Following My Passion

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” ~ Maya Angelou

“It’s not about becoming rich and famous. It’s about dreaming a sacred destiny for yourself. It’s about becoming a luminous warrior in these dark times.” ~ Alberto Villoldo

This past week I’ve been recording segments for my upcoming special Christmas Story-Power podcast. I decided to interview family members. I asked them to share their favorite memories, traditions, and even Christmas movies. I recorded episode 11 with my niece Arielle, which airs December 9, in late July or early August. When the fall semester began, I was too busy to do any recording. However, now coming back to creating episode 12, I realize how much I LOVE every aspect of podcasting. It’s my ultimate passion.

There are other things I like very much, like writing this blog and my novel. But sometimes writing is hard. I get stuck, or life throws a curve ball and I have to stop and rethink my story. Don’t get me wrong, I have a passion for writing, but I don’t love EVERY aspect of it as I do creating my podcast episodes.

Resuming doing the podcast has made me reexamine my beliefs about my purpose in life. For so long I bought into the belief that I had to work at jobs that weren’t fully, or even partially, satisfying to bring in enough money to survive. And now that I have more days behind me than I do ahead, I’ve decided to jettison those ideas and follow my bliss, as Joseph Campbell used to say. I want to find as much joy in my relationships and activities as I can in the time I have left.

For many years I thought that it would be hard to follow my bliss. That the Universe wasn’t set up to support my dreams. I marveled at people who set a goal for their lives and eventually got to do what they loved. But I didn’t think that would happen for me. Then recently, or maybe it’s been coming on gradually, I understood. Having the life I want is all in MY mind and heart. I create it or not according to my beliefs. 

The question is am I determined enough to continue to follow my dreams and not let anything deter me? To be honest, I was a waverer, a fence sitter. I’d hold strong to my dreams for months and then doubts would creep in. I’d feel unworthy and allow myself to compromise. I’d allow only part of my dream to come true which meant there was always some aspect of what I was doing that I dreaded. For example, I loved working in the semi-professional theatre scene in Portland. But that meant that I rarely saw Barry and I missed lots of family events. There came a time when I had to make a choice. My relationship with Barry, or theatre. I mourned leaving acting behind but eventually I was able to teach theatre. It was rewarding to see the students blossom and I enjoyed directing plays, but I hated the paperwork and other obligations of being a teacher. 

I can’t complain though, because each choice to follow one little piece of my dream led to the next piece and the next until I finally decided to try podcasting and the miracle happened. As I wrote above, I love every aspect of doing the work. 

I’m now in transition. Sabotaging myself just won’t do any more. 2021 is the year I stop compromising. After all these years of thinking I wasn’t worthy, I must acknowledge that I’m the one who has been holding myself back. I can’t blame anyone else. However, I am happy that I kept working at discovering what it is I love to do most.

At the end of every Marie TV video Marie Forleo, a woman I love, says, “Stay on your game and keep going for your dreams because the world needs that special gift that only you have.” I think I’ve found my special gift. I’d be interested to hear what brings you joy because what brings you joy is what the world needs from you. I hope you will share your passion with us in the comments below.

Blessings to you all,

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2020

Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards.

Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, most of us have. In The Space Between Time, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her three-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime.

The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version is published.

Lucinda is also the host of Story-Power a new podcast where she and her guests discuss the stories in all formats that have changed their lives. It’s available here on Sage Woman Chronicles and on Apple, Google, and Spotify podcast apps. Please rate and leave a review. It helps people find me.