“Life doesn’t have an easy setting. Remembering who you are isn’t an all-or-nothing endeavor. It’s not a pass-fail assignment. The truth is much closer to this: life is like a sieve and everything we do runs through it. If we watch closely, we’ll notice passing through the sieve all those things that aren’t really us. And we’ll notice, captured in the sieve of life, the parts of us that are who we’ve always been.”
We often confuse our passions and our skills, and this week we unconfuse them. A passion is “something we are extravagantly fond of doing.” That is very different from “something we are extra good at doing.” The former produces meaning in our lives, the latter just…produces. In Episode 47 of The Loveable Podcast, we talk in detail about the difference between passion and skill, how you might get more clarity in differentiating the two, and how that clarity can change your life.
Here are just a few of the takeaways from this week’s episode:
- When you protect the time you have set aside for practicing your passions, you are not being unfaithful to others, you are being faithful to your true self.
- If we want to be serious about practicing our passions, there will be some good things—people and commitments—which we have to set boundaries on, or let go of altogether.
- Our skills lead to productivity; our passions lead to peaceful productivity.
- Our understanding and clarity about our passions never ceases to evolve.
- Skill doesn’t generate passion; actually, passion is the fuel that bids skill.
- Don’t let others tell you what you are good at; tell them what you are passionate about.
- Where skill and passion are both along for the ride, make sure your passion is in the driver’s seat, not your ambition.
- Passion does not protect you from hardship; but it does give rise to the joy that sustains you through hardship.
- We fully own our passion when we boldly announce it to our circles of belonging.
- We don’t become familiar with the many layers of our passions by thinking about them; only by practicing them.
- Shame will tell you that you have to practice your passion to be worthy; grace will tell you that you get to practice it because you are worthy.
You can listen below or on iTunes!
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In his debut novel, Kelly weaves a page-turning, plot-twisting tale that explores the spiritual depths of identity and relationships, amidst themes of healing, grace, faith, forgiveness, and freedom.
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About Kelly
Dr. Kelly Flanagan is a psychologist, author, consultant, and speaker who enjoys walking with people through the three essentials of a truly satisfying life: worthiness, belonging, and purpose. His blog writings have been featured in Reader’s Digest, The Huffington Post, The 5 Love Languages, and the TODAY Show. Kelly is the author of Loveable and True Companions.
