Last night, I found this blog about gratitude and changing your mind. It’s called The Change Blog .

I know. I know. I’m sure, that like me, you already know all this stuff.

But I also know that I need it repeated in as many ways and as many times as possible. 

The sixth point made on this post by Marcus Sheridan was my all-time favourite because he spelled out something that I’ve only recently discovered…

Marcus writes…

“6. Stop Trying to Find Your Passion

Let me be the first to say that I’m all about ‘finding your passion’. But the problem with most people is that they get so wrapped up in ‘finding themselves’ or ‘finding their passion’ that they forget how this discovery is actually made…” (Read the rest of his post here)

I love this. I have spent so much of my life wishing something would grab me, and I too, would be an actor or a writer or an artist or a musician or somebody with a creative flair that kept them forever vital and excited and involved in their art. 

I have said (way too many times) that I envy this person or that person because they always knew that they wanted to be a …(fill in the blank here).

Mr. Sheridan turns this discourse on its head and says, “Forget it.”

To be fair, I realized that in the last few years I’ve actually started to approach life in this way. But I’d never really articulated what was changing for me until I saw it laid out in black and white.

I am clearly passionate about this writing thing. If I’m not reading a novel or a memoir, than I’m reading about writing or writing about writing, so I could be described as rather focused on the topic. However, his essay revealed how I could bring this energy to everything I’m doing. 

In other words, it is up to me to bring the passion to the task – not only to my writing – but with whatever I’m doing. I don’t need to wait for the passion to annoint me like something outside of myself, but instead I need to summon the energy and interest and bring it to whatever I am choosing to do.

Applying this approach to my life will help me to not only be a passionate writer, but a person who brings enthusiasm to every project.

For instance, I’d been thinking about this ebook I want to put together and inwardly groaning at the next learning curve. Wrong-O. I’ve decided to change my thinking and bring interest and energy to the project instead of thinking the project should energise me. In the process I’ve discovered motivation. And all I had to do was flip my thinking.

Seriously. Isn’t this just the Power of Now on steroids?

I think the idea is to amp it up.

If you’re sitting and staring out the window. Breathe deeply, relax and do it well.

If you’re reading a book. Get into it.

If you’re meeting with a friend, turn off your cellphone. Be present.

If you’re writing. Get deeply into the groove.

And if you’re just drinking your tea, take the time to describe it to yourself; the warmth in your cupped hands, the aroma, the comforting heat down your throat…Be one with the tea.

Passion. We’re all doing the Passion thing now, K?