 Personal Bucket - The energy of passion.
I detail the science behind this effect in my book 'The Energy Bucket.' Basically, it all boils down to how our emotions effect our DNA by switching DNA codes on or off. Our DNA then broadcasts this emotional state beyond our own body to everyone and everything around us. It's how we can sense someone's mood even without seeing them.
In the book I talk about how managing our energy is like managing energy in a bucket. Both the amount of energy and the emotional charge of the energy matter. To be productive, healthy and full of energy, we need to manage the inputs as well as the outputs. Our emotional state has a lot to do with both.
In this issue I want to focus on the power of strong emotions and, in particular, on the effect we can have on our own lives and the lives of the people closest to us, by reconnecting with our passions.
Passion is sometimes thought of only in terms of romance or anger, but really it is a state of being where we feel highly emotionally connected to something or someone. e.g. We can be passionate about our work, a hobby, our children, a lover or our pets. Passion connects us to our strongest emotions, and therefore has the potential to create the biggest DNA effect.
Reconciling passion and reason
Passion by itself, however, is not a cure-all to a boring life. Like creativity, passion is best when it is balanced with reason and logic:
"It is clear now that the two great domains, reason and passion, are both critical to our ability to make proper decisions. Emotion unchecked by reason can lead to disaster, but without emotion, a person is unable to plan properly or form and sustain social bonds, even in the presence of adequate reasoning ability ... When passion and reason work well together, like the partners in a successful marriage, the outcome is a happy one. When they are at war, like hostile spouses, the result is no end of grief." (Rosenthal, 2002 )
As Rosenthal suggests, it is the marriage of conscious reason and powerful emotions that creates happiness in oneself, and in one's relationships.
This is supported by a growing body of evidence showing the importance of developing both the left and right hemispheres of the brain. With both hemispheres activated we can tap into our logical, intuitive and creative abilities. This creates a positively charged passion that is supported by reason, allowing us to not only make better decisions, but make decisions that can positively change our lives.
Passion is not the same as enthusiasm, it is a deeper more profound creative force that can lift us out of the mundane; providing the energy, motivation, endurance and mental conviction, to enable us to transform any aspect of our lives.
Tapping into the power of positive passion
If we can tune into what makes us positively passionate, then we have the power to implement a plan, and enough energy to see it through.
Conversely, understanding what triggers negatively charged passion allows us to mitigate the effect of these triggers when and if they appear in our lives. This helps us to break the unconscious negative behavioural patterns that can cause havoc in our relationships.
Some people know their passion and follow it instinctively. Others recognise it and yet allow the routine of life to take them in other directions. Some people look for it, but never seem for find it.
In working with clients in private practice over the last nineteen years, I've discovered that passion leaves clues. Basically, there are five ways that passion shows up in your life.
The five paths of passion
1. Passion is easy to see in a child. They will fight bitterly for the things they feel strongly about. When you were a child what did you fight for? What do you fight for now?
2. The loss of something or someone we are passionate about leaves a void, we feel less for its absence. Have you ever pined for something - a hobby, a passtime that was lost? If it was a peron you lost that you were passionate about, what was it about them that made them so special?
3. Positive passion leaves us feeling exhilirated, uplifted and somehow better. What gives you bliss?
4. A positive passion fires us up and will motivate us to overcome obstacles. What motivates you to go the extra mile? (Hint - It's rarely money.)
5. When we spend time on a pursuit that we are positively passionate about, we lose track of time. What skill or hobby do you wish you could spend more time on, but rarely do, because the practicalities of life get in the way?
If your answers involved people then it's likely your passion will involve assisting others, or working as part of a highly motivated team that has a 'bigger' mission.
If your answers involved tasks, then look for the common thread in your answers to get a clue as to what kind of task elicits the greatest positively passionate response.
If your answers involved nature, then ask yourself what is it about nature specifically that 'turns' your passion on?'
Try not to force the answers; just ask each question, and let the answers come to you when you are in a relaxed state.
When you can identify the answers to the above, you are well on the path to unleashing positively charged passion in your life.
This month I'm offering two audio meditations to help you identify and tap into your passion, and balance the left and right hemispheres; keeping your Personal Energy Bucket full and charged with really positive creative energy. |
