Roxtar Yoga

passion and work, mutually exclusive? December 14, 2009

How passionate are you in your daily life? I have been thinking lately of what it means to have true passion in life. I’ve always agreed with the yogic philosophy of bringing joy and presence to anything you do. It says it doesn’t exactly matter if you sweep floors or program computers, it’s the attitude and presence that you bring to that activity that counts. Yet, I notice that I have often felt just a little something was missing here and there. My first desk job, my mid-twenties crisis, graduate school. I always start with a whirlwind of passion, activity and joy in my new adventures. Then I inevitably hit a passion wall. I get tired, bored or frustrated and it shows. I’ve often wondered what it would be like if I could hide what I’m thinking, but my face very accurately shows what I’m feeling, whether I want it to or not. I wonder why the passion seems to go. Is it just me and my life cycles? Will I always lose passion every so often? How much passion is normal? I have to admit that there have been activities that seem to keep the passion alive in me. Teaching is one of my passion activities. I have enjoyed teaching math, yoga, business, and technology, although teaching yoga really feels the best.
Maybe it boils down to the potential for growth. One common denominator in my life is that I seem to lose the passion when I feel stagnation. Sometimes it’s appropriate to work through the stagnation and try to freshen existing situations up. Often, I find that it isn’t exactly appropriate. Maybe it’s my age, but it seems that more often than not, once the passion goes, Roxy will have to go too, sooner or later. Somehow, things get better each time I leave those situations too.
A lot of this comes from my history. Many of my family and friends growing up felt work was just that, work, and fun time is separate. I have to say it sure feels a hell of a lot better when you’re doing something you feel passionate about. No matter how hard of a worker I am, I inevitably won’t work as well if I don’t feel passion about it. It doesn’t matter what I tell myself, I just can’t focus on it or enjoy it.
Food for thought.