We continue our Dadly Daily Declaration series with readings from The Passion Paradox by authors Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness. Stulberg and Madness aim to demystify passion and show readers how they can find and cultivate their passion, sustainably harness its power, and avoid its dangers.
Here are a few gems from today’s reading:
- When you come across an activity or idea that subtly pulls you toward it, you are faced with a choice: Do you grant yourself permission to lean in and further explore? Or do you let it go, ignoring it and writing it off as a momentary blip of intrigue? If you choose to ignore, you send a strong message—and one that quickly gets encoded in your brain—that the activity or idea carries little value. The next time you encounter something similar, your brain won’t send a signal for excitement; it will have already gotten the message that “there’s nothing to pursue here.”
- If, however, you engage during moments of initial intrigue, your brain will do the opposite, hardwiring a neural connection that says, “It’s worth my energy and focus to pursue the things that interest me.” Interest is an invitation to exploration, drawing your attention toward activities that have the potential to grow into something greater. But that can only occur if you accept the invitation.
- “I couldn’t possibly do this” syndrome only grows stronger with age. It also creates a formidable sense of path dependency, or the narrative that you are on a certain path, and the best—if not only—option is to stay on it. But path dependency prevents you from exploring opportunities that could lead to a better and more fulfilling life.
- When an idea or activity interests you, give yourself permission to pursue it.
- Remember that nearly all grand passions began as someone merely following their interests.
Those gems lead us to today’s Dadly Daily Declaration:
Embrace exploration because the path to finding your passion can be long and circuitous. You may take many wrong turns in the direction of activities, jobs, or other opportunities that initially appeared exhilarating yet proved to be something else.
Don’t be constrained by the story you tell yourself about yourself, or your past experiences.
Don’t pursue just anything and everything, though. You should nurture an open mind, and not move on so swiftly from the activities and ideas that capture your attention.
