Passions – The Pursuit of Purpose Through Deliberate Practice

There is no doubt in my mind that pursuing our passions makes life great. Passion breeds purpose. It defines an internal motivation that pushes one into action and removes the unnecessary from our lives.

Every day we are all confronted with thoughts of passion. Things we wish to pursue that spark our curiosity and interest. Ideas of doing what we love. Weaving our hearts deepest desires into our daily lives make us dream and dreaming feels good! It is the source to enhance the flavours of an otherwise bland life.

We are all passionate about various things. Passions that have lived from the time we were toddlers and have since woven into the fabric of our personality and character. Some of which we still regularly pursue and shine a light on. Others that kept glowing and like oxygen to a flame only illuminate when we choose to bring breath to them.

And then others, we have forgotten and let sleep! Partly due to the conditions of our life that we have created in the search for something more, and partly because we are no longer interested. If only we realized it is by following the passions that we create more in life. More freedom, more fulfilment, and more happiness. Not abandoning them in lieu of promises that draw us in from the external demands and expectations society has us believe that we should follow.

Then there is passion we stumble upon yet like tripping on a twig in the dark sometimes we pass them by without notice or even a flinch. We continue, overwhelmed by the unnecessary chaos in our lives. If only we knew, at times in following these passions we will be lead on unexpected and fascinating journeys.

Following these paths, we welcome in opportunities of growth, new relationships, and improved health. When the mind is free to explore, our hearts open up to authentic expression, greater contribution and a raised sense of significance

Where does one’s passion begin and another end? Is it possible or wise to have multiple passions? And how do we juggle our passions with the everyday monotony of modern life? Questions worth contemplating. Let me share my thoughts in answer to these.

Passion is born out of interest, and I think while some seem pre-existing or innate they are all just conditions of life experiences. For that reason, I would suggest we create them. I might not have a passion for the night sky if my father didn’t regularly take me camping and encourage the opportunity to sit under the night sky and gaze up at all its wonder.

My passion for food and cooking may not have been born if it was not for the hours I sat by my mother’s side watching her create delicious meals for our family. Stirring the pot with love and liking the odd bowl with pure joy.

Within the life experiences we’ve had to this date, passions live and breathe. We discover new passions by following our curiosity or venturing down paths in efforts to meet new needs or remove undesirable conditions from our life.

My passion for personal development is one such example. With a desire to remove myself from the dissatisfaction in my life I searched for anything that would help. I stumbled across personal development largely by accident but as I listened, I learned, and as I took action and made small changes things felt different, things felt right. I became addicted. Passion was born.

On a quick side note, I feel it’s important to mention that the pursuit of passion makes us feel alive. However, the word ‘passion’ derives from the Latin word ‘pati,’ meaning ‘suffer.’

I think pain arrives from any initial action that is taken to do what we are passionate about yet in the pursuit that is where we find pleasure and sometimes immense satisfaction. You will know it’s passion when you do whatever you can to push through any challenge you may face.

Passion, like love, doesn’t need to end. Usually, passion is without a set goal, and therefore it’s hard to measure completeness or an end. Passion will only be brought to a close when we force it out of our schedule by the pursuit of new desires or out of necessity. The conflict of less important life activities. We will also leave passions when it no longer brings the joy it once did.

I think passions, even when not actively pursued, live forever. The only ones that die are those that are not true desires, i.e., those that are sought initially out of the wish to meet an external expectation. Like anything in life, when the motivation to do something isn’t generated from within, we will find it difficult to persevere and persist.

Based on all that I’d conclude that it’s possible to have multiple passions. The more things we explore, the more likely we will discover them. If I spent some time on it, I could probably list out 100 things I am passionate about, however, in my daily life I probably only pursue a handful of them. That begs the question, is it wise to follow multiple passions?

My answer, yes and no. It depends on what extent you wish to pursue your passions. Are you looking to transform a passion into a career or income or are you happy to partake in some form of the particular passion on a semi or irregular basis?

I love cooking, but I don’t wish to make a career out of it, at least at this stage. I am happy to whip up delicious meals for my family and friends on occasions, that keeps me fulfilled and the passion alive.

If we wish to develop a passion into a strength or skill that forms our occupation, then we require time, energy and focus. Having a multitude of passions will spreads oneself too thin. It is impossible to master or become an expert at anything if the time and energy we have dedicated to it are minimal.

Andres Ericsson is the man behind the 10,000-hour rule, which he suggests isn’t a rule at all. He has dedicated his life to researching what makes individuals the very best at what they do. If you asked him I would guess his answer would be, “Deliberate practice.”

Here is one definition of ‘deliberate practice’: Deliberate practice is a highly structured activity engaged in with the specific goal of improving performance. When I think about practice, I think about hours spent in task repetition. Deliberate practice is a little more complicated than simply repeating one thing over and over again and expecting to master it. The truth is, if it is not deliberate you may not become the expert.

The reward of deliberate practice is improved performance and maybe nothing else. Obviously, when you become an expert at something there should be ways to monetize it or realize other benefits, but that should not be the intention of deliberate practice from the onset. Such motivations can be short-lived especially in the face of deliberate practice.

Deliberate practice is often dull, monotonous and without joy. It requires consistent and ongoing effort. And it does require a significant amount of dedicated time.

If you wish to transform a passion or a hobby, something you enjoy and love doing into something an expert would be able to do full-time you will require deliberate practice. Especially when you decide to commit to becoming the master at one thing, deliberate practice cannot be interrupted by a multitude of other tasks that are demanding of your time, effort and focus.

If you don’t know with certainty what passions you’d like to pursue in life and which ones you’d like to make full-time, my advice is to play with many. And then when you discover that one that consumes you, follow it.

A dedication to one passion doesn’t mean you cannot have side hobbies and passions. You can still go surfing, hiking in the mountains, drinking with mates or watching movies. We can incorporate all our passions into daily life, but the one we choose must have our undivided attention. If anything distracts us from it, then it may be best removed. Deliberate practice requires our ability to prioritize that one thing which is most important.

Top performing athletes, musicians, artists, business professionals have dedicated themselves to their deliberate practice with absolute focus. The very best have dedicated their entire lives to it often from a young age.

You may not wish to become number one in the world, but if you want to be great at it to the point that it can support the kind of lifestyle you desire, then be prepared for the journey ahead. Be prepared to remove the unnecessary and even some of those other things that may bring you joy.

I have realized that I can do many things, but I know I will never be amazing at them. I might be okay, but that doesn’t cut it if I want to make something from it, especially in a world that is so full of competition. Deliberate practice and focus will always trump those that only dedicate a small amount of effort, time, energy and focus on their art.

I love writing, podcasting and learning in the fields of personal development and how to live a grand life. If I wish to pursue this and grow it into something great I must give it my full attention and remove everything else. It’s hard for me to accept this and even harder to put into practice. I am a person who likes to be busy and loves to be entertained by various passions and pursuits.

I still do other things that I enjoy. I exercise. I cook. I travel and go hiking. I swim. Many hobbies and passions still fill my weeks. Most are supportive and better enable me to keep up my deliberate practice. How do I juggle them all? I make the number one thing the priority. I schedule the other things in around it. For everything else, it isn’t allowed to enter.

It is usually the one thing I focus on in the first half of every day because that is when I am at my peak performance and capability. I quickly remove those things that attempt to enter my schedule. If it is not purposeful to the priority practice, it has no place. As with most things in life, there are exceptions.

When you find that one passion that you wish to pursue, it will force you to become purposeful in all aspects of life. It will be consuming. It will at times drain your energy and challenge you to no end. However, your passion will push forward and forever grow. As it does the desire to see yourself continually improve will be the motivation to carry on.

Passions create purpose, and I believe a purposeful life is how we can all live with less suffering and regret and a greater sense of happiness.

Further Reading and Resources 

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Psychology Today: Psychology Today is devoted exclusively to everybody’s favourite subject – Ourselves

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Four Hour Work Week: How to escape the 9-5, live anywhere and join the new rich.

The Minimalists: How to pursue a minimalist lifestyle and be happier.

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Rich Roll: Plantpowered Wellness Advocate

The Art of Charm: Build confidence, feel comfortable and networking differently.

American Psychological Association: The largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United State

The Art of Manliness: Encouraging men to be better husbands, fathers, brothers, citizens.

Tiny Buddha: Simple wisdom for complex lives.

Brain Pickings: An inventory of cross-disciplinary interestingness, spanning art, science, design, history, philosophy, and more.

Mind Body Green: Lifestyle media brand dedicated to inspiring you to live your best life.

Zen Habits: Find simplicity and mindfulness in life.

Creative NonFiction: “true stories well told.” 

Addicted 2 Success: Motivation & Inspiration Website full of quotes and inspiring articles for entrepreneurs.

Barking Up the Wrong Tree: science-based answers and expert insight on how to be awesome at life.

The Positivity Blog: Practical articles on happiness, self-esteem, productivity and social skills.

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