tao of Dana

Are you living with Passion?

It might seem like it's a luxury in many ways to live with passion all the time... but it shouldn't be.

I've seen whole cultures with little money and giant spirit. I'm from a family of little money and giant passion.

Passion isn't a privilege afforded only to those who have the luxury to sink into nothing but pampered bliss. That's not passion... it's a sort of plush ease that can actually be the opposite of passion.

Passion is everything that makes life come to life- the edges, the curves, the rushes of emotion, the openings to new ideas and the presence and love to nurture them. If you aren't linked up to passion right now, you have a rocket ride to the stars ahead of you if you're willing to take the leap and stick with it!

In the book 'The Honeymoon Effect', Dr. Bruce Lipton talks about the chemistry of love and how it makes your life intensely present when it first arrives. But... once the chemicals level off and love, if not tended to, dwindles, the passion fizzles to a routine. And with that, the presence fades. And with that, we run on automatic. Our cruise control isn't sophisticated. It can be sloppy, mindless, hurtful and checked out. Days seem the same, a need for excitement creeps into life in sometimes destructive ways... and suddenly there's no love.

What cure this?

Passion.

Committing to it.

When you commit to passion and decide to keep showing up, you have an infinite universe of bliss readily available no matter what you are faced with right now.

The thing is, it's terrifying to commit to passion projects, passionate people and passionate living if you haven't done it or it's been a while since anything has lifted you so high.

After a decade of working with clients to bring more connection and passion to lifestyle, I can say I've seen that it's usually not hard to take the actual risk... it's harder to see it through and stay awake and aware.

The more you build a life of passion, the more it hurts to lose it. It's easy to takes steps back, retreat to a day job, to the single life, the life without the burden of loving something so much that the idea that it could go wrong could seem catastrophic.

But... that's the only good way.

At least, it's the only good way if you're interested in that fiery, flowing, life-transforming stuff that is what makes being alive feel rich and rewarding.

Whenever I make a decision based on anything but pure passion to be there- whether the draw is money, a fringe benefit, or anything other than the sheer love of spending my time building it- it isn't a great thing. In fact, it is horrible.

I don't do it anymore. Ever.

Dating people to because "well, let's just see..." when you know it's not the thing... Taking the job for the cash rather than the job that makes your heart open... Saying yes to things that sound great in words or on paper but they don't move you...

It's how life gets cluttered, heavy and occluded. It's hard to show up. It's hard to listen, to create, to give...

Where have you dropped the ball on your passions?

Did you give up your art practice, your dear friendships, your hobbies, your lifestyle, your love?

Did you shut the door on love, on adventure or the space you need to thrive?

Tapping into passion isn't a magical event that needs to involve a chance meeting, a wonderful stroke of luck...

It can be picking up a pen and paper, booking a plane ticket, saying yes, or clearing away what is heavy.

Move toward what compels you to show up and give...

And keep moving toward it.

You can live a life of passion.

Today I had a chat with a friend and I said... "I can't write anything unless it almost rips me apart because it's so real and raw and I need that..."

And when I said it, my whole body woke up in tingles that rushed from my toes to the space over my head like a galaxy of light.

Passion.

It's not a mystery what it is. It's a daily blessing. Tap in, take it and run with it...!