Discover & Follow Your Passion: Is It Really Worth It? – Part I of Chapter I of the upcoming book ”Find Your Passion”

Discover & Follow Your Passion: Is It Really Worth It? – Part I of Chapter I of the upcoming book ”Find Your Passion”

Discovering and pursuing your passion is going to have a tremendous impact on every aspect of your life. Because our life is not one-dimensional but multi-dimensional. Imagine it as a wheel or a big pie which consists of many smaller pieces, such as career, money, spare time/fun, environment (physical & social), friends, family, love life, health, personal growth and legacy, or social contribution.

And if you’re wondering why it’s quite important to discover your passion, and have a positive impact on every area of your life, think of it this way: All of these areas in your life are strongly interwoven to each other, molding – but not defining –  your identity as individual. Because you are naturally whole, and not just the sum of the different areas of your life. On the other hand, they do play their role in shaping you as a person, so you do need to make sure you won’t neglect any of these; or to put it in another way, to assure you create harmony among them. Otherwise, you jeopardize  your very self-worth and your wholeness. Why? Because you’ll draw from and depend your worth as a person from only a specific or a few areas of your life. Consequently, you end up being so attached to it/them that you identify yourself with them. You might define yourself as a ”career person”, a ”family man/woman” or a ”great partner/friend”. This way, you might neglect your loved ones, your greatest professional aspirations, as well as your personal time with yourself and personal growth respectively.

The problem with this mentality is that you label yourself, consciously or unconsciously, extracting your value as a person from a very limited number of aspects of yourself, degrading the core value of your ”being”. Furthermore, if things go quite bad and wrong in these specific areas of your life, you instantly deprive your self-confidence and self-esteem. In fact, you start experiencing your first ”identity crisis”. You’re a family person and you get a divorce, and your children don’t want to talk to you anymore. You’re a career person who not only did you miss a great opportunity to take off your career, but you just got fired from a job you truly loved. In both cases, to put it as elegantly as possible,        ” You are screwed!”. This is exactly how you don’t have to feel. That doesn’t mean that you should be pretending you’re 100% happy and that there’s nothing wrong with that. But what I do imply here is that you are much more than a single area or a sum of your life areas. You are whole. Remember this:

”You, and only you, can define your value.

If you don’t, others will.”

1) Personal Growth

Your passion is a unique part and accelerator of your personal growth. First of all, it cultivates and deepens your spirituality. Once you discover your passion, you get to experience and be in a ”three-dimensional” state, comprising three core components:

1. Higher Spirit
2. Higher Intelligence
3. Higher Integrity

1. Higher Spirit

When you’re really passionate about what you do, you reach a smooth and endless state of ”flow”. You’re ”in the zone”. But what does that mean? It’s when you reach a state where you’re connected with your higher self. If you believe in God, it’s God. If you don’t believe, it’s the Universe, Nature, a sense of wholeness, a Singularity –  a place where everyone and everything are all indistinguishably connected to each other – your most powerful Inner Self, you name it. Have a glimpse of Him, Her, It now…..

Because I do now that’s deep inside you; right at the back of your heart, where all your love comes from. It is there. And you know it. You don’t need to be nervous about it, although I do feel you. I’ve been there before and it can be even intimidating if you have never taken a look. But the more you visit the place where you meet your Higher Spirit, the more connected you’ll feel with yourself; your true self and potential. This way, you’re more likely to be in the ”flow”; and the more often you’re into it, the more time you’ll have to stay there for further self-exploration.

So, where is this place? It’s the crossroad between your human and divine nature and infinite potential. Your crossroad. There, you meet your best self, your Higher Self. At this place, you’re powerful, invisible, peaceful, fearless, courageous and bold. You’re abundant and eager to give unconditionally; give love, empathy, compassion. At this place, you crave for connecting and connect with the entire world, all at once; where everyone and everything is unified under and in one spirit, one mind, one body, one… It’s this place that represents the highest of all human needs: Transcendence.

Transcendence

Accessing our high spirit not only is it an intrinsic human need of ours, but the highest of all. To understand its importance better, we will go through the rest of human needs. More precisely, there are five fundamental human needs: 1) Security  2) Love & Connection 3) Self-Worth   4) Self-Actualization 5) Transcendence

1) Security

Security, or safety, includes everything you need in order to have the feeling of security and certainty. This includes covering basic needs such as sleep, food, water, shelter, money and financial security, sex, clothing, personal and emotional security, as well as mental and physical health. We can’t satisfy the other needs of the pyramid if we don’t take care of safety first. That is our survival, both physical and emotional. Put it simply, if you starve or don’t have a place to spend the night, your concern will not be ”Gosh, I wish I had more meaningful and empowering friendships”, or ” What would be a meaningful and full of purpose career for me?”.

2) Love & Connection

”Man is a social animal” – Aristotle –

Our need to be loved and connect with our family, friends, colleagues, partner, and society in general, is equally important as our need for safety. Because right after taking care of feeling safe, every and each of us in this world has an intrinsic and profound need for belonging. That is, being a part of a team, group, ”tribe”, community. So prominent is this need that the lack of it is the #1 cause of early death in the world. I’m talking about loneliness. It’s not cancer, diabetes, or any other diseases and scourges. That’s also the reason why it’s one of the most powerful fears of mankind, along with fear of death.

3) Self-Worth

We have a higher need for self-worth. It’s the feeling that we matter, ”I MATTER”, ”I’m worthy”. It’s our need to believe in ourselves and our potential, spiritual, physical and mental. And there are a few ways that most of us do to fulfill this need. We aim to do things and behave in a certain way to win the respect of others and ourselves, regardless of the how. It can be simply by helping someone to achieve a professional goal of theirs, giving us the feeling that ”I helped him/her to succeed”. It could also be climbing the career ladder to a higher professional, financial and social status, which will give us more power, thus more confidence and worth for ourselves.

Another source where we derive self-worth is the sense of achievement/accomplishment. It’s the feeling that you have accomplished something great, difficult and challenging that differentiates you from others. It could be taking your Master or PhD degree, finishing a marathon or ultra marathon, winning a gold medal in the Olympics, becoming the best professional in your field in the entire world, or being the first person in human history that did something unique. In general, anything that only few people have done before. The fewer the greater the glory you’ll feel. Anything that cannot be done easily and fast, requiring a lot of time, effort, consistency and willpower. Achievement fulfills our need for self-worth because it feeds the voice inside you which shouts ”I AM DIFFERENT. I AM UNIQUE”. And it comes from our ego. Why? Because you don’t have to neither shout nor prove your uniqueness and worthiness to yourself or anyone else. You are already different and unique, by your very nature. Every person is unique and you don’t have to keep on trying to constantly prove this to yourself and others. There’s only one person in the entire world who can and defines your worth. That is, yourself. You are worthy exactly as you are, without any awards, credentials, qualifications and recognized accomplishments.

That’s the explicit reason why this need is not at the top of the human needs pyramid. Unfortunately, most people’s happiness and well-being stop at this point, considering self-worth as the most significant need to cover. The problem with this? Each time we achieve something, it feels like a drug dose. We feel nice and great when we take it, but on the long-term is not enough. It gives us instant gratification. A quick boost of confidence. Then what? We go for the next achievement to take again our quick fix, our immediate dose of confidence. We become addicted to it. That’s why you see many astronauts and Olympic medalists to suffer from depression once they return to Earth and get back to their training routine, respectively.

If all of the above sound too much for you to handle, I do feel you. I’ve been there many times before. Used to believe that this cool sense of success and accomplishment is the ultimate feeling I could possibly experience in my life. That was one of the main reasons I run a marathon. It felt awesome; but it didn’t last. In fact, ask this question to yourself:

”How much does the feeling of achievement last for me?”. How many times have you actually celebrated it and for how long? A few seconds? Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Here’s the truth: (*1) After approximately one year, your level of happiness is going to be exactly the same as it was before your glorious moment.

4) Self-Actualization

This is the state of creativity, morality, fulfillment, as well as this of reaching our true potential. At this point, you’ve reached a decent level of self-awareness. You’re aware of your values, interests, strengths and talents, ideal vision for every area of your life, your calling, your passion, and the core of your being, yourself. Being aware of who you truly are and what you love to do triggers your creativity. Furthermore, living a life at your terms, fully aligned with who you are, brings you fulfillment – a daily feeling of aliveness that makes you happy. Nevertheless, it’s still not the ultimate human need. There’s more.

5) Transcendence

According to the (*2) English Oxford Dictionary, transcendence is the ”existence or experience beyond the normal or physical level”. So, what does ”beyond the normal” actually mean? Is it a ghost, a soul or some sort of supernatural or meta-physical activity as in horror and science-fiction movies? Or is it some sort of an entity with higher spirituality and intelligence? Is it God Himself? What about the wisdom of the Universe and its parts, all accumulated in a single entity, a Singularity? There are many approaches to define ”beyond normal”. To explain transcendence, we have first of all to define ”normal”. Believe the answer is given not too far in the definition above: ”..or physical level”. In other words, normal is what you can perceive through your physical senses: Sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. Any sense beyond them can be perceived as ”beyond the normal”. An example of such a sense is our intuition, the so-called ”sixth sense”, ”gut feeling”, or a hunch. In this case, you do receive information but in different, non-physical means, such as your emotions, spirit and soul.

So, how’s intuition related to transcendence? And why transcendence is the highest of all human needs? Intuition is one of the means through which we reach transcendence. And transcendence constitutes a human need because we need to transcend to something bigger and larger than ourselves. This is what you can call your purpose, destiny, calling, mission and contribution to this world, you name it.

Because it’s through purpose, which we can discover by intuition, that an unconditional contribution to humanity takes place; Unconditional means that your answer to the question ”Would you still do it if you did know that you will receive absolutely no benefit, tangible (e.g. money, gift) or intangible (sense of pride, status, reputation, glory, recognition)?” is a hell ”YES”! And you contribute to others by serving something meaningful and larger than yourself: your purpose. This is transcendence. It’s our profound need to connect with and live our unique purpose in this world, bequeathing a legacy which made our world a better place. And this is what I call ”true happiness”.

So, how can we reach this level? Simple (but not necessarily easy): Come from a place of unconditional love for people and our world, as well as a place of relentless persistence to make it better. Bottom-line: You reach transcendence when you unite and become one with your purpose, as the highest form power. Whether it’s God, Universe, Nature, Singularity, your infinite potential, or anything else, it doesn’t really matter. What does matter instead is that transcendence is not a goal; it’s not something that you can put in your to-do list or something that you achieve once and that’s it. Job is done! It’s a state of being. You reach this state at specific moments of your life.

”So, what’s the difference with ”self-worth”, as long as it derives from a limited number of moments and not an ongoing personal state?”, you might be well wondering. The difference lies in the frequency potential of your ”self-worth” and ”transcendence moments”. Put it simply, it is much more likely for you to experience transcendence moments much more often in your daily life than self-worth ones. Why? Because the more actions and steps you take for and towards your purpose, the more you enhance your connection with it. As a result, not only will you be able to live your purpose more often, even every single day and moment of your life, but you’ll unite with and be it.

Take the actions that satisfy at least one of the above human needs and shall you reap the fruits of the seeds you sowed. Yes. It’s all about how you help others cover their needs. This is also why jobs exist and will always exist. ”Wait a second! What do you mean by ”always”? What if I have enough money to a level of financial freedom? Why should I work then, given that I’d have all my needs covered?”, you might think. Well, you might have most of your needs covered, including safety, love and connection, self-worth and self-actualization – assuming that it does happen through money exclusively, which is not absolute.

Nevertheless, transcendence is the need of ours that can only be fulfilled through others; through unconditional contribution. And your services, skills, strengths, talents, passion and uniqueness as a unified force for good and the world’s progress is what you have to contribute; to transcend.

Remember: The more value you deliver to others ever day the more you fulfill your highest need, and the more money you’ll be able to make. Why? Because your net worth is not but the number of people you have helped. Reaching transcendence and making more money at the same time? Not bad, right? So, focus on others and add inconceivable value to them through your passion. Use the last one as both an empowering fuel and funnel to transcendence. Utilize it to serve others, and you’ll be surprised by the rewards you’ll get. But don’t go for them, but pursue your transcendence.

This is all of past and present great world changers and contributors did.

From Steve Jobs and Bill Gates to Stephen Hawking, Henry Ford, Nicola Tesla, George Papanicolaou, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, passion was a key factor to their success. Even more, it was and is a catalyst for them to best serve their purpose; a catalyst for happiness. That’s why, as we’ll see soon, purpose is an inextricable part of your passion.

”Those who have a ”why” to live can bear with almost any ”how”.

– Viktor Frankl –

      2. Higher Intelligence

We’ve just explored the spiritual benefits of finding and pursuing your passion regarding the ”High Spirit dimension”. Besides this, when you follow your passion, you also operate from a higher level of intelligence, your Higher Intelligence. By intelligence I do not refer to the results of IQ evaluations, as their original existence lies in their supportive role to help scientists and professionals of the psychology field to diagnose mental illnesses, and not to evaluate the intellectual performance of someone. I do not even refer exclusively to the Emotional Intelligence (EQ). But I do refer to someone’s unique talents and potential, as well as their ability to express, cultivate and maximize them. Your intuition, or sixth sense, does play a fundamental role here. When you reach this level of intelligence, you unlock your infinite resourcefulness and creativity – your ability to create, to bring a product of your imagination into the real world.

Your imagination reaches its peak of stimulation, thus gives you the ability to access your deepest source of inspiration. Imagine that many top performers and professionals, as well as historic figures of all times, have stimulated themselves in various ways in order to access their High Intelligence. Here are the most powerful ones:

1. Passion
2. Love & Sex
3. Love
4. Sex
5. Music
6. Self-Belief/Faith

Although passion does include love (not sex necessarily), it seems that it’s a different source of stimulation from love and sex, regardless of how powerful they are, separated or unified. So, when your imagination is immensely stimulated, your creativity comes as a natural consequence. You might get inspired to write something – a novel, poem, self-help book, a guide, blog, journal, you name it! Or it might be something completely different; from an act of generosity and kindness and the creation of a community to dancing, painting, singing, coding as well as giving unconditional love to a family member, friend, partner, stranger, or even an adversary, creativity can take various forms. I would say unlimited. Because, at the end of the day, creativity is nothing but self-expression at its purest form.

Here’s an example of a Higher Intelligence inspiration, coming from my personal experience:

It’s 20th of April, 2018, London. I’m attending my professional coaching training. It comes to an end. Our trainers, Nick and Ronnie, are so inspiring… At the end of the course, they read to us the fairy tale ”Oh..the places you’ll go!”, by Dr. Seuss. It was something about their colorful gentle narrating voice, the words of this poem, its rhythm, perhaps a mixture of all these, that made me that same night to feel and hear a similar melody, wandering in my head. The more I listened to it, the more tempting it was for me to grab a pen and paper and start writing it. Had no idea about what I wanted to write down, so I just wrote a few words, ending up writing a poem! (I had never written a poem before in my life, nor had I felt the need to write one.)

3) Higher Integrity

When you discover your passion, you discover a core part of your ”being”, your identity as a human. This awareness is powerful on its own. Because finding out an important aspect of yourself brings you closer to learn and discover more about yourself as a whole. According to the English Oxford Dictionary, the first meaning of integrity is ”The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles”. The second one is ” The state of being whole and undivided”. Based on the second meaning, your passion awareness does bring you Higher Integrity. Following this, when you’re truly passionate about something, you care much more about it than other things. You ”treat” it at the highest service possible, as it’s ”your precious”.

To be continued….

Feel free to connect with me on Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as check my upcoming book ”Find Your Passion”, by visiting my personal site JimPanos360.com

*1 Dan Gilbert, author of the ”Stumbling on Happiness”, in his TED Talk ”The surprising science of happiness” demonstrated this by collecting data from two groups of people on their happiness levels. The people in the first group won the lottery whereas those in the second one became paraplegic. Surprisingly for most of us, the happiness levels of both the groups were identical one year after the lottery win and the accident respectively. (TEDTalks are a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers share their unique ideas on technology, entertainment, design, arts, science, business and development).

*2 https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/transcendence