Tag Archives: postaweek2011

Ten Questions to Help You Find Your Passion

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“Chase down your passion like it’s the last bus of the night” wrote Glade Byron Addams.  It is not okay to NOT live passionately on purpose.  It is our destiny to take life in our hands and like clay shape and mold it into whatever gives us joy.  We are each creators and creators create!  Some are lost; some are on the wrong path, and some are stuck.  But a lucky few are on the right path even though they may not have reached their goal yet.  But, that doesn’t matter so much because when you’re on the right path, the journey itself is joyous!  Perhaps you have had to take a few detours, but you’ve kept your eye on the prize.  You realize why you are where you are and you know where that road leads.

Don’t Forget Where You’re Going

I’ve certainly had to do jobs that I didn’t want to do in order to get to do the jobs that I was born to do. The key is to not get stuck there.  During those times we have to do our best and have a process of continual learning that allows us to get better and better.  We also should align ourselves with those who strengths complement our weaknesses and our weaknesses complement their strengths.  Sadly, I’ve heard people say that there is nothing that they are passionate or excited about.  That just is not acceptable.  We were born to live a joyful life.  We were created to love life.  How could we be expected to live lukewarm, uninspired, dispassionate lives?  To help you figure out your purpose, your passion, so that you can attract possibilities and power to you, consider the follow questions:

  1. Are you currently doing work you love?
  2. Do secretly wish you were doing something else?  What?
  3. Rate your joy for your work on a scale of 1-10?
  4. What aspects of your current work do you enjoy the most?
  5. Do you find yourself daydreaming about the passionate work you hope to do one day?
  6. What is your talent?
  7. What are you good at naturally?
  8. What work would you continue to do even if you were not paid?
  9. Who do you know that excels in areas that you are weak in and how can you help each other?
  10. Who inspires you to live more joyfully?

Harold Whitman said, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.

Dream Derailer #10: Not Passionate about Your Work

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If your mind and heart are somewhere else, do yourself a favor and let your body catch up. Love is the greatest power on earth and when we love what we do, we’re able to tap into that life altering power.  We dissipate our power when we are doing one thing and wanting desperately to be somewhere else doing something else.  Our power is the most potent when we are focused wholeheartedly in the moment.

Do you love what you do?  I mean do you love it so much that if money were not an issue you would continue to do it anyway?  Does your work excite you?  It is the passion for what we do that attracts benefits to us.  It is the passion that keeps us on track even when we’d like to give up.  It is the passion for a goal that energizes us.  Without passion we don’t have the excitement, attraction, or energy that we need to make work meaningful.  Lack of passion and a sincere heartfelt interest in what we are doing surely has derailed many a dream.  Clearly there will be times when we have to do work that we are not as interested in, competent at, or enjoy.  But if that work will eventually lead us to our goal, then we need to stay focused.  That is what it means to keep our eyes on the prize.  Check back tomorrow for part 2:  Ten Questions to Help You Find Your Passion.

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.

Dream Derailer #9g- Insufficient Education (continued)

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Can you imagine telling your parents you’re dropping out of Harvard to start a company?  That’s what Bill Gates did.  He had that much faith in his dream.  Andrew Jackson was a Congressman and President of the United States and never attended college.  Rachel Ray got her start teaching cooking classes even though she never went to culinary school.  She also has her own magazine and is a best-selling author.  John D. Rockefeller Sr. started Standard Oil and became the richest man in history with no college degree.  How many people reading this have allowed the fact that they don’t have a degree in a particular area to stop them from pursuing their dreams?  And, what if you wanted to be a movie producer but were denied access to film school, would that stop you?  It didn’t stop Steven Spielberg.

If You Need An Excuse, Any One Will Do!

Some people would allow the lack of money or age to keep them from going after their dreams, not  Mark Zuckerberg.  He had to borrow money to start Face-book and went on to become the youngest person to appear on the Forbes billionaire list.  And, Henry Ford never even graduated from High School.  That didn’t stop him from starting the Ford Automotive company.  Think of how many people were able to be employed and how his automating the car production process has changed our world.  One of his keys to success was that he surrounded himself with knowledgeable people.  Perhaps you should to.  Source- 10 Famous People Who Didn’t Go to College. What these extraordinary people show us is that if you have the talent, you can make it!  They followed their bliss.

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.

Dream Derailer #9f: Insufficient Education

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Talent and Education Are Not  The Same

What do Halle Barry, Mary Kay Ashe, Michael Dell, Bill Gates, Andrew Jackson, Rachel Ray,  John D. Rockefeller Sr., Steven Spielberg, Mark Zuckerberg, and Henry Ford, have in common?  You guessed it, no college degree.   That just proves that if you have the passion and talent, the lack of a formal education should not stop you from reaching your dreams.  All but one on the list are at least a millionaire and half were billionaires.

If you have the talent, you can go on to be a famous actress, build a cosmetics company empire, or start a computer company at age 19.  You can also become one of the most influential people of your time, the richest man in the world or in history, a talk show host, a movie producer and director, or create a social media phenomenon that would change how we communicate, or even revolutionize the auto industry.

Let Your Talent Guide You

No one would argue that all of the above mentioned non-degreed people are successful.  But none of them allowed the lack of a college degree stop them from reaching their dreams.  They had a passion and a drive and they went after it with all that they had.  Many even had additional obstacles to overcome beyond education.  Mary Kay Ashe didn’t let the lack of money stop her from starting Mary Kay Cosmetics.  Michael Dell didn’t allow the lack of proper facilities stop him and started Dell computers in his college dorm room.

The important thing is that their talent or dream empowered them to succeed.  What is your talent?  My friend and past mentor, Dr. Percy Thomas inspires his students with these words, “Keep your focus on your strengths and not your weaknesses. Life is too short to spend your time on acquiring talents that God has not gifted to you.” But, the talents you are gifted with, give them your all and watch magic happen!  And finally, the Buddha says: “Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.”  (Continue to part 2 of this article)

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.

Dream Derailer #9e- Insufficient Talent

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“The best of all men is he who earns a livelihood by his calling.”  This quote from the Baha’i Writings sums it all up.  If you don’t have enough talent, get it!  If you are not that interested, do something else!   Far too many people choose careers for money, prestige, and power instead of by their passion and natural talent.  This can potentially cause problems, because it’s hard to excel when you are not interested in something.

We all have specific natural gifts and talents.

It would be in our best interest to choose careers that allow us to use those talents.  But unfortunately, many people don’t have jobs that allow them to express their natural talents.  It’s unfortunate that some of the jobs offering the most to humanity are so under-appreciated and underpaid.  Harvey MacKay wrote, “Do what you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”  That’s the goal, to do what you love and never stop learning and growing.  When you love doing something, it is not a burden to spend time doing it. And, if you spend a lot of time doing something, you will get better. Ralph Nader lives by this principle, “I enjoy my work so much that I have to be pulled away from my work into leisure.”

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.