“Do You”
“Find your passion, focus on it and get what you want in life.”
“Living Lejem” - Jenifer Lewis
Quote source: Jenifer Lewis talks being “The Mother of Black Hollywood” on the Grio Live! (Youtube published date 11/16/17)
Stock photo source: hypehair.com
What is your passion, that one thing that excites you and gives you little butterflies every time the thought passes through your mind? For some it's sports, or reading, for others it could be dance or education. Whatever yours may be, it shouldn't be taken lightly. I am reminded of a scene from one of my favorite movies, Sister Act 2, where Sister Mary Clarance played by Whoopi Goldberg is having a conversation with Rita Watson, played by Lauryn Hill. Lauryn is conflicted with the decision of whether or not she should take her mother's heed and focus totally on her studies with the hopes of getting a "good job" or follow her heart and go after her true passion of singing.
Whoopi gives Lauryn a book, "Letters to A Young Poet" by Rainer Maria Rilke which is a compilation of letters written by a 19 year old Rilke to Franz Xaver Kappus, an Austrian military officer and writer in his own right. Rilke, who was battling between weather he should follow in his fathers footsteps and go into the Austro-Hungarian Army or pursue his passion with a literary career sought advise from Kappus who responded to him by suggesting that no one could advise or help Rilke in his decision making, but his answer lied within himself. Whoopi encourages Lauryn by paraphrasing Kappus and Rilke's conversation from the book saying "don't ask me about being a writer, if when you wake up in the morning, you couldn't think of nothing but writing, then you're a writer". She then goes on to say to Lauryn, "I'm going to say the same thing to you, if you wake up in the morning, and you can't think of anything but singing first, then you supposed to be a singer girl".
This scene has always resonated in my spirit, even as a little girl because it gave me the permission to not be afraid or intimidated to go after my true goals and dreams, despite what others may think. It taught me that at the end of the day, I am the only one that is living my life and so it's ok to do what truly makes me happy. Although this all sounds good, following our passion can be a little tricky especially if we are worried about what others may believe about it, or if we are worried about the stability that may not seem as guaranteed as getting a “safe” job, however keep in mind the popular saying “when there’s a will there's a way.” There is always a way to pursue our passions, even if that means that we may have to do it on the side while working a main job until our passion can actually becomes our main job.
It may seem a bit difficult to specifically pinpoint what our passion is, however, it may not be as hard to figure out. Our passion is something that we love doing, that we would do, even if we wouldn’t get paid and it’s something that we are most likely naturally talented at doing. It is directly connected to our purpose in life and something that we will never quit on no matter what obstacles may come our way. The key then, is to find a way to literally make our passion work for us. Find a way to monetize it so that we’ll never have to work again in life, meaning that we just do what we love on a daily bases and just happen to get paid for it. When we figures out our passion and purpose and are brave enough to actually walk in it we set ourselves up to living a more fulfilled life which allows us to be our absolute best selves.
I encourage you today to have the audacity to just do you and follow your passion. Be proud of the dreams and goals that God has placed within you. Remember, pursuing our passion takes hard work even though it’s what we love. As Christian televangelist, Robert H. Schuller asked, "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" I say go for it!!!!