Passion and adventure are two concepts that go hand in hand. Having a passion for something can arguably lead to adventures and be the catalyst to make an adventure seem like a good idea.
Unfortunately, the words passion and adventure are becoming increasingly overused which leads to a loss of importance in our language. People are describing a car trip out of town as an adventure. Buying a certain pair of shoes can help take you on your next adventure – to the dog park. Amelia Earhart or Jacques Cousteau might scoff at this description. However, it is important to remember that true passion can be a driving force to cause people to create their own adventures and the afore mentioned people followed the passions in their lives resulting in memorable adventures for us to admire. While a 3-month journey to the north pole may never be equated to an eight-mile hike from the trailhead parking lot on level ground, the passion to set out on these trips should have equal importance, depending on your situation. The perceived danger, or amount of effort required, for a particular adventure is not for us to define, but rather for each person to overcome. Each of us must summon our own level of passion to get off the couch and head out the door.
Finding a passion can be one of life’s challenges and sources of anxiety if you are one of the people in this world who feel you can’t accurately define, or haven’t discovered, your own passion. Like so many personal choices, defining a passion can only be performed by the individual. Wandering this planet in search of your passion just might result in a few unpredicted adventures. Seeking mentors or friends with similar interests might prove effective in feeding your passion fire. If feeling like you still don’t understand your life’s passion is a source of stress, perhaps all that is required is to stop the world for a minute and take an honest look around at what you do every day. The things that allow you to quit hitting snooze on the alarm clock and help you move forward probably are the passion(s) you may not realize already exist in your life. There is no magic formula for following a passion leading to remarkable adventures and a sense of fulfillment; truth be told, sometimes a trip to the grocery store might just qualify as an adventure.
Feeding livestock at 10 below in a driving snowstorm may be your passion. Helping others at your church on days other than Sunday may be your passion. Simply carrying a smile and being kind to everyone you meet may be a passion. The takeaway here is that while you are out on your personal adventures, remember that it is likely the passion from deep inside that has gotten you there, and will help get you through. Learn to recognize and appreciate this as you seek your next adventure.