What Makes Your Soul Sing?

There’s a lot of anger being portrayed in the media these days:  People showing up at town halls and expressing anger over health care and government; people angry about gays, abortion or other social issues; people angry about the economy.

All of this, I feel, boils down to feelings of lack of personal control, safety or approval.  When we’re excited about life and feel as though we have purpose, I don’t believe that outside situations, such as society or government, stir as much frustration and emotion.  We’re more interested in our lives than controlling the lives of everyone around us.

On a smaller scale, for those of us who publish on the Internet, we’re going to stick with writing for and promoting a site that is line with our passions — the things that make us excited about life.  I’m not talking about passions that may have surfaced because of being hurt by something or someone.  For instance, a lot of people may be passionate about political causes because they feel victimized in some way because of taxes or regulations.  Some may be passionate about feeding the poor because they know firsthand what it is like to grow up impoverished.  While there is nothing wrong with these passions, I am not sure that they are the types that “make our souls sing.”

Here are a couple of things that I have observed point to our inner passions — the things that make our souls sing.

1. What did you want to be when you grew up?  When you were a little kid and your parents or grandparents asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up, what did you say?  Or maybe, more appropriately, what did you not say?  If we were looking for approval, we might have said a “fireman” or “nurse” or something that we thought would please our elders but knew deep down that we weren’t telling them what we really felt.  Regardless of whether we voiced it or not, there is key in our early childhood aspirations about what our passions truly are.  For me, mine was always writing and publishing.  I had mixed reactions from family and teachers about that — some positive, some critical.  Nonetheless, that was the passion I felt and it was something that I tended to do every free chance I had.  My closest friends all had the same aspirations.
2. What are the top three highlights of your life?  What three things are your happiest memories and achievements?  My personal ones all had to do with publishing newspapers, so there is definitely a writing/publishing passion in my life.

You’ll see that there is a trend or pattern when it comes to your childhood aspirations and the happiest moments of your life.  It could be any number of things:  raising kids, teaching people how to swim, biking, cooking gourmet food, collecting antiques, fixing cars, whatever.    If you launch a blog or website that revolves around your passion, chances are, you’re going to stick with it and be successful.

When we allow our “soul to sing,” we’re not going to be quite as angry about what is going on around us.  Too many people go through life, not doing what they really want to do and falling victim to working for a living and seeking everyone else’s approval, including approval from society.  There’s a better way.  We certainly don’t need to be limited to fueling our passions online; however, if we’re interested in sharing information and making some money, the Internet allows us to express and nurture our passions.

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