Do you get up every day eager to start the day? Do you love what you do? Do feel as if you are following your passion? Does your existing life have meaning? If you answered yes to all of the above—bravo! I mean BRAVO! You make up a small percentage of the world. You need to share your success with others!
If you are still searching for your passion, it might be right around the corner or right in front of your face. Keep looking! My “aha moment” came just before turning 40 when I was trying to get my own children ready for school. I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for so I decided to write, self-publish and distribute a line of children’s educational books. That’s the pat answer for the media, but really it was more like a brick hit me in the face and I just knew what I was meant to do!
In my case, it started with a series of Oprah shows; first it was the walking buddy show where I started walking with a neighbor to get in shape. She was telling me what her daughter just learned in Kindergarten. I was amazed as I did not realize how advanced the Kindergarten curriculum had become. So I set out to find a book to help my 3 and 1-year-old girls prepare for their first day of school. I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted. I did not want a storybook on Kindergarten or a workbook. I wanted a simple book that I could put my children in my lap that we could read and learn the Kindergarten curriculum. I wanted something engaging and fun, yet simple enough that I could teach simply by reading it to them.
One summer day in 2003, I was walking with my walking buddy. I mentioned that Oprah was having something called The Big Dream Contest and I mumbled that I wish I had an idea for Oprah’s Big Dream Contest. My friends answer, changed my life. She said, “How about that Kindergarten book you can’t find, one book for every grade that helps parents, kids and teachers.” The minute she said it, I knew it was what I was meant to do. It was my defining moment, the brick finally hit me in the face and “aha” I knew it was what I was suppose to do. So I started to make it happen with writing and working with educators and curriculum specialists, parents and kids. I did not submit the idea to Oprah’s Contest at the time, it was just too good of an idea that I was simply meant to do. So I did.
How did I do it? Ironically, Oprah seemed to answer my questions at every step along the way. She even had a show on self-publishing when I was at the point when I was deciding how to publish, so it was like a message directly to me complete with the tools to publish it myself. So that’s what I did. Oprah had a show on successful Mommy Companies as if to reinforce my decision and a show on her trip to Africa, which inspired me to make my books available with global characters, available in many languages <still working on that>, and durable to withstand the huts in Africa.
I fell into my passion and have been stumbling and bumbling along the way and still listen to Oprah and watch for other signs to point me in another direction or give me the tools to jump the next hurdle along the way. Obviously Oprah was a huge influence on my life and this is what I know for sure, if I ever meet her I will do the ugly cry and pray that I can actually get the words “thank you” out of my mouth. She has had that affect on millions of other people too. I find it amazing that someone I have never met or spoke too had the power to show me the way. If this can happen to me, it can happen to you!
Look around and listen. Are you passing by your signs? Do you ignore your gut? Does something keep coming up time and time again? Listen with an open mind and heart and see what comes your way. It could be someone you have never met, someone standing in the line at the grocery store that may tell you something that could be life-changing. Listen and trust your gut. In my case, it was people I did not know, or those that I did not know very well who became the key to my success.
Passion has given my life so much meaning. So now I am on a mission to try to help others find or create passion in their lives. Might your passion be something that you currently are doing as a hobby or something that you did in the past? Perhaps, you can try writing down things that make you happy and see if something jumps out at you?
In my husband’s case, his passion is his hobby — hunting and fishing. He is most happy sitting in the woods or in a boat. I encourage him to take hunting and fishing trips because I now understand what joy I get from following my passion, so I know how happy he is when he comes home from a day spent living out his dreams.
Copyright 2007, Stacey Kannenberg, Cedar Valley Publishing, Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! and Let’s Get Ready For First Grade!
Are you ready to find your passion in life? Might you ask yourself some questions to unlock your passion? What do you truly enjoy? We can’t wait to hear about your “Aha Moment” when it occurs for you. It will be a memorable experience!
