One of the first things that we are encouraged to do as children is to share.
Whether it is our toys, snacks or whatever else, we are asked not to hoard the things that are special to us.
As we age, for many of us, are fortunate enough to find a professional and/or personal skill, talent or learned activity that becomes the most important thing in our life.
It might be called many things, but in this case, we will call it a passion.
(Below) is a post from www.kimpong.com and LinkedIn that discusses the importance of sharing our passions.
YOUR PASSION IS NOT YOUR SECRET TO KEEP BUT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO SHARE
Passion that is kept a secret is meaningless. It needs to be shared and be seen for it to be meaningful. So, if you really want your passion to be alive and mean something to you and others, then perhaps it’s time to take responsibility for your passion and start sharing it!
Why?
1 reason really.
Your passion needs platforms to be alive. Platforms are like oxygen to your passion. It ignites your passion. Without it, it stays hidden and dies.
And your platforms are the people who can benefit most from your passion.
So, if you want your passion to come alive today, start sharing and let people hear what drives you and how you can help them!
As I looked back at my own life, the times when I felt the most useless and lifeless was when I don’t know who and where I can serve. I can have the most precious diamond in my life but with no platforms to showcase it, it is simply just a shiny stone I alone possess and know.
I have everything and yet, I have nothing.
But I am most alive and feel the most useful when I know who and where I can serve and when I am in the right room with the right people.
And to able to do this frequently, I was constantly sharing what I passionately love to do and helping people know, understand, see and feel what drives me deeply every day.
So, I didn’t just sit around and hope that people see my passion. They likely won’t. But I was sharing and sharing and sharing!
Everyone has something precious and amazing to offer to the world around us. But without a platform or a relevant audience, it has little or no value.
And the problem is not about our passion. It is about what people do not know about our passion.
So, if you really want your passion to be alive, meaningful and useful, START sharing it and let people hear and know it.
And here’s some DOs and DON’Ts on sharing your passion …
DON’T Be Shy.
There is no room to be “humble” here. Culturally, I know we are not that comfortable with tooting our own horn. But hey, this is not tooting. This is sharing. And you are the most credible voice for your own passion.
DON’T Be Presumptuous.
Don’t presume people understands your passion. Or don’t get upset or disappointed when people do not understand or appreciate your passion. Often, what you are most passionate about can be the most clueless or the most dispassionate things for others.
DON’T Be Hypocritical.
Don’t say “I am not the type of person that is into marketing or talking about myself” and yet constantly complains that nobody cares about your passion. That is deceptive humility. The reason why nobody cares is because nobody knows.
DON’T Be Lazy.
And say you don’t know anything about your passion and therefore stop sharing. Well, that’s the reason you share! So that you have opportunities to learn how to be better in your passion. Use every opportunity to learn how to do it better, how you can communicate better and help others know, see and feel your passion.
DON’T Be Afraid of Fear.
Real passion is the intense anticipation of your life’s amazing possibilities. And what’s there not to fear in this? It’s actually quite frightening to do things you have never dared or could before. Passion is good fear for something great you are about to do. So don’t be afraid. Be excited!
DO Be Bold and Visible.
I admit it takes courage to make your passion visible and visibly trying it out. But that’s what it takes to make your passion visible to others around you. Being bold and visible will draw people who wants to be served by you to you.
DO Be Real.
Being passionate is being the real you. It’s about standing up for what you stand for. So, if you have a passion, and it’s real, then stand up! And not everyone is going to understand that or even easily empathize with that. But hey, who cares! It’s about your passion! Not theirs!
DO Share with Everyone.
Don’t choose your audience. Let your audience choose you. Talk, share and articulate your passion to everyone and everywhere. Consciously and appropriately share your passion to those who would give you time and leave it to them to decide if they resonate with your passion.
DO Be Emotional.
It’s not what you tell people but it’s how you make people feel your passion. Be courageous, vulnerable and share personal stories. Stories are emotional pictures that draw people to you. They see what you feel. And when they feel what you see, they will engage.
And finally …
DO Be Urgent.
Success is action. Start sharing. Don’t delay. Don’t wait for “everything” to fall in place before you share anything. Don’t give any more excuses. Anymore!
Urgency precede action. And action precede success.
Give your passion the greatest urgency it deserves today!
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Discovering and cultivating my passions of entertaining, educating and motivating, are a puzzle that took many decades to finish building.
I truly realize how fortunate I am to have passions.
But I realize, even more definitively, that passions, without being shared are, as the Bible states, “People do not light a lamp and put it under a bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.” ~Matthew 5:15
May the sharing of your passions fill your soul with as much joy as do mine.