I always heard people talk about their "passions." How they discovered it when they were young, how they "just knew," and how they could think of nothing else. I on the other hand, had absolutely no idea what it felt like to have a passion and was beginning to wonder if I ever would. Turns out, patience really is a virtue, and I would finally discover my passion in the first week of this school year. Although I've been learning the language for years, I didn't truly realize my passion for French until now.
Realizing you are passionate about something feels like falling in love. You cannot keep your mind off of it. You want to devote time to it and you look forward to doing the assigned work, because now, you enjoy practicing your skill. It makes you feel accomplished and gives you a sense of pride.
When you set goals in relation to your passion, you mean business. For the first time, you intend to keep your new school year resolution to get serious about studying. You know you have found a passion where work feels like play and leaves you feeling happy instead of frustrated. The difficulties and struggles you encounter are enjoyable ways to strengthen your skills. A challenge is viewed as something to help you reach your end goal, rather than something standing between you and your next episode of Netflix.
Foreign languages, not surprisingly, make you feel more connected to the rest of the world. It is not only about learning to speak the language but about learning how to interact with another culture. Language forces you out of the bubble that is the U.S. of A. Language broadens your horizons and creates an avenue for long-term goals and plans in a whole different part of the world. Studying abroad is no longer a hypothetical idea but a tangible adventure, which you can start planning seriously. Maybe an internship abroad is possible? A job abroad? A life? Who knows where this will take you? When you fall in love with a foreign language, you realize you have so many more options than you did before.
Finding your passion forces you outside of your comfort zone, helps you discover new loves (who knew I loved writing in French?), and helps you grow as a person. Your passion becomes a part of your identity. When you find your passion, the time you devote to it is time spent developing yourself and your personality–not just your respective skills. Most importantly, it gives you a sense of comfort and security in your path in life that you didn't have before.
You don’t truly understand what it feels to have a passion for something until it happens to you and I am so grateful to have discovered mine.
