Passion and Purpose: Understanding Your Gift
For the longest time I’ve struggled with being a writer because I confused passion with purpose. I always assumed that the things you were most passionate about didn’t require any amount of coaxing in order to do it. A person who’s passionate about music is often scouring blogs looking for the latest release, and are hardly seen without a pair of headphones plastered to their ears. Someone who’s passionate about numbers is surrounded by stacks of Wall Street Journal papers researching the next big investment. For me to say that I’m passionate about writing meant that I had to write everyday, which I don’t always feel compelled to do. After some soul searching I realized that writing isn’t as much of my passion as it is my gift. Your gift is often aligned with your purpose, and is fueled by your passion. For me, writing is the vehicle for which I am able to do what I am truly passionate about, which is giving.
When I think about the things that I do everyday without a second thought, they’re simple but telling. I read think pieces and articles that aide in my personal growth and share them with my friends and followers. I brainstorm ideas and topics that I hope would benefit those around me. I’m always striving to position myself to be in a better place so that I can give back to those around me. The majority of my thoughts and actions are rooted in giving, and writing is the gift in which I am best able to extend my proverbial hand.
Writing has always been something that was natural to me. I didn’t study it, and up until recently, I didn’t make effort to master it. The words that I write, whether for a magazine article or a blog post, are the result of a talent that is beyond my control. Don’t get me wrong. I have a love and great appreciation for the written word and for the ability to piece a sentence together in a way that resonates with my readers. I love getting lost in a good book and can’t help but to shout yessssss when I come across a dope writer who’s making magic with their pen. But ultimately what has and always and will continue to drive me to write is the opportunity to give back to people through my experiences and the experiences of those around me. I write to heal and be healed. I write to inspire and to be inspired. I write to uplift and to teach. It’s the thing that fills me with a purpose beyond myself, and it’s the reason why even on days when I just want to quit I am encouraged to keep going.
For a while I ran away from writing because I didn’t understand that it was aligned with my purpose. I took so many detours along the way, testing out this and that and realizing that none of them brought me fulfillment or allowed me to express myself in a way that I felt understood or influential. I’m not great at speaking, for my thoughts move too fast and my tongue too slow, but I am great at letting the words flow from my fingertips. I’m decent at doing business because I’ve worked and studied it, but I’m better at storytelling because it’s something that’s natural to me.
Now that I have accepted my gift, I am now on a mission to master it. In the process of consistently using my gift I am figuring out who I am and the road I’m meant to take to reach my destiny. I understand that my gift and my passion are both necessary in order to achieve my purpose.