The Power of Passion
Don’t ask what the world needs.
Ask what makes you come alive, and do that…
because what the world needs
is people who have come alive!
Howard Thurman (1900-1981)
Howard Thurman was an author, philosopher, theologian and educator, who after meeting Mahatma Gandhi became passionate about the ideas he heard from the great spiritual leader. Back in America, he went on to work for civil rights and to write about non-violence in words that informed Martin Luther King’s thinking and inspired other civil rights leaders of the mid-century.
As we make our resolutions for the New Year, plan our futures and even consider the politics of American presidential race, Thurman’s suggestion about doing what makes “you come alive” may be just what we need to hear! Many of us lead lives that, while addressing the needs of the world, can feel…well, uninspired. How can we change that in 2008?
If you listen to American presidential politicians and pundits, it is clear that the idea of “change” that seems to be sweeping the country. Many of us want to do something that will make our lives matter! But instead of taking action, we continue on with our routines, alternating between feeling bored and being overwhelmed. We see passionate people making speeches on television and wonder what happened to our own passions. We go to bed tired and wake up to do it all again, still bothered by what we can do for the world.
Some of us find that our faith can reinstill our dreams for the future. Others plan an adventure: a new career, a new degree, a new town, a new family situation. Still others fall into fatigue, anger or despair. Happily, many of us realize we would like to serve others, but we just aren’t sure how.
Returning to Howard Thurman’s comment, perhaps we need to stop trying to figure out how to be important, useful, innovative and holy. Maybe we just need to ask ourselves:
What makes me come alive? What am I passionate about?
What about you? What are your passions? If you can rediscover them, you might just find the thing the world needs most! So, take a minute to consider:
- What do you think about first in the morning…and last at night?
- What do you talk about most at dinner, with friends, with God?
- What makes you turn up the TV to hear more… or turn the TV off mad?
- What do you enjoy doing most?
- What do you never regret spending time and money on?
- Who do you admire — both familiar people and famous ones?
- From heaven, what will you smile about having done on earth?
- What experiences have made you feel most intense, exhilirated, fulfilled, happy?
Consider your answers. My guess is that you will have shown yourself what your passions are. If so, now all you have to do is follow them!
Take a hint from Howard Thurman, someone passionate about social justice, a man who suffered the inequalities of race in America, a person who dedicated his life to his passion: nonviolence. Don’t worry about finding the perfect solution to the world’s problems. Just do what makes you feel most alive, and the world will be a better place with you in it!
When You Follow Your Passions, You Can Be a Blessing!
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