Finding Freedom: 6 Ways to Connect to Your Passion

Freedom is a hot topic every July (at least here in America!), and this year is no except. I happened to be doing a little research on the topic and came across my own blog post, What’s Your Road to Freedom? (oddly, this is something that happens to me a lot — I’ll be doing some research and stumble across something I wrote years ago. I take it as some sort of sign that it’s something I need to revisit work on, or, in my more optimistic moments, as a sign that I already have the knowledge I need within me). 

This post really resonated with me, so I thought I’d update it a bit and share it with you.  Let’s first start with the lyrics to Ben Harper’s “One Road to Freedom,” the song upon which the original post was based:  

Tell me which road are you traveling,
which road are you traveling on?
Tell me who will you turn to
when the light has gone?
I hear somebody calling
I hear somebody calling to me
With so many roads to travel,
there’s just one can set you free

There’s just one road
one road to freedom
There’s just one road
one road to freedom

In my life I have been blessed
In my life I have been cursed
I have lived the best of times
I have suffered the worst
Do you know which road you’re traveling?
Do you know where you want to be?
With so many roads to travel,
there’s just one can set you free 

Listening to this song again brought me back to the time I first heard it, when I was asking myself, What is it that sets me free? And I still think what I thought before: what sets each of us free — what gives each of us that pure, thrilling sense of liberation — is focusing attention, work, and energy on what you’re passionate about. 

You can be passionate about things, actions, people. You can be passionate about feelings and abstract concepts. You can be passionate about just about anything. And, as I’ve discovered and am now rediscovering, it’s when those passions are pursued that true freedom is achieved. 

Of course, passions aren’t always easy to identify or dedicate time and attention to. We may feel strongly about something, love it with all of our might, but that doesn’t mean it’ll come easily. Some passions take a lot of hard work and dedication. Some passions require being brave and pushing beyond boundaries. Whether your passion is cultivating creativity, rising to the top of a corporate ladder, growing a joy-filled family, or any other experience that fills your heart with excitement and purpose, it can sometimes be challenging to determine what your passion is. And, even if you’ve figured it out, it can be tricky to make it a priority in your life. 

It might sound simple — if you’re passionate about something, that should be where you spend most of your time and effort — but, of course, we all know it’s not that simple. But the more we’re able to connect with our passions, the more free we become. Here are the ideas I came up with connecting with your passion, and making sure you continue to travel your own road to freedom: 

1. Figure out your focus. If you’re super passionate about something (for me, it’s creating), it’s tempting to want to do it all, to explore every little experience on that path, but if you don’t get specific with what you’re passionate about, you’ll  find yourself overwhelmed with all of the possibilities. If you get too overwhelmed, you might even end up pushing your passion aside. So start small. Figure out what you’re most interested in and zero in on that. You can always expand your vision later, but start off narrow at first. If you feel completely overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, make a list of the things you love about whatever you’re passionate about and rank the items. You’ll quickly discover what matters most, and that’s where you can direct attention. 

2. Share what you love. Don’t hide your passion from the world. Sharing your passion with the world in whatever way you can will not only bring joy to others (people love passionate people!), but it’ll also make it more likely that you’ll connect with like-minded people. When I was younger, I used to be secretive about my creative endeavors. I wrote in diaries; I drew and painted alone in my room. With Positively Present, I began sharing my creativity not only with people online, but I also began integrating my creative passions into my life. It can be hard (and intimidating!) to share your passion, but the more you share, the more opportunities you’ll have to integrate your passion in your life. 

3. Work it ’cause it’s worth it. If you truly want to connect with your passion and create more freedom in your life, you’re going to have to work at it. When you’re in the midst of it, you’ve got to give it your all. And you’ve got to try to put yourself in the midst of it as often as possible. People often think that those who are passionate about their work or parts of their life have it easy, but that’s not the case. Just because you’re passionate about something, doesn’t mean it won’t involve hard work. Often we don’t think “freedom” when we think “hard work,” but the more work you put into your passion, the more liberated life feels. 

4. Find a way to make it fun. When people are passionate about something, sometimes they lose sight of the fun. To make sure you don’t miss out on that, take a step back from engaging in your passion and figure out how you can make it enjoyable. What inspired you in the first place? What makes you feel great when you’re doing it? No matter what you’re passionate about, there’s a way to make it fun. One way to make your passion more fun is to include others in it. Whatever you love, there are probably others out there who love it, too. Find them and start a group or club. Or, if you can’t connect with those who love what you love, find a way to share your passion with others in a way they can enjoy. 

5. Innovate and create. Two things you should keep in mind when it comes to your passion: innovation and creation. You already have the drive and desire to talk about, think about, and work on your passion, but it’s important to take it to the next level so you’re always growing and learning. It’s pretty hard to stay passionate about something if it’s always the same thing. You don’t have to do anything groundbreaking, but if you want to keep your passion alive, you’ve got to keep it fresh. Try experiencing it in a different place, using different tools, or with different people. 

6. Take a passion break. One of the best ways to keep yourself connected to your passion is to take a break from it. This can be challenging if you’re super excited about it (or if it’s part of your job and the source of your income…), but a break is essential. You don’t have to be doing something 24/7 to be good at it or get the most out of it. In fact, taking a break from whatever it is you love will make it even more enjoyable when you go back to it. And breaks give you a chance to reflect, come up with new ideas, and make sure your passion a freeing, not limiting, experience. 

While I’ve always been passionate about helping people find their passions, revisiting this old post and thinking about passion in relation to freedom has made me realize just how liberating passion can be. It give you the ability to find purpose and joy; it allows you to connect with the parts of yourself that you love most. Personal passions aren’t always easy to identify, but I believe everyone has something s/he is passionate about, but some of us just have to work a little hard to figure out what it is.

If you know what your passion is, I hope this post inspires you to make it a priority in your life. If you don’t yet know what it is, I hope you’re inspired to find it. Because, revisiting this post four years after writing it has made me realize that passion does, in fact, lead to freedom. If you want to experience that liberation, you’ve got to connect with your passion.