Kindling

"The problem with the world is we all think our goals are too lofty."  She throws this thought out there in the midst of a conversation about finding your passion.  We’re talking about a young person we both know; thrilled to discover this normally introspective, quiet, seemingly lost soul is suddenly and uncharacteristically shouting from the rooftops what he wants his future to look like.  His goal appears ambitious; prompting a caring adult in his life to ponder whether this desire to achieve what looks to be unachievable isn’t setting him up for disappointment.

And so I find it interesting when she paints such a broad brush across the globe, but I wonder myself how many dreams are dead on arrival, and I know what prompted someone somewhere to say “Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.”

Passion-finding is hard work.  It’s not so much about trying to figure out what it is you love, it’s figuring out where what you love fits in the structure of today’s society.  It’s pinpointing in this vast universe the audience looking to receive what you have to give. And in the case of gainful employment, it’s unearthing those willing to compensate you, at least enough to support the standard of living you desire. How many budding artists have been derailed with the words “no one will ever pay you for that”?  How many of us plug away at lackluster jobs by day for a bankroll, not realizing what really fuels us is the midnight oil our passions drive us to burn?

Those around us who want to help often steer us down the well-traveled road of certainty, and in the process unknowingly and inadvertently shame our dreams into silence; their automatic responses programmed to direct us to the safe and easy path where we won’t be hurt, rather than encourage the risk taking that comes with embarking on a trail not yet forged, an outcome unproven.  Who says we all should prioritize money, choosing fields guaranteed to bring in a good buck?  Who has the right to advise us to abandon our unique talents because the places to employ them aren’t readily apparent or exceedingly abundant?  Maybe the perfect job description is waiting to be written by the courageous individual who fits it?

Dreams in their nascence universally strike a match of hopeful doubt. As supporters, we are the bellows breathing life into these sparks.  It’s our job to notice the telltale signs of the fire within:  Eyes light up, lips form broad smiles, speech races.  It is effervescence unleashed, laced with diminutive shyness asking the silent question “Can I really do this?”  What if we listened raptly, nodded profusely, “Yes, you can!”

A passion revealed is a flame flickering furiously in a howling wind. We have the power to lovingly cup our hands around it with thoughtful questions, or to blow it out swiftly with dismissive judgment. Dreams are extinguished when they’re met with scorn, criticism or caution.  When we find the courage to talk about what’s closest to our hearts and souls, what’s risky, the last thing we need is to be acidulated with words on why it can’t happen.

I subscribe to the notion that we all instinctively know without a doubt where we want to be spending our time in life, we’re just afraid to speak a dream absent of all the steps we need to take to make it come true, uncertain our uncertainty will be met with affirmation.  But no one figures it out alone.  This is exactly why we need to stoke another’s passion when we see its glimmer on our path.

What if every single person out there was wholeheartedly encouraged to recklessly pursue her or his lofty dream?  Imagine the possibilities.  Imagine how life could be transformed by each individual bestowing his or her best and true self on the world. What part do you want to play helping another set the world on fire?