Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty: Ready or not here I come! I stayed hunkered down in my perfect hiding spot. Now, just to be clear, there are not that many spots that can hide a 6 foot 2 inch 275 pound college freshmen so I had to really pick and choose. I was at my grandma's house for the weekend and I was playing with my cousins who were very energetic little girls. I was the last to be found and shortly after we started the next round.
This simple little game got me thinking though. My cousins, like all little kids their age had played the game with so much energy and passion. They frantically searched through the house and cheered every time that they found someone. This game was something that they were obviously very passionate about and they didn't care who knew about it.
Merriam-Webster defines it as a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something. I've found that the way we look at our passions can be like the game of hide and seek. We can either hide our passions or actively seek out what we are passionate for and pursue it. If we choose to seek our passions we may find ourselves living much more involved lives.
When I was in elementary school, I got to watch Marion High School perform Beauty and the Beast. Secretly I loved the performance and kind of wanted to be a part of it, but decided it wasn't cool. I wasn't going to seek this opportunity out because I didn't think it was cool. That all changed with a couple of words. Brett Billings, one of the lead characters and player on the football team (very cool), said, "I'll be watching you up here in a few years right?", and I of course answered "Yes sir!". Well, 7 years later as I finished the final musical of my high school career, and all I could see was his face telling me that I could do it. That little sentence encouraged me to seek my passion rather than hide from it.
Howard Thurman said, "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Seeking our passions can seem scary at first, but it will reward us much more than we ever thought possible. People who seek out their passions rather than hiding from them are the people who will come alive. So I ask you, will you decide to seek your passions rather than hiding from them?
