Skills for living an authentic life 5

One of the most important skills for living authentically is to follow our passions. If we fail to do so then we leave part of our inner self unfulfilled and unexpressed. It’s like hiding part of ourselves away and not showing the world who we truly are. Our passions and our inner callings reveal much about our authentic self and they demand that we pay attention.

Many people are not sure what their passions are but when once a passion gets hold of you there is no doubt about its power to change. And it’s never restricted to one thing. There is the passion that grabs hold of you when you fall in love, the passion that grips you when you have a baby or start a new job or a new project. Some passions are obviously creative projects but many people discover passion in sport or outdoor activities. The range of passions that can be followed is unlimited. The important thing is not to ignore the calling.

For many years I ignored the call to write; I would dabble with various projects but never fully commit to them. It wasn’t until one of my best friends died that I realised I needed to follow the call and commit more fully to writing. I actually quit my job and spent the next year writing, and farming alpacas. I allowed the passion to take hold of me and I followed my intuition. It led to the beginning of my first book Holistic Medicine. I ended up returning to General practice, which is a nice balance to my writing because patients teach me so much more about life and healing. I still try to write as much as I can especially when the urge is really pushing me to do so.

Of course I have other passions in my life that I try to pay attention to such as my relationships, the garden and sustainability, walking in the bush, reading and thinking. And I am always open to a new passion taking hold of me. This is important in living authentically – to listen to our inner callings and respond to them. They come from spirit and our inner self and they open us up to possibilities that we don’t necessarily see when our focus is on the everyday.

For those people who don’t feel they have any passion in their life it is important to recapture that feeling of direction and drive that passions bring. Try to recall how you felt when you were gripped by some project and imagine what new things might inspire you. Be open to change as this often brings about new opportunities. Remember all those things that you have been passionate about in the past and resurrect some of them that you feel inspired to revisit. Use your intuition to explore new possibilities for passion and joy. When you are inspired to begin something new don’t let the everyday obligations stand in your way. Always spend time doing what you love and what brings you joy. It doesn’t have to be grand or world changing it just has to be yours. Listen to your inner self.

Disclaimer. This web site is for research and entertainment purposes only. The information given in this site is not intended to replace a therapeutic practitioner relationship.