Passion: an attitude for anyone
PASSION: An attitude for anyone
You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old[1]—That’s where passion comes into play. The amount of years you’ve accumulated in your lifetime has no bearing on the amount of passion you’re able to generate in your life. Because it’s not necessarily what you’re doing, but how much of you is doing it.
At 98, the “world’s oldest living teenager,”[2] Iris Apfel emanates a deliciously infectious sense of child-like wonder, enthusiasm and curiosity for just about everything. “I have such a good time and I try to get as much kick out of things as possible. I just do what I want to do.1 It’s a testament to age being nothing but a number and that inviting passion into your world is an attitude, a mindset, a dedicated practice, and an artform unlike any other. I advise everybody to love what they do and work hard at it,” she says. And while Apfel is a legend for whom it seems to come naturally, the rest of us mortals need a soft reminder and some guard rails every now and then. Here are some time-tested truths and hard-won lessons gathered to help you keep passion in focus and pumping freely through your veins—at any age.
GET OUT OF TOWN
A feast for the senses and a break from the grind. Taking a trip allows you to see life through a different lens by leaving your comfort zone. There’s a big old world out there and it’s the exposure to new and different places that inspires excitement, fresh ideas and surprising feelings. Stirring up the senses and tapping into what energizes you is a fantastic way to ignite the passion within.
TAKE PERFECTION OUT OF THE EQUATION
Perfection makes passion nervous. Writhing and wrestling with circumstances to be “just so” can suck your energy and keep you from trying something in the first place. Allowing things to be as they are and accepting the world that is right in front of you is a more dependable and passion-full path.
CARE ABOUT YOUR OWN OPINION ABOVE EVERYONE ELSES
Apfel says, “If you have to be all things to all people, you end up being ‘nothin’ to nobody.”2
When you’re doing things because you really want to, there’s more room to do things that thrill you. No one knows what gets your motor running quite like you do, so listen to yourself and feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.
DO IT WITHOUT EXPECTATION
Shakespeare once said, “Expectation is the root of all heartache.” Let go of the outcome and focus on enjoying the process—you’ll find there’s more room for passion to breathe and happiness to thrive.
DRINK WATER.
Water makes up about 70% of your body weight so you need it survive and function properly[3]! Hydration increases your energy, flushes toxins, improves your completion and just puts you in a good mood overall[4]—and that’s the goal! When you’re hydrated you feel good and feeling good is a free-flowing pathway to passion.
CELEBRATE THE SMALL WINS
Baby steps are still steps forward. Progress is fundamental to human nature so learning to revel in even the tiniest triumphs is a valuable motivational tool that helps you to appreciate the big wins even more. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
FORGET FEAR
Fear doesn’t care about your goals, dreams or passions—it’s there to tell you all the reasons why you shouldn’t do the thing you’d like to do and to scare you into living small. The more you get used to identifying fear, the faster you’ll be able to look it in the eye, see it face-to-face and then, with love, give it the finger.
BE COMFORTABLE WITH FAILURE
Dolly Parton says, “you’ll never do a whole lot unless you’re brave enough to try.”[5] Choose something, try it, do it, and let go of the idea that failure is a bad thing because failure is inevitable. Passion is found in the hunt and the only real failure is not giving it a go in the first place.
KEEP MOVING
“The truest, most reliable beauty potion is regular vigorous exercise combined with good nutrition.”[6] 80’s workout queen and all-around legend Jane Fonda said that—and she’s the authority. Exercise makes your body and brain feel good and feeling good is key to living a passionate life.
HAVE AN OPEN HEART
Get excited and be willing to approach any situation with a good attitude and an open heart. When you can give and receive love without restraints, passion has limitless space to play.
Passion requires that we seek and try and care and do and keep trying these things over and over and over again. It demands effort and actively choosing positivity and play over the alternatives. You’ve got to focus your energy on what excites you and make fun the goal. So, when you find yourself being bored every so often, gently note that it’s because you’re not paying attention. It may not be easy all the time, but it’s totally worth trying.
[1] George Burns, https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/95778-you-can-t-help-getting-older-but-you-don-t-have-to
[2] https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/29/10-life-lessons-from-96-year-old-iris-apfel.html
[3] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256
[4] https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4287/10-Reasons-Why-You-Should-Drink-More-Water.html
[5] https://www.dollywood.com
[6] https://bestlifeonline.com/steal-jane-fondas-longevity-tips/
