Passion in our Lives

Being surrounded by an overwhelming wave of negativity (quite literally), it is crucial for us to find our passion. To find something that brings us joy. An outlet that makes us smile.

The reason everyone has a different opinion of what passion is, is because passion is a different feeling for all of us.

As a student, I don’t have much first-hand experience as to why passion is essential in a person’s career, or why it is the key to succeed. However, being raised in a home where both of my parents follow their true passion has taught me that it is the one thing that gives you focus. The one thing that sparks your interest. The one thing that keeps you going.

My father has put in a lot of effort, studied very hard and has flown a countless number of flights (in hail, storms and lightning). And yet, when I ask him if he’s ever annoyed or fed up of waking up at odd times and flying an airplane, he tells me with a hearty chuckle that flying is his passion, and has been since he was little. It is what he loves to do, and he’s always the happiest when he’s in the cockpit.

My mother, who is a professional hairstylist and makeup artist, feels the same way. I’ve always seen her grinning ear to ear when her clients are happy with their haircut.

When I was thinking of what best describes this enriching feeling of passion, I immediately thought of a verse in the song ‘A Million Dreams’ from the movie ‘The Greatest Showman’:

“They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy,

They can say, they can say I’ve lost my mind,

I don’t care, I don’t care if they call me crazy,

We can live in a world that we design”

That’s what passion is for me. For us, in fact. It gives us this unexplainable feeling of joy, this feeling of a happy kind of craziness. Just a teeny bit short of crazy is passionate.

Personally, I’m passionate about several things, from baking new things, painting and playing the guitar …to watching the FRIENDS series for the twelfth time.

Passion doesn’t have to be something that is impressive or fancy or something that you immediately excel at. You could be passionate about the simplest of things, as long as it is something that makes you happy.

For example, baking makes me happy, and it always has.

A few years ago, I couldn’t crack an egg or even use a knife without cutting myself. But with time and effort, I focused on my passion for baking. During the first lockdown, I worked on perfecting my basics. Now, I sell my baked goods and run a small business. There was only one thing that kept me from thinking that baking is waste of my time because I was no good at it. And that was my passion.

There is a very fine line between a person’s passion and their addiction. A passion is a strong liking or desire, whereas an addiction is a psychological need or dependence of something. Making different kinds of beverages or cooking could be a person’s passion. But having 3 cups of coffee a day becomes their addiction.

Addictions aren’t necessarily a bad thing. Like Monica’s addiction to cleaning or Hermione’s addiction to studying.

However, it is important to control these addictions instead of fuelling them and becoming obsessive.

And now, a poem: (by me)

Everybody has some kind of passion,

From cooking to reading to fast fashion,

It gives us a purpose and keeps us sane,

It makes us happy, and we don’t feel disdain

In tough times it gives us hope,

It gives us focus, we don’t mope

To be successful, it’s the key,

It makes us feel good inside and free

Through thick and thin

It’s always there,

Through whatever we’ve been

We’ll always care

Not afraid to completely embrace it,

Always seen with a smile on our faces,

It’s the light that guides us through the dark,

Inside us, it creates this joyful spark

To make sure that you’re happy,

To make sure you’re fine,

Follow your passion throughout your life

I’d like to end in the words of Ellen DeGeneres, “Follow your passion. Stay true to yourself. Never follow someone else’s path unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost, and you see a path. By all means, you should follow that path.”

Written by Devika Pathak

I’m fourteen. I’m a student at JNIS. I love to bake all kinds of goodies in my spare time. I also thoroughly enjoy reading different genres. I like playing the guitar and music is my therapy!

Week 24 June, 2021