Bet you thought I wasn't going to finish this up, huh? Well, guess again.
So, we talked about what kills passion, but what can we do to nurture it? Before I give you my thoughts, I want to hear from you.
What to you do to stir that sense of creativity within yourself? To remind yourself what it is you're passionate about? To honor the passion God's planted deep within?
How do you create an passion-nurturing environment at home? At work?
Where do you go--or what do you do?--when you need your passion restored?
Can't wait to hear your thoughts!
Karen
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
I'd have to say that since I'm a writer, reading a good book fuels my passion. (The Bible fits in here.) As for everything else, whenever I get down my husband is there to encourage me. And he encourages me in my writing too, which is cute since he doesn't know a thing about books.
Honestly, the Lord sends someone with a word of affirmation cuz sometimes I'm just dead in the water without it.
Amen and amen! Words are so important. Written or spoken. Thanks for sharing.
Karen
Love this topic!
We often talk about exercising our physical hearts, but what about our spiritual hearts? Here's some of my "exercises" which give my heart a workout and fuel my passion:
Solitude. Once a year I take three days away from everything and everyone where I talk to no one except Jesus.
Ride my motorcycle- Love the feeling of freedom, and the deep talks I have with the Lord when I'm zipping along at speeds I don't tell my amazing bride about.
Writing fiction- when I'm writing fiction I know I'm at the center of God's will. Great peace. Great fuel!
Doing crazy things with my family- last week the boys, Darci and I did a zipline course. Half a mile long, 600 feet up ... wow! What a rush.
Deep conversations with friends.
Reading- few things better than getting lost in a gripping novel.
'Nuff rambling, expect to say in my busy life--just like physical exercise--these things don't happen without intention.
Live free!
Long walks, uplifting music, and time spent on other creative endeavors (photography, for example) do a lot to feed my creativity and still my soul. It's hard to be passionate (about anything!) when you're tired and going fifty-nine directions.
To nurture my writing passion, I need far more solitude than the average person could likely stand, or even comprehend as needful. Second, I need to constantly be reading good fiction. Good films can nurture my writing passion, too. All require a huge time investment.
I've often thought, while observing the writing lives of my published friends over the years, that almost everything required of a published writer in regards to marketing and self-promotion are the exact things that would kill my writing passion. A catch-22 if I ever saw one. I can only imagine what a challenge it must be to find the right balance.
Travel! Nothing like leaving all your paradigms (and the country) to get fresh perspective. But on short notice (and short budget), movies. Tons of movies. Or the theater. Nothing like the creativity of others to rekindle lunacy. I mean, passion.
Great sermons and God's Word. Often a phrase from the pastor sends my imagination running - okay, just so you don't think I'm daydreaming in church - I take notes, so when something inspires me, I jot a quick note in the margin to return to it later.
At home, my passion is nurtured by being with my family. My kids provide plenty of passion.
When my passion needs to be restored I head for the hills! When I was single I would ride up the mountain behind the ranch and sit on a rock, overlooking the beautiful Fraser Valley. Now, I live in a city in California and try to find any quiet place where I can focus on God. Usually at 4:30 AM on my knees before God (and the couch) with my Bible and my prayer binder.
Post a Comment