So in the world of energy, holistic health, yoga, new agism, etc. “Follow Your Bliss” has become an annoyingly over used anthem.  You know you have seen it on t shirts and even if you are a part of this crew, you find yourself rolling your eyes with a big “pulllleeeseee.”  Or maybe that’s me.  I find the marketing around such spiritual communities to often be hilarious.  All things “yogic” make me laugh out loud.  Call it sarcastic, dark, honest, real what have you.  Yoga mats with the chakras on them.  Cotton yoga clothes costing a ridiculous amount of money.  So all this aside, today I had a moment where the saying came to mind and I thought really it’s Follow Your Passion.  What makes you feel alive?  Me?  Being around people and laughing.  I am definitely extroverted at heart.  I love meeting new people.  Today I got just that opportunity to do just that.  I was invited to a college health fair at UMass Boston to promote my new yoga project, Soba Yoga, yoga for recovery.  http://yourwholehealing.com/soba-yoga/  It was the first time I was involved in a health fair and it was seriously a lot of fun.  The energy of being around students reminded me of many moons ago when I was at a fair just like this one but in a very different position in life as I am today.  Being young, impressionable and lost to some degree has it’s own fun and mysterious qualities to it.  The biggest different between younger me and me now?  Life was uncertain and I didn’t care!  It was so fun to be around that level of energy and enthusiasm for life.  The students brought out this vibrant energy in me that has been wearing thin lately as I continue to beat the pavement marketing my butt off.  As usual being around people in this way brings up a time of reflection when I go inward and am alone.  So this is what was always missing, huh?  Sure I got into a field where I would work with and around people but somewhere along the way my compass got all messed up.  And this is no surprise to those who know me as I can ACTUALLY get lost in a paper bag!

What happened, my thinking mind wonders as we sit here conversing.  Where did I get lost?  In our last chat Connect the Dots I discussed the interconnection of all the people and situations that have occurred over time.  Each and every one having some intrinsic meaning to who and where I am today.  While I do believe this to be true, at the same time I reflect on the process of being lost.  Sure my younger self was lost to some degree.  I had no idea I had anything to heal from and that level of oblivion was pretty damn fun at times.  But I also had ideals and aspirations that my adult self never took very seriously until I got to the point of being totally and completely miserable.  I think this is the case for most people.  The proverbial wall you hit when you realize what you thought you wanted was never what your soul intended for you to want.  Blame our incessant over use of our thinking analytical mind or our fear based mentality but whatever causes the destruction, it’s there and thriving.  If you dare to follow astrology then you know that what has been occurring over the past two years is a MASSIVE shift in consciousness.  People are coming into awareness of the level of their misery in a way that they never have before.  They are being pushed to make decisions that are not comfortable.  These uncomfortable decisions are in service of their own happiness and the greater good.  The old paradigm of being self centered, rigid and fixed is breaking down to make room for a more global consciousness towards love, community and connection.  Those that continue to be only out for themselves are going to have a much harder time prospering in the world.  Change is occurring whether one wants it or not.  For me it’s welcomed as it has been what I have been working towards for some time.  It is coming quick and furious these days; in a very good way.  Opportunities are coming my way left and right from the oddest places.  Things I would never have pursued are showing up.  From my place of getting lost, I found my passion and engaging in it these days only continues to motivate me more towards the light.

I was asked today by a reader how I found my passion.  I believe that it was by going inward and following my gut instead of that nagging voice in my head that always lead me towards fear.  It was kind of like that game that cat owners play with their cats (I would only know this by watching friends, I am no a cat person.  Dogs are my people.)  So as I can tell you have some toy you dangle in front of the cat to get them to come near you, just as you would with a dog and you wait for them to try to grab it or sink their teeth into it.  I feel like the Universe did this to me.  It introduced people to me or activities and waited for me to sink my teeth in and then it showed me another thing or introduced me to another person and waited yet again.  Another analogy that comes to mind is how you help a child walk; you just keep backing up and allowing the toddler to come forth.  Come forth I have and these days it’s like I am running around like crazy just like the toddler who is exposed to the fun of walk and running.  I just kept at the practice continue to follow where my passion was drawing me.  I allowed each step to unfold despite my nagging impatience with the process.  Sometimes you just have to wait for things to brew and develop; kind of like your tea.  Developing your passion means tapping within and letting go of what is going on externally.  The outside world says that you should do work for someone else, most likely well over the old 40 hour work week, be miserable and just grateful you get time off for vacations.  I did that for many years.  It never brought me anywhere near happiness.  These days, life feels even more uncertain than ever, but my passion beams out from me like a beacon.  I can only continue to allow it to flourish by being in touch with those that have a similar light that they want to shine.  When I am around other people who are passionate, I feel alive. Creative, innovative people are my people.  We speak a similar language; the language of the heart.  How do you foster your passion?  Are you able to trust enough to follow it when it arises?

Be beautiful, authentic you.  There is no other way to be if you are to be happy and free.
Cheers!