Passion is not enough -find Catalysts.
New trend word alert — Catalyst!
“Find your passion,” they said. Alright, I know what it is, I have all this energy and fire in my heart. “What do I do now?” was my next question. Passion was not enough for progression. It is the “Catalyst to the Passion” that helped me act on it and kept me going. Let me explain. I am going to use writing and working out, which I am very passionate about, as examples. But first I want to thank Bin Jiang whose publication concept inspired me to write this article and also for this opportunity to add to the community.
Writing takes my mind off the daily grind and monotony because it opens up this whole new world of imagination. I take a notepad, my favorite felt tip pen, a cup of light roast latte and my desk lamp turned on to a light orange shade. And when I write that first word on the notepad, my mind wanders into this beautiful space of imagination and beauty and the rest is history.
Exercising is another thing I am passionate about. No matter how I am feeling during the day, the moment I think of the gym, my mood is reset and I can’t wait to go lift some weight or just get a run. I get pushed right into the zone. Way before all those emotions and fire, I love the fact that my gym gear is ready for me to wear and my water bottle ready for me to grab just before heading out. I organize these right before I head to bed the previous night.
After years of writing and exercising in the way I do, one day it hit me, have I ever just gotten straight to writing or working out without things leading to to them? No. I always made sure there were these smaller actions that led up to the main “passion activity”..the small actions hinted to me to slowly switch into the zone one small step at a time easing me into the actual activity. Though I am very passionate about writing and working out, the catalytic activities help me get out of whatever mindset I was in earlier and get me on my way to the main activities. Those smaller actions are what I call — Catalysts. In my examples, catalysts are things that help set the mood for writing like the notepad, the ambiance, the coffee, or the preparedness right before heading to bed for my morning workout. Other catalysts can be education, positive affirmations to build confidence, the gear that will empower us to feel the part, partners who provide support, meditation that can ground us, and so on.
It wasn't passion alone that would keep me exercising for over 12 years, writing for over 4 years, or developing communication skills for as long as I can remember. The catalytic activities or catalysts lay practical steps to develop passions consistently.
Activity: I urge you to think about things you are passionate about and identify the actions you use to initiate the activities, like is it your desk setup? or is your favorite cup dedicated to use only when you pursue your passion? By identifying this flow already working for you, you can now create foundations for new passions that pop up.
I am passionate about having my life coaching practice. Even though navigating the initial foundation of my business is going to take me at least a year, the catalysts like, 1) Client positive feedback about my past coaching efforts 2) time and energy investment into education and learning 3) the peace I get whenever I visualize myself being a life coach and giving back to the community, are the ones keeping me patient and focused to make it happen. And I can’t wait!
I hope this article is a Catalyst for you in whatever you want to dip your toes into next. Thank you for your time reading this.
