Passion: What's Yours?

“What is my passion?”

This is the question I’ve been asking myself for the past two months. While Katie and I were in Ponte Vedra on the golf course, we had hours and hours to discuss everything under the sun (literally!) I’m not sure how it came up, but I said something along the lines of “…it’s not my passion, but I enjoy it.” Katie replied, “What IS your passion?” She has a knack for asking the deep, thought provoking questions, probably from that humanities degree she possesses! I doubt she even remembers inquiring, but it struck me like lightning. I didn’t have an answer. How can one not know this about oneself? What is my passion?

There are plenty of things I enjoy and that make me happy, such as Jesus, family, music, reading, writing, the Bible, crafts, travel, the sky, sewing, fashion, shoes, football, the beach, yoga, Petoskey stones….but what is my PASSION?

I’ve asked others what their passion is, and most have an answer right away. Well, except my parents. My dad said his passion is “eating cookies, retiring in 2 years, and being debt free as of next week,” but he is just being silly! My dear friend Teresa’s passion is music. She has a beautiful voice and I love it when she sings to us and patients at work (except when she sings songs about snow!) My little brother is only 14, so I don’t expect him to have a concrete answer, but I truly believe golf is his passion. I have no doubt he will be a professional golfer someday if he wants to be! My other little brother’s passion is deer hunting. “I get a nervous twitch every spring because I just can’t wait for fall to come so I can go hunting!” he said. What makes me twitch with excitement and anticipation?

My next stop was the Bible, but that didn’t help me much when it comes to the actual word “passion” in the Word. Remember, I use the KJV, so it’s only listed 2 times. To further my research, I busted out the family dictionary, as well as my dictionary my Grandpa gave me when I was in middle school. Yes, we actually still have dictionaries in our home that we used for school work! There was no Google back then, kids! The New International Webster’s Pocket Dictionary defines passion as “intense emotion” while the more specific American Heritage Dictionary (2^nd edition, copyright 1985!) defines passion as “2.a. Ardent, adoring love…3. a. boundless enthusiasm. b. the object of such enthusiasm.” (It defines “ardent” as “b. Displaying or characterized by strong enthusiasm or devotion.”)  The trusty ol’ Merriam-Webster website says it best, in my opinion: “Passion: a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something.”

Many people expect one’s work to be their passion. It would be such a blessing to be able to have a career fueled by passion! Though my field of work is very rewarding at times and I’m given the opportunity to improve people’s lives daily, it’s not something I wake up and am thrilled to get out and do. Even when I worked in skilled nursing facilities with elderly people (my favorite people!), it was a tough job. Between dealing with insurance companies, inadequate office space/materials/chain of command, being underpaid, and feeling underappreciated, having a career is not all it’s cracked up to be. My ultimate career goal is to one day be a wife and mother, but I feel as though other people should not be one’s passion in life. Especially other people I don't have in my life yet! We need to find ourselves and what makes us joyful, rather than looking to others for fulfillment and happiness.

If I had been asked this question a few years ago, I would’ve probably said music. I am not a talented musician, though I try to play piano (or I would, if I had my piano still…) and used to play clarinet in band. *nerd alert* Listening to and discovering music is one of my favorite things to do. Sometimes I will actually hyperventilate when I hear an amazing song. Music has always been a favorite of mine, as evidenced by my obsession with Billy Ray Cyrus in the early 1990s that I will willingly admit to! My parents went to a Def Leppard concert when Mom was pregnant with me, so I think that’s where the love started. I grew up listening to Southern Gospel and 80s hair bands, then started in with *NSYNC and the like. When I finally accepted *NSYNC’s breakup in 2003, my music taste branched out into pop-punk, alternative, underground awesomeness. Over the past few years I have been a little more careful what I allow myself to listen to (usually no swearing) and the music I discovered at age 14 and 15 is still probably my favorite. I now listen to Christian music, but only if it’s good quality, as in the artists are actually talented. Lately even country music is crossing my radar. I used to despise country! Ha! I have also been to more than 80 concerts, varying from local shows to world-wide arena tours. (I write down each one so I can remember who I saw when)

But music seems more like a past-time or my #1 hobby to me. Going to shows used to make me super excited, but now that I’m an old 25 year old with a career, waiting 12 hours in line on the street in downtown Detroit to get a good spot in front of the mosh pit just doesn’t sound appealing. My love of music will always exist, but it will always be changing, lessening at times, and growing at others.

While trying to figure out my passion, I thought of the meaning behind NEEDTOBREATHE’s name. The band’s former drummer explains it like this: “The name comes from a story I heard on a youth retreat. It’s about the philosopher Socrates. He taught several students by a small body of water. One of the students asked Socrates, ‘How do I know when I’m truly seeking wisdom in my life?’ Instead of answering the student, Socrates walked over to him and shoved the student’s head underneath the water. Socrates held him down until the student tried to force his way up for a breath. Then he let him up. As the student tried to regain composure, Socrates said, ‘When you desire for wisdom as much as you need to breathe, that’s when you know you’re seeking it.’” Seeking God should be as important to us in this way. The only thing I can think of that I absolutely cannot live without is my faith and love for the Lord. Honestly some days I wish I could just stay home and study the Bible all day because it is so incredible and I just can't get enough! Sometimes I am so excited about what the Lord is doing in my life, I can't help but talk about Him. Could serving Jesus be my passion? Or serving Him BY serving others? When I offer to help someone who really needs it, I find myself to be offended if they never take me up on the offer. I have been exploring this idea in my mind for a while, and I’m not sure where it will lead me, but I think this is a start! If only there was a way to combine all of my interests and loves into one career! That will have to be another blog post…

Now I want to ask my readers: What is your passion? Was this an easy question for you to answer, or did it take some thought? Please share, whether in a comment here, on Facebook, or on Twitter @ShanelSeger

Have a wonderful week!

“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” –Matthew 19:26