Imagine that you wake up with a feeling of excitement every day:

• About what the new day will bring.
• Because you know that what you do is what you love.
• Because you know that the work you do is what you were born to do here on this planet.
• Because you feel that what you do matters.
• Because what you do is an expression of your gifts.

But what if you, like myself in the past and many of my clients, do not know what your passion is? Or even worse, what if you are afraid that you do not have a passion? What do you do then?

When did we stop dreaming?

I have noticed that many of my clients often know what they are passionate about, but they are either afraid to admit what it is or do not take it seriously themselves. Why? Mainly because they are afraid of what others will think.

This passion does not live in our heads; it lives in our hearts. So, it is often difficult to find it by only thinking about it. We can find it by feeling and doing it. Often, the problem is that our rationality takes over when we are young.

Good intentions, negative impact

Do you remember what you wanted to be when you grew up? And do you remember how your parents reacted when you told them?

I regularly hear from my clients that when they were kids and told their parents that they wanted to be a vet, a hairdresser, a garbage man, a dancer, or an actor, the reaction from their parents was usually negative. They didn’t take them seriously or disapproved of the idea. They had better plans in mind for their daughters or sons, protecting them and pushing for a more financially secure and stable future.

Often parents do this with the best intentions, however, they do not realise the profound negative impact such a reaction can have on their kids. The negative reaction we receive from the most important people in our lives teaches us that our dreams are not important, wrong or frowned upon. We learn that our intuition and instinct to choose according to our hearts is not good.

One of the most important things for a child is to get attention and approval from their parents. So, when we learn that what we feel and dream of is not approved, we stop feeling and start THINKING about what we could do to make our parents happy. This is when we start to use our rational brain over our feelings or intuition.

The biggest challenge we face in rediscovering our passion is learning to listen to our heart and intuition again.

How do we rediscover our passion again?

By connecting to our inner creative child! Our creative child is free. Free of expectations of others. It loves to play, loves to be outside, and loves to get dirty. When do you feel free? What do you do that brings joy and creativity to your life? Is it exercise? Being in nature?

Creative writing exercise

Doing a creative writing exercise is a great way to reconnect with your passion and dreams. First, you need to connect with your free, creative inner child. Go for a walk, meditate, play with your kids, dance or exercise. Immediately after, when you feel you are still connected to your creative self, take a notebook and start writing.

Consider the following:

• What do I like, what do I love?
• What makes me feel alive?
• What am I passionate about?

Just write, write, write. Do not edit. Do not judge. Write everything that comes up. Do not block anything. If negative things come up, write them down too. Be free! The more you do this exercise, the better you will become at it and the more creative ideas you will have.

As always, please inspire others and share your passion and dreams in the comments below!