A proliferation of self-help styled books has blanketed the market – a seemingly endless stream over the past three decades. They come from all corners of the globe. They are offered by everyone, from respected educators and esteemed writers to redeemed born-agains and stand-up comedians. Some are pithy and densely written while others are light and breezy. Many are worldly-based and of late, many are personal, somewhat vain and narcisstic exposes. I think the most educational ones are those that reveal life-lessons gained through real-world experiences – both good experiences and bad ones.

One common theme that jumps out from any thumb-thru of this genre is that you should always follow your bliss and find your passion.

The question is – how in the heck does one find their passion? Where do you start looking? Where do you go? Do you go it alone or take along your friends? Will it be out there to be found? How will you know it when you find it? Are there any short-cuts to take? How much time should you plan on looking? What do you do once you find it? Will any of the process be blissful? Are you lesser of a person if you can’t find it? Have you failed your destiny without it?

Simple-mindedly, I always thought you were born with an inner, innate passion – and that some folks were and some weren’t. This conclusion can be easy to reach when you consider a child-prodigy or an athletic prowess – one whose never-ending practice and all-consuming attention to their craft defines their being. If this is so – where does it leave us “regular folks” – those of us that try out all sorts of things along our life’s travel-path? (more…)