No – it’s not what you think. When you at last find your passion and you have found a way to pursue and enjoy it, invariably at some stage along the way something will occur to interrupt the flow of your experience. It can come about by stealth, as other things in life creep in and we start to reduce the amount of time we spend on our passionate pursuits. We don’t notice it at first, then one day we realise that we haven’t been “doing our thing” as much as we would have liked. We can feel disappointed in ourselves and, just perhaps, feel we have failed in some way.

Or it can occur all of a sudden through health issues, changing jobs, moving house, or a whole range of family matters that inevitably arise in our lives. When this happens it can create a feeling of resentment and frustration. We don’t know if we will ever get back on track and we may even wonder if it is worth the effort.

The peaks and troughs we invariably experience are completely normal. Life happens and our journey is one of constant negotiation between what we have to do and what we passionately want to do. The key is not to sit passively waiting for everything to get back on track, but to be pro-active about kick starting your passionate pursuits.

There are many things that happen to us that are outside our control. Sometimes we have to go with the flow, and let ourselves be blown about a bit by the winds of change. But whatever our circumstances there are things that we do have power over, and we need to decide to start controlling those things.

The great thing is, when you are interrupted, you don’t have to start all over again. If you were running a race and fell over, the officials wouldn’t make you go back to the starting line. Many a cyclist has fallen off their bike in the Tour de France, or Tour Down Under, got back on and pedaled to victory, or at least very close to it.

I’m not a great sports fan, but we can learn a lot from the footballers, tennis players, triathletes and swimmers who are put out of action due to an injury and then fight their way back into contention. Sometimes it takes months, sometimes years, for them to return to an elite level. But they get there because their passion won’t let them give up.

US President Barack Obama said “if you are on the right path and you keep walking, you’re sure to get there”. President Obama was probably borrowing from Abraham Lincoln who said “I'm a slow walker, but I never walk back.” Great advice! If we’re on the right path we should keeping moving forward, however slowly, and we are guaranteed to get where we are going.

If, like me, you’ve had to put your passion on hold because life has demanded your attention elsewhere, don’t give up and don’t feel discouraged. You are not alone and it is not over!

Find a few minutes a day or an hour or so a week to get back into it. Make a list of the things you need to do to get the ball rolling again – then do them. If you are not yet in a position to do all the things you would like to do, put together a plan to help move you forward. It might include:

• A list of things you need to do to “clear the decks” so you will have more time on your hands
• Re-scheduling some of your activity to allow extra time to be available
• Gathering information on what you would like to do, and how you would like to do it
• Asking others for help with some of the things you find are taking up too much of your time
• Continue thinking about your passion – even if you are not in a position at the moment to do anything about it. There is plenty of evidence to show that the more you think about something, the more your actions and decisions will lead you forward in that direction.

It’s not about who gets to the finish line first. There is a prize for every one of us if we keep on the path and continue walking. So keep going! Your passion defines who you are and what your purpose is. It should be a key part of your life’s plan.

“Don't throw it all away now. You were sure of yourselves then. It's still a sure thing! But you need to stick it out, staying with God's plan so you'll be there for the promised completion.” (Paul in his letter to the church at Ephesus)

© Wendy Rush 2009