Do you have something you want to do?
Maybe it's something you've always dreamed of doing; something interesting and exciting that takes time, effort, and commitment. It would be something that has nothing to do with your job, or school, or any of the daily obligations that go right along with being a responsible adult. Perhaps, it's something you want to do purely for love. A passion project is just that. Sometimes, it evolves into a calling. Sometimes it's just an escape. Above all else, it gives meaning and color to an otherwise ordinary existence. It isn't enough to simply walk the straight and narrow, pay your bills, and whatnot. Sometimes, you must step off the beaten path and find that one thing that interests you and just do it.
3 Reasons Passion Projects Are Worthwhile
1. Adopting a passion project adds a new dimension to your life and helps to make you a more rounded person.
2. Engaging in passion projects can make you smarter. Passion projects present some great opportunities to learn something new. Learning new things helps your brain to build new neural pathways which improves your brain's neuroplasticity. Your mental dexterity can be strengthened when you break up the monotony by taking on and immersing yourself new projects.
3. Doing something that makes you happy results in you feeling more grounded and balanced. It's good for you both in terms of your health and in terms of your overall well-being.
My Experience with Passion Projects
Several years ago, I found myself in a rut. Trapped in the endless cycle of work-eat-sleep-work, I started to feel like life had no meaning whatsoever. My job was interesting, yes, but somehow it just wasn't giving me what I needed to feel like I was accomplishing something meaningful from day to day. I knew that I needed something that would give me a sense of purpose. When I realized how empty my life was without doing something that I loved, I decided that I needed to find something to do that would give my life meaning. Naturally, I gravitated towards writing short fiction.
I had always liked writing and to some extent, somewhat fancied myself a writer but I hadn't fully thrown myself into the world of writing. I didn't practice writing with the intention of getting better at it. I certainly didn't try to put myself "out there" or try to grow as a writer.
After adopting writing short stories as a passion project, I truly started to feel like I was going somewhere. I became more and more immersed in the habit and world of writing. Eventually, something amazing happened. Writing segued from being a mere hobby to becoming the central focus of my life. Pretty soon, I was writing with the intention of more than simply learning to become a better wordsmith. I started to think seriously about writing as a career. I'm now attending school for Creative Writing. My passion project somehow became my life's goal.
Considering that it's now my career goal, I don't suppose I can very well call writing a passion project anymore. That's okay though. I found another new passion project (building and maintaining a small online community). It's a project that I can work on between bouts of work, school, and writing.
I'm busy every day. I enjoy every day. I learn so much every day. Life never gets boring.
