What are you passionate about?
This was a tough question for me…why? It was difficult mostly because it caused me to really pause for a moment & make some considerations. My first reaction was that I am passionate about youth…but that doesn’t tell anything specific- and the longer I sat with this question, the more I realized I am passionate about a lot of things but few things drive me to the point that I would do it for free if I could.
For me, this thing that I am passionate about is something that is connected to my purpose & birthed through great pain. Imagine for a moment, a 6 year old girl with big brown eyes, a wide smile, long brown hair, and a crazy sense of optimism. Let me introduce you to the little girl I was: Crystal Jean.
You’re looking a little girl that climbed on top of a table in kindergarten, grabbed beanbags, and pummeled another student with them. You’re looking at a little girl who grew comfortable lying about how UNCOMFORTABLE she was. You’re looking at a little girl who fought kids multiple grades higher because she was so sure that this was the way to handle conflict. You’re looking at a little girl who was introduced to survival of the fittest long before she could even say it. When asked how she was feeling by essentially anyone, she would say good & flash a smile. Turns out that she really only knew a few basic emotions. As a result she frequently pinged between angry & anxious. Interestingly though, while they were different feelings, they did evoke similar responses.
The response was a reaction to numerous feelings that I didn’t have the language to articulate. I had yet to learn about the power of the voice I had been given. I learned that the quieter I was, the less pain I experienced. As a result, I navigated towards avoidance of conflict until I couldn’t take it…at which point I quickly resorted to aggression.
The answer then about my passion- my passion is helping people have and obtain the language they need to learn how to manage their emotions. I truly believe that if we had the correct language, knew when and how to apply them, we could live in a happier and healthier state. Hence: manage your emotions or they will manage you!