Passion Out, Curiosity In

“Passion can seem intimidatingly out of reach at times – a distant tower of flame, accessible only to geniuses, and to those who are specially touched by God. But curiosity is available to everyone.”  -Elizabeth Gilbert, “Big Magic”

I just finished reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s newest book called “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear.”  It was a super fun read if you are interested in exploring how you might inject more creativity into your life (and more importantly, realize that most of us have created mental roadblocks that prevent us from taking full advantage of our inborn creativity).

One interesting piece of advice she shares in this book pushes against the recently-popularized adage to “follow your passion.” Some of us are strongly driven by a passion for something, which is a beautiful thing – and in all likelihood, those people are already pursuing that passion in some way.  But many of us may not be as fortunate to have a defined set of passions – and so when we are encouraged to relentlessly pursue those passions, we may be left wondering what the heck we’re supposed to be doing.

Here is where Gilbert offers an alternative suggestion – to follow your curiosities instead of your passions.  Rather than focusing so much on chasing that ever-elusive passion – to the point that it drains our creativity because we have attached too much importance to it – ask yourself merely: “What interests me?”  What holds even the slightest bit of allure to your mind and heart?  You don’t have to be good at it, and you don’t have to necessarily create a giant work of art.  You just have to trust in your tiny curiosities, take small steps to learn about them, and see where they take you.

For example – many of you reading this may have had an interest in yoga at some point, but weren’t sure what to do with that. Perhaps you were intrigued by the mental health benefits of yoga, but were intimidated by Instagram photos of people doing handstands while vacuuming their home.  If you were ever in that place, you might recall taking that first tiny step toward your interest – maybe by learning more about yoga using Google, or buying a beginners’ DVD to practice in the privacy of your living room, or even to inquire about classes at a local studio.  And after those initial experiences, you may have decided you’d had enough – it didn’t quite hold your curiosity anymore, and so you moved on to something else.  But maybe you felt challenged in a way that made you feel great, and you wanted to explore further.

That’s all she’s talking about here – just proceeding step by step with any little thing that captivates you.  It’s possible that those small explorations driven by your curiosity will lead you establish a lifelong yoga practice, or to pick up a guitar and learn some chords, or to read a few books on the French Revolution.  Just try anything that piques your curiosity, no matter how little or how much.  It’s the only way to expand your life as you know it, and it’s much easier than searching for some giant boulder labeled “passion” to climb.  In fact, sometimes following those little curiosities can snowball into said boulder over time – which could truly transform your life for the better.

What are your thoughts on passion and curiosity?  What has led you so far throughout your life?  We’d love to hear your experiences!  Also, check out “Big Magic” if you haven’t already – a great read!

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