to him. "What will you care about? Who will you love?" If only we had been asked, not told......

It's never too late to find and express your passions! Strong natural impulses have always been and still are within you. Your passions may be hidden in the unconscious regions of your psyche beneath layers of fear, self-doubt and disbelief. They can be brought to light if you put your attention there. As author and educator, Parker Palmer, said, "Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen to what it intends to do with you."

How do we identify what career, life direction or creative pursuit will enliven us? How do we discover the life we were born to live? How do we get out of our own way so that we can answer these questions? There are many different ways to find your passion. I recommend exploring as many as you need to until you find the 'click' that feels like truth. In this newsletter, I'm suggesting that you experiment with creating two Passion Posters. Working with images is a simple and powerful tool to shift your focus from your head to your heart, feelings and imagination.

TRY THIS - Two Passion Posters: 'Then' and 'Now'

Materials: Photos, magazines, poster board, glue stick and scissors.

Give yourself at least one to two hours for this process.

POSTER #1 - 'THEN': Clues to our passions can be found in childhood and adolescent memories. Glenn, a chef who loves his work, spent more time with his sister's play kitchen and toy food than he did with the trucks, cars and train set his parents gave him. His first job, at age 16, was as a busboy in a restaurant. "I was always happiest when I was around food and kitchens," he said.

As you look through photos and magazines, let your attention drift back to childhood and adolescence and look for images that speak to the following questions:

What fascinated you?

What did you love, e.g. friends, family, books, trees, puppies, the ocean?

What did you like to do in your free time, e.g. write stories, make jewelry, play catch, build forts, explore new places?

What people, places, movies and stories made you feel excited and alive?

When you're done, free write about individual images and patterns that you see. Be aware of emotions and physical sensations. Give yourself time to get a felt sense of where the aliveness was for you when you were younger. Add pictures over the following days whenever you recall another passion.

POSTER #2 - 'NOW': Create a 'NOW' poster one week later, answering the same questions in present tense. Don't think about the answers. Let your heart, body and soul guide this process. Anytime you discover a picture that sparks your interest, cut it out. Conclude with free writing. Update your poster whenever you want to.

As you know, possibilities need to be coupled with actions. When you are ready, choose one area of interest and create a realistic, attainable action step that will move you toward your goal. When you've taken that step, take another. You are on your way, one step at a time!

P.S. You will discover in the doing if this is the right passion for you to pursue at this time. If not, let it go and move on to another. Don't make yourself wrong for not getting this perfect right away. Trial and error is an inevitable part of the creative process.