Elizabeth Gilbert recently did a talk for Super Soul Conversations around the difference between PASSION and CURIOSITY.
She illustrated the reason why people get SO damn caught up on their direction and purpose in life.
PASSION is this huge obvious thing, the elephant in the room – when you know you know and you can’t ignore it.
But PASSION comes with a lot of weight and expectation and responsibility, which can detract from the path and purpose in the end. The pressure can be too much to be able to focus and let go at the same time. So many people simply DON’T know what their passion is no matter how hard they try to find it. It’s illusive and evasive.
CURIOSITY, however, is the chill hippie sister of PASSION. Curiosity is safe, welcoming, and only asks that you look a little closer and look a little closer and look a little closer, until you find something you like. There is no expectation. No forceful demands. No insanely huge expectations. Only flow.
Gilbert goes on to compare PASSION vs CURIOSITY in the types of people they resemble.
There is the JACKHAMMER vs the HUMMINGBIRD.
Jackhammer people are focused and determined and sometimes (read usually) loud about their mission, direction and passion. Which is awesome for them! But it doesn’t work like that for all of us.
Hummingbird people flit from “flower” to “flower’, finding out in a more indirect, but equally important and rewarding way, what they like and where they want to go.
BOTH ways are valuable.
BOTH ways are important.
BOTH ways can lead you to your undeniable purpose in life.
If you are super crystal clear on your PASSION, woohooo for you darling Jackhammer – get out there and get at it!
But if you are unclear, know that it’s totally OK to dabble in the things that you feel guided to until you stumble across what lights you up. No pressure. Just joy.
There is no single road to joy, purpose, passion or success. There are many. So be sure to choose the one that’s right for you.
xo
Lav
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