Pursue Your Passion

Follow the road ahead – Fall Colors in the Eastern Sierras

An email for a 4-day writing workshop arrived over the weekend. It was the same workshop that set me on my book-writing adventure. Back then, I recall being unsure whether I should sign up, even though it was free, because of the intensity of my job at the time. (Think back to January 2021. In my office, we were preparing for vaccine distribution for educators and trying to get schools reopened. It was crazy busy!) But I felt a calling to do the workshop, and I’m so grateful I did.

Is there something you are feeling called to pursue? Does it feel daunting to commit to it? Do you find yourself saying, I don’t have [insert excuse: time/money/energy] right now?

Let me tell you. There will probably never be a perfect time. So here are my three thoughts on moving forward on whatever it is you are passionate about or want to pursue.

Start small

Desmond Tutu wisely said that “there is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time,” and the same is true with any big project.

You don’t write a book in a day, just like you can’t run a marathon with just a week of training.

Instead, you take it word by word, sentence by sentence, and chapter by chapter or foot by foot and mile by mile. Over time, you’ll find you have enough words to make a book or have enough stamina to run a 5K, then a 10K, a half-marathon, and a marathon.

TIP: Whether it’s a book or a marathon, start small. Commit to writing for 15 minutes every day or start a Couch to 5K program. With that foundation, you can make progress toward your goal.

Find your people

After the 4-day writers’ workshop, I joined a writing community with training modules that taught various aspects of writing and self-publishing. In the Facebook group, we offered support and motivation, answered questions, and gave feedback to each other along the way. It was great to have others pursuing the same dream

TIP: Find people with similar interests and goals, whether in person or online, to share in the journey, and remember the African proverb that says: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

Say yes

It can be scary to say yes (or even just maybe!) to investigating that thing that is pulling on your heart. But what do you really have to lose? Would you rather try and learn that it’s not something that really energizes you or never pursue it and wonder about the what if? When something is right in front of you, go for it. Trust that everything happens for a reason, and everything will work out.

TIP: Get a pen or open up a new document on your computer for some writing. Spend a few minutes writing about these prompts:

If I do [insert dream] …

What is the best-case scenario?
List how you think you would feel if this happened.
What is the worst-case scenario?
List how you think you would feel if this happened.
What are three pieces of information I need to make me feel more comfortable pursuing this dream?
What resources do I have that might help me with getting this information?

Remember: