The economy stinks. I know some people that have even given up on the job search. They are more willing to search for a pink Unicorn than a good job. Schools have little money and community programs are getting cut faster than Lindsey Lohan’s acting career. At times like this I have seen people give up and just walk around defeated. You can tell who has given up by the empty look in their eyes. They are the people running on auto pilot, what I call the living dead. I have been there before and maybe you too. But, there is another way to light that fire inside of you, Passion. Passion can jumpstart your heart with enough juice left over to jumpstart some of your neighbors’ hoopties. I know, that sounds cheesy. Passion has changed my life and can do the same for you. I learned the secret about being passionate and once I applied it, it took me from an unfulfilled life to a life with meaning and purpose. I used to work and make just enough money to barely pay the bills. If I had any money left over, I would splurge on Taco Bell. Passion has taught me that I can enjoy what I do and get paid for it. Let me share with 3 secrets about Passion that can change your life TODAY if you apply them:

1. Passion is inside of you. You do not need it from anyone else. If you can find out what you are passionate about, even if it is cheese, quilting, or business development; then you are 80% there. Many people start jobs they hate just for the money and find themselves still there 10 years later. They hated the job 10 years ago and now have 10 years of baggage sitting on that hate. Understand that there are options out there. But in order to get what you want you have to become more than you are. Search your heart for what you would love to do for work. Once you know what you can be passionate about doing, you are on the right track.
2. Easier said than done. It is hard to find the job you are passionate about when you have bills to pay and a family to feed. Well there is an old saying, “You make a living based on your job and a fortune based on your passion.” If you must work, than continue to do so (someone has to help keep the lights on).  When you get some time during lunch or after work spend some time working towards your passion. Even if you just start that process it will be that light at the end of the tunnel you can shoot for. Start reading a book on your passion or have lunch with someone that is already doing what you want to do. You will be surprised how willing people are to help you.
3. Make your passion your obsessed goal. Robin Hood always had a target to hit. If he did not have a target, how would he know what to hit? It must have been a challenge for him to hit any target with those green tights constantly giving him wedgies. But, you will be surprised what you can accomplish with a little concentration. Create a target a goal for you to do more of what you are passionate about doing. Then everyday do something that will take you one step closer to that goal. If you improved yourself by just 1% every day, at the end of 70 days you will be twice as good. At anything! Be that arrow that hits the bull’s-eye! Continue to work on your passion and surround yourself with supporters.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count…it’s the life in your years.” Do not be another person stuck on the treadmill of life. Find your passion, take small steps to enjoy your passion, and then fall in love with your passion.

Image you are attending a funeral, your funeral. All your friends, family, co-workers, and community members are there. They will each be giving a eulogy about you and your glorious life. What would you like them to say about you? Think about it! Think about what you would want them to say, write it down, and then start to passionately work towards becoming that person.

“When you know what you want, and you want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it.” – Jim Rohn.