Change Your Paradigm

There’s more to life than the American Dream we’ve been sold. In this series I present an alternative way to view the world and your surroundings. There is so much out there to experience, enjoy, and incorporate into our lives. It’s all there for the taking, but getting there is the hard part. In this series I show how to to change your paradigm to give yourself a fighting chance of taking the path less less traveled to live up to your potential. How you act on what you discover is up to you, but I hope you take your own plunge into a happier and healthier life.

Living Passionately

Apart from deciding to be happy, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in life is how important it is to identify and embody your passions.

Have you met someone who is really passionate about their profession? It could be a doctor. Maybe a teacher or personal trainer. Whatever the profession, didn’t it leave an impact on you seeing how much it seemed like they loved what they were doing? I bet it did even if what they are passionate about seemed a million miles from anything you’re interested in (e.g. car racing, mountain climbing, computer programming, fashion, etc.).

Pages And Pages Of Notes

Pages And Pages Of Notes

I remember having those moments in the past, not at all connecting with what the other person is passionate about, but admiring their gusto nevertheless. I aimlessly drifted through a large part of my life unaware of what makes life worth living for me personally.

It wasn’t until I sat down in my apartment in Denmark in 2011, dissatisfied with where my life was headed if I didn’t make a change, and forced myself to think deeply about what my passions are. On the left are pages and pages of notes full of ideas about what to do with my life, what I’m passionate about, and what experiences in the past have brought me joy. It was in this simple introspective exercise of discovering my passions that changed my life forever.

I discovered that my passions are:

Traveling
Writing
Helping Others
Teaching & Learning
Telling Stories

These passions served as a compass as I redesigned my life. No matter how much uncertainty there was, no matter what transpired, these passions served as my foundation. From these passions The Happy Nomad Tour was born.

Discovering what I’m passionate about made life all the more worth living, and there is a huge difference between living and just existing.

Understanding your passions also helps you figure out where you’re headed. While the amount of time and attention may vary from one passion to the next as time goes on, you’ll still be living a happier and more engaged life even if you haven’t gotten the mix just right. In a world of silence, piano keys by themselves don’t create sound. However, if you provide those keys with a foundation then those keys can make sound. Figuring out for how long and when to press those keys can then make beautiful music. It’s a journey, not a sprint. Tweaks are expected along the way.

Your passions may not be “normal.” You may have different ambitions than those around you. It’s all ok. Embrace it. You are on the right track. It takes courage to discover, embody, and live out your passions!

4 replies
  1. David Senteno
    David Senteno says:

    At 53 I’ve just started to reconnect with the creative instincts I had when I was younger. Somehow I allowed the idea of being an adult to convince myself that doing what I loved didn’t matter and money should be my goal. Now starting out on a new adventure of blogging and public speaking I can’t believe I waited so long to get started. I’m going to share your post in the hope that it inspires others to take the plung.

    Reply

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  1. […] tough year for me. While I previously traveled the world I was able to really ground myself in the passions that make me happy. I was able to focus on constantly challenging myself to inch closer to the […]

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