Many Passions and Changing Your Mind
Having many passions and changing your mind about them is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. There are just so many things I want to try in life and that I already do. It’s weird that when we were growing up, we were told that we could dream, but people have this idea that you’re supposed to narrow everything down to one career for the rest of your life. That’s certainly how I at least a few generations behind me grew up. However, we are starting to change that idea because there’s nothing wrong with having multiple passions, as long as you’re enjoying what you’re doing and not just doing it because you’re bored or everyone else is doing it, and that you are still being responsible.
This is something that kept coming up while I was at different events. Trying to explain what I do is kind of awkward, because they tell me that I need to have an elevator pitch and only one business. With all of the things I do, which one am I supposed to choose as the elevator pitch? I can have more than one business because I have many interests and I can make money off of them if I want to.
Don’t believe anyone who tells you that you’re only supposed to have one passion in life, or only do one thing for your entire life. Doing the same things over and over gets boring. Passion doesn’t have to be this all consuming thing, but everyone has an opinion on what you should do. Not only that, you’re allowed to change your mind. If you do something (schooling, jobs, etc.) and change your mind, that doesn’t mean you wasted your time. You always learn something from what you do. Choosing one passion also doesn’t mean that you can’t try or choose something else down the line, or switch from one thing to another and back again. Things are constantly changing and shifting in life.
Other people always want to ruin your sunshine. I don’t get why people feel they have to express their opinion so much about how people use their time. There’s nothing wrong with phases. You learn from them and you grow. It’s no one’s business what you do with your time, so don’t let anyone make you feel bad for what you’re passionate about. It’s your time and your money. If you find something you like but you suck at it, that’s fine. If you are great at it and decide to drop it, that’s fine too.
If you listen to other people, you may miss out on another passion. I know I want to enjoy every day of my life as much as possible, which includes giving my passions time and space in my life. You should allow that in your life too. Passions are something you can change because they don’t define you. We are all multifaceted, we should embrace that and have many things about our lives that are important to us.
There’s nothing wrong with trying something new. You might try something and fall in love with it for a month. I’ve tried painting and I was passionate about it for a few months, but I don’t want to make a career out of it. That doesn’t mean that it was a waste of time, because I learn something from everything I do. Not everything needs to be intense, all encompassing, or permanent. You learned a skill and enjoyed doing it, and it gave you a place to put your energy. It’s okay for passions to come and go, or come in waves, but give your life meaning.