If you're like me, you have a secret obsession that's well...not so secret. It's your guilty pleasure, the thing that makes your heart race without fail, one of the things that you would drop almost everything for. Be it a genre of music, a specific band, a television series, crocheting, art, etc., you are obsessed. The thing about these kinds of obsessions and passions is that they usually have an underlying meaning, despite the crazed or odd outward behaviors we might tend to exhibit. We don't just obsess without reason. We respect the value of the product, the value of the people, the value of the craft to the point where it inspires us and we become so enraptured in it. It provides us a momentary escape from our reality into someone else's or into something else, but further than that, it changes us, it inspires us.

And personally, having these obsessions and passions has helped me live life more fully by giving me opportunities, and the courage I needed to take them.

For me, my passions lie in music, performing, and writing. These things have inspired me to broaden my perspective, to place one foot out of my comfort zone, to truly live and see the world for all its beauty. I now see things with a different perspective, because I'm no longer confined to only the people and things around me.

With the growing expanse of technology, communication is as far reaching as ever. With the improvements of travelling, the world is no longer as far and as wide as before. It was possible to get to places. Anything was possible. Anything was within my reach if only we were brave enough to reach out and seize it. As the saying goes, "the world is at our fingertips"; and it truly is. However, what creates a barrier between us reaching out to the world is fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the worst case scenarios.

Luckily, my passions were what gave me the much needed push to finally travel the world like I had desired to for so long. Having a purpose to go to these places provided me a sense of comfort, and in turn, gave me courage and spurred me to step outside the lines and be a tourist while I was there -- see the sights I wanted to see and experience entirely different cultures. Seeing the world in the eyes of another, brought up with a different background and set of beliefs, in a different location, was an astounding experience, and it has shaped me into a better, more understanding person.

And from these experiences, I have also formed strong friendships and relationships. We aren't bound by circumstance and proximity from the beginning; we were bound by a mutual interest, a mutual perspective, and a deep understanding of each other through our shared passions. I can say that I have met my closest friends, my second family, through my love of music, through my writings, and through performing. And although most of us live in different states, countries, and even hemispheres, I can confidently state that I have found a sounding board, my own group of cheerleaders, and my number one fans, thanks to our passions bringing us together.

They have given me wings to fly when I had been grounded by fear. Now I have solid, unyielding supporters who truly understand my dreams and my hidden passions, so I am unabashedly doing everything I can to achieve it. It is a great strength to know there is a place and a group of people that will embrace me then push me forward over and over again, should I fail a few times or encounter different obstacles that may make me want to give up. They believe in my potential, in everything I can achieve, so I have to return their good faith by putting my all into whatever I do to get to my preferred destination.

So if like me, you have a secret passion that not many people know about, my advice to you is to just do it; chase after them. Open up to people about it. Attended events, conventions, and/or gatherings. Meet more people that share the same interests. Travel. Seize every opportunity to learn more about your passions through interaction with others and most of all, experience as much as you can with the time that is given to you, in order to learn more about yourself and in order for you to grow into a better, more cultured, more well-rounded, and more informed human being.

Life is too short, so why not live it as passionately as you can?