Tag Archives: passion

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Rejuvenation

What rejuvinates you, makes you feel most alive?

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Being rejuvenated for me is finding my passion restored or experiencing a new sense of enthuisasm. Sometimes you might feel tired or like the world has turned itself against you and yet you feel an surge of energy to address those depressing conditions in full confidence that you can improve a situation. That rise in enthusiasm or surge in energy is for me rejuvination.

I am most rejuvenated when I wake up and have the space to meditate, do vowel sounds and then do some physical exercise e.g. Tai Chi or Yoga. Once these things have been done I like to do my work but work that is challenging and requires thinking to find new solutions.

I am rejuvenated when I can add value to the lives of other people. I feel empowered when I present a yoga class or lead a Tai chi session in my work environment.  I enjoy it when I have a client to guide through a TRE session, a reiki session etc. These are means of making a difference for another person in a tangible level. If I can empower people to not be dependent on that help but to become more competent in mastering their own lives I feel stronger and more self confident. My life is not perfect and self mastery, as I have as ideal in my mind, is still far from a reality in my own life but the fact is that there is always others that have not mastered a part of their life, that I have mastered, and therefore can share what I know. In the process the collective is lifted to greater mastery, each on an individual level.  I have long wanted to leave a legacy to the world of great magnitude as those heroes we see throughout history….but I have realised that, that might not realise and that I need to be satisfied if I can make today a difference in the life of one individual.  In truth that does not even have to be a major intervention like Tai Chi, Yoga etc. A simple smile that uplifts the downcast mood of another or a word of encouragement that lifts their spirit can make as a significant difference. The point is that making a net contribution, no matter how small or brief, that rejuvenates me.

I have also found that doing a public presentation rejuvenates me…there is a thrill when you present a topic and you have people riveted  to their seats and or amazed at finding a new perspective on a topic. I had been a toastmaster for many years and sadly had dropped my membership but I still remember the amazing feeling of having given a animated presentation. I often wished I could get a job that allows for more public presentations because I certainly am rejuvinated when I speak in public. Even at times when I am in a meeting and can add value with a statement that is well formulated, I am rejuvenated.

In my work environment itself I am rejuvenated by achievement. Finding solutions, delivering value, pioneering new approaches and persisting until results are obtained are the things that rejuvenates me. Sometimes it takes a long time and discipline to accomplish something then one must have appreciation for the journey.  Sometimes to be rejuvinated one must stop the pursuit and just appreciate the moment or something beautiful along the road.

In terms of relaxation driving out with the Jeep club onto an escarpment with a panoramic view is rejuvenating. Breaking out of the rut of live and getting into a new environment that instill wonder and awe is the tonic that can establish rejuvenation.  But I do not always have to drive out with a 4×4 vehicle…sometimes it is walking trhrough a new shop, visiting an art gallery or anything similar where one escapes from the normal and find beauty in diverting your course for a moment. Walking down a beach or down a new road in town, with mindfullness being present, can be rejuvenating for me.

What rejuvenates you? Have you tapped into your source of feeling alive?

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Factors of initiation

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Starting on a true transformative journey requires three things: imagination driven by passion, excitement with desire,  the inspiration of the moment.  These are also the three components related to developing the will to move into action.  So lets do a bit of analysis and reflection for the purpose of self discovery.

I have always realised the importance of passion and I think my life is defined by spurts of passion. The name Zeal4living has not been chosen in vain. I have often been accused of being too passionate about something I start. I tend to go all the way once I made a decision to invest time in something. The result of such an attitude is the depth I gained in practices like Tai Chi, Yoga etc. In each one of the different spheres of interest I have fully thrown myself into an activity with the aim of mastering as much as I can into it. The victories certainly outweigh the failures in being passionate. But we need passion driven by imagination. Why will we need imagination?

Imagination makes us bigger than reality for it is not constrained by the limitations of reality. Within our mind’s eye everything is possible and a well trained imagination can even begin to use that imagination to even overcome what was perceived as a physical constraint or even an impossibility in reality. Imagination opens for us the door to discover new and interesting paths of discovery. With an imagination driven by a passion even failure is no longer a threat but seen as something that can be overcome through creative action. Imagination restores our confidence in ourselves that we are equipped to innovate our lives to overcome failure with success.

Excitement with desire is maybe the same context using different words. Excitement is the closely associated with passion.  But desire is different from imagination…desire is a deep need or a strong will to achieve something. Passion can still be stopped but desire is that thing that you simply cannot ignore. In our dyadic world desire can be driven either by the physical existence or the spiritual essence. The mystic of course tries to find a balance between these two with the golden mean pointed to the spiritual side of the equation. There is something dynamic when the soul drives desire for the it drives us to see beyond the physical benefits to the attainment of higher more noble goals in our life.  Personally I think my passion is stronger than my excitement. Maybe especially true for being Stoic in philosophy. Equanimity is more my game than excitement. I feel excitement but I would be reluctant or slow to show that excitement.  Desire is also not a strong point. My will can be extremely strong when I put my mind on something. But deciding on that direction often is a pain staking process of hesitation, hopeing for more information or greater quality.

I can relate to “Inspiration of the moment” and have for a long time claimed that I am an opportunist. I resist closing my mind to only a single path or direction but have always maintained that one must be open to that moment when a new opportunity arises and opens up the door to a new path.  Again there must be a balance…if you jump from one thing to another then you will get nowhere, similarly if you stay on a path rigidly you might miss an opportunity that presents itself openly as a better path or option. The secret is to always be in the moment, see the opportunity and have a means to judge whther that opportunity should be taken or not. We must ever have an open mind and a willingness to go with the flow and change direction.  I am fairly good at seeing opportunity and even have the grasp to change course but I might not be as strong in doing it in the moment. I am far to eager to weigh up as much as possible evidence before making a decision. Since most opportunities can have a limited window for action it might mean loosing that opportunity.

So if I have to score myself in a point out of 10 for these six elements what will it be:

  • Imagination (7/10)
  • Passion (8/10)
  • Excitement (5/10)
  • Desire (6/10)
  • Inspiration (7/10)
  • In the moment (5/10)

In term of these it seems my ability to be excitement and express the virtue of enthusiasm is an area for improvement for me. I can also gain a different life experience by at times give preference to act in the moment and do something different rather than act from clarity.  These are areas of learning and experimenting for me. Things I can actually on a practical level play with to enrich the textures I experience in my life.