Welcome to The Door to E. A series-style newsletter for people obsessed with exploring, explaining, and expanding ideas to unlock human potential. Each week, I publish around 3 chosen series that share ideas, experiences, and stories to help you design your life.
This essay is a part of the Personal Growth Monday series.
Thank you for reading, and please forward this to anyone who you think needs to walk on the journey.
Dear Friends, Seekers, and Everybody else.
I'm writing this with a rather anxious and trembling hand, sitting at my old desk and being all sweaty because the heat is making me lose my cool.
For a second there I didn't want to write this piece today, but I would be breaking my promise.
And also my love for writing triumphs over sweaty palms and oily skin.
But it wasn't always like that, as a matter of fact, I've hated writing and only a few years ago I started loving it again.
That begs the question - Do you do something because you love it? Or Do you do something because you've come to love it?
On Passion
A few years ago, I fell into depression and anxiety.
Now, granted that it was the result of some heavy unresolved issues and a whole lot of failures that I couldn't cope with (nobody taught me how & nobody in my family had ever failed in anything, that hit like a generational self-inflicted wound).
But I broke away from people, from my parents and myself. And all this while my brain wasn't shutting up either. And I was getting annoyed with the voices in my head.
So someone told me to start writing in a journal.
It was something that I had already tried before and I hated it, the act seemed meaningless and monotonous with a string of broken thoughts like petals floating on a pond, it didn't seem like the flower of my thought and creativity.
What difference would I expect now?
Well, I did start writing and my brain went overboard with it, cause in my first journaling and writing session I filled about 4 pages.
And now, I've got an undying love for the art of writing.
After that instance, I realized that you are not born with passion, your environmentally untouched mind can't have preconceived notions of what you love and what you don't from the moment you are born.
Passion is developed by the curiosity to know a thing, and discover it's surprising secrets everyday.
This makes things amazing because you can have a passion for anything and they don't have to be rational at all.
It is the spark that ignites your soul and drives you to pursue your dreams with joy.
Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.
~ Steve Jobs
But passion isn't enough to sustain life. That's where purpose comes in.
On Purpose
This is a touchy subject for a lot of people with mixed opinions. Some think "you are born for a purpose", some might say "You discover it", and some say "You make it."
By definition, Purpose means the reason for which something exists.
But this hardly applies to a **person** who is not a THING, is emotional and has a subjective view of the world based on what they experience.
In our subjective realities, it is more appropriate to define purpose as a deep sense of meaning and direction that guides actions and choices. And it is this energy that also moves us forward from the material success metrics.
For Example:
I love writing, and I thought it is my purpose to write for others. But I was wrong. I love writing because I love reflecting on thoughts, and I love to do that because I love studying and understanding stuff. That would mean that I don't love writing, I love reflecting and thinking. So my purpose is tied in with being a thinker.
It took me a long time to understand this, it may take you longer. But if something is going to determine your life and its work, you better spend some quality time around it.
But that is not all, purpose also comes in with a sense of making a difference in the world, and leaving a legacy behind. It also means you live with your moral code.
The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.
~ Mark Twain
However, just knowing your passion and having a purpose don't change anything in life unless you act on it. And it will get tough, it'll be agonizing in some moments - trust me, it hurts when things don't turn out the way you want them to.
That's where you call in the brute force of your existence, you are all in GRIT & PERSISTENCE.
On Persistence
Just keep going.
You'll fail, you'll bleed, you'll cry, you'll face obstacles and setbacks but for your sake and the world, don't give in and keep going.
That's what persistence is.
Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
~ Thomas Edison
But it isn't about blindly pushing forward. Sometimes there are things you will have to quit because you learn they are not the right things to do.
Persistence also means adjusting your actions to meet your purpose and goals. Because most people attach their self-worth with their failing attempts.
You have to realize when to pivot to keep on track.
When you are genuinely passionate about something you're doing all your setbacks and obstacles seem like a minor bump rather than a wall.
It's your intrinsic motivation that pulls you forward.
Taking breaks, getting enough rest, and engaging in activities that recharge your batteries can help prevent burnout and maintain your resilience over the long term.
Remember that persistence is not about pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion—it's about finding a sustainable balance that allows you to continue making progress toward your goals while also taking care of yourself along the way.
Lesson
Passion, Purpose, and Persistence aren't just some buzzwords that self improvement gurus or philosophers or spiritualists spout out. They are powerful tools.
Ones that take time to cultivate if you don't have them.
But they sure come in handy when life seems to be going off the track.
until next time
Be weird and curiosity
S
P.S. If you are interested in info products and building an information-led creator business, check out Wide Thinker Letters. Series issues go out every Sunday.
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