Breathe in and Dream Your Passions

In other words, take a deep breath and express yourself!

If you feel stuck, breathe in and dream your passions: This is possibly the best advice I’ve heard come from the wonderful mind of my six year-old. Roughly translated, I believe her message means to take a deep a breath and express yourself: set your heart and your gifts free.

You might be thinking: what gift? And why set it ‘free’? What does that even mean?

Sometimes it’s hard to see it in ourselves, but we all have a gift to share with the world. This could be a tangible gift like music or art, or a more subtle gift like being a compassionate connector who brings people together. Whatever your gift, to keep it inside and unexpressed is a disservice to your creative spirit. When we ignore our gifts, we ignore our innate human need to create and connect.

Yet many of us are afraid to express ourselves or we don’t know how. I know I was - I had the idea for this blog for more than a year before I had the courage to publish it. I was afraid of criticism for my ideas, afraid of being unoriginal, and worst of all, afraid of nobody caring. As someone who has made a living being creative for others, this was a heavy feeling to live with. My heart and my creativity felt constrained. So the idea to share my voice through inspiring career stories was born. I didn’t really know how to create a website, but I started. I didn’t really know what the focus of my content would be, but I started. And I don’t know if anyone will read this, but I am here anyway, dreaming my passions.

So how can you make a commitment to breathe in and dream your passions a little more?

Get to Know Your Gifts. Take some time to think about what’s important to you and the kind of activities you are drawn to. A great resource to start with is an assessment that helps you identify your strengths and areas of interest. Research shows that people who use their strengths are 18x more likely to thrive*. To get you started, I’ve provided a link below to a free science-backed assessment from the VIA Institute on Character, a non-profit dedicated to helping people create strengths-based lives.

Feel the Fear and Act Anyway. If you have an idea somewhere inside of you that wants to come out, you might experience a range of emotions including frustration, fear, excitement, or nervousness. Those emotions are your ideas and your gifts knocking on your door, trying to get your attention. Don’t ignore them: feel them and act on them. It might be a small act; that’s OK. In the wise words of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt: “Do one thing every day that scares you.”

Take a Deep Breath. Literally. Physiologically, taking a deep breath gives us energy, calms our nervous system, and stabilizes our heart rate. Emotionally, it gives us a little space before we act on our feelings. Anytime you feel nervous, scared, anxious, or excited, stop for a minute to acknowledge those feelings with a deep breath to reset and recharge.

Focus on Progress, Not Perfection. This simple yet profound advice comes from one of my favorite authors and coaches, Marie Forleo. People evolve, ideas evolve, the world evolves. So to hitch your goal to a moving target is bound to lead to frustration. The pursuit of perfection is really just fear of failure in disguise that paralyzes us and keeps us stuck. So instead of striving for perfection, start with where you are today and take a small step in the direction of your dream. Progress will happen.

Thank you for reading. It’s my hope that the experiences gathered from those who share their stories with me will be my small gift for anyone who happens to need a little encouragement during a change in their life or career. I can only hope, but I can’t let my fears stop me: nor should you. If you love your gifts, they will love you back.

* Source: VIA Institute on Character. You can take a free strengths assessment from VIA here.