Have you ever been asked a question by someone that made you go hmmm?
It all started about 7 years ago. I was cutting an older gentleman's hair, making small chitter chatter (as us hairdressers do), when he asked me, so swiftly and very unexpectedly, "So Rachel, whats your passion?''
(................silence...................) I quickly tried to act like I had something.
"Uummmm.....well.....I......it's.....just... .......hmm...?"
I
WAS
STUMPED.
I stewed on this for a long time. Never had I ever really thought about this before.
What was my passion?!! How did I not know the answer to this?
Was I stupid? Was I boring?
Was I absent-minded?
Was I spending too much time working to pay attention? Did I even know myself properly?
I mean, I liked stuff. I liked shopping? Was that shallow? I liked socialising? but that was not a 'passion'.
Guilt flooded me. For years.
How would I recover from this? I am not competitive, I hate team sports, I could barely find my car keys in the morning and NOW I had to find my 'passion' ?
It was only last week that I got to talking amongst some friends about this story, when I was quickly diverted to a different approach to this so-called search for 'passion'.
Turns out Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat,Pray,Love) has it all figured out.
And for anyone like me, who didn't know what their "thing" was, rest assure, that it's okay.
Apparently, she doesn't believe passion is all that common but is a big advocate for the pursuit of 'curiosity.'
"We are constantly being told to pursue our passions in life, but there are times when passion is tall order, and really hard to reach. In seasons of confusion, of loss, of boredom, of insecurity, of distraction, the idea of "passion" can feel completely inaccessible and impossible. In such times, you are lucky to be able to get your laundry done (that sometimes feels as high as you can aim) and when someone tells you to follow your passion, you want to give them the middle finger. (Go ahead and do it, by the way. But wait till their back is turned, out of civility.)
But curiosity, I have found, is always within reach.
Passion is a tower of flame, but curiosity is a tiny tap on the shoulder — a little whisper in the ear that says, "Hey, that's kind of interesting…"
Passion is rare; curiosity is everyday.
Curiosity is therefore a lot easier to reach at at times than full-on passion — and the stakes are lower, easier to manage.
The trick is to just follow your small moments of curiosity. It doesn't take a massive effort. Just turn your head an inch. Pause for a instant. Respond to what has caught your attention. Look into it a bit. Is there something there for you? A piece of information?
For me, a lifetime devoted to creativity is nothing but a scavenger hunt — where each successive clue is another tiny little hit of curiosity. Pick each one up, unfold it, see where it leads you next.
Small steps.
Keep doing that, and I promise you: The curiosity will eventually lead you to the passion.
And that'll be the end of boredom.'' - Elizabeth Gilbert
So THANKYOU old man for helping me see that after all these years, I am proud to admit I STILL do not have any one thing I am passionate about, but plenty of tiny taps on the shoulder of curiosity.