Have you ever had the experience where you were involved in an activity and times passed without your having noticed? Think back to the time before adolescence when you were between the ages of seven and eleven. What did you love to do? Was it riding horses? Was it taking acting or pottery classes? Did you love to play softball or climb trees? Were you a collector of coins, stamps or postcards from far away places? Did you love to roller skate or ride bikes with your friends? What did you love to do?

What happened to the passion you once felt? Where did it go? For many of us it was buried under the weight of adolescence as we tried to fit in and to be socially acceptable. Many of us offered up our creativity, spontaneity, passion, enthusiasm, self-confidence to the god of conformity. In other words, we sacrificed ourselves. Well now it’s time to reclaim your Passionate Self and restore him or her to their rightful place in your life.

What does passion mean to you? Take a moment and consider how your life would be different if you had a healthy dose of passion flowing through your veins? Sure, this is going to be different for each of you. However, imagine how you’d feel if your Passionate Self took center-stage and played a staring role in your life? Ask yourself how can I incorporate passion and creativity into my everyday life?

We all have secret wishes and desires that we’ve buried under the needs of children, families, careers—things we’ve been meaning to do, but haven’t gotten around to doing. It’s all too easy to abandon our dreams in the face of our busy lives. However, when we neglect our dreams our lives become a bit blander and more lackluster. Unfortunately we do as well. Take a moment and think about what was your dream before it was buried under the weight of your everyday life? What do you love? What have you always wanted to do?

Consider for a moment what you would do if money wasn’t an issue. Come on now, just allow yourself to dream. You’re under no obligation to do any of the things that pop into your mind. So relax and just let your imagination run free. In fact, why not write down your secret wishes and desires? Don’t censor yourself. You don’t have to show them to anyone. They are just for you. However, these dreams can provide information and inspiration. In fact, they can become a blueprint for rediscovering your Passionate Self. Once you’ve written down your secret wishes and desires pick one, something manageable to start, and do something that will bring you closer to one of your dreams before the end of the month. Any action you take will give you an instant infusion of energy and begin to revive your passion.

Now, ask yourself, what is your Passionate Self calling you to do? You may yearn to visit an art supply store, to spend an afternoon at an orchid show, to sit in the woods and soak up the beauty of the natural world, to join a chorus and exercise your vocal chords. Our passions can take many forms. They can range from creative hobbies to a longing for adventure.

Our passion is what we are the most deeply curious about, what we hunger for. It’s what we would do even if no one ever saw or acknowledged our efforts. Our passion is what we would do if we stopped worrying about pleasing anyone but ourselves. It’s the most urgent wish that is being whispered by our heart. Our passion is what we long to do in the deepest recesses of our being. It is what will electrify and enliven our lives.

While each of you is going to rediscover your passion in your own way, there is one thing you all have in common--your Passionate Self is just waiting to be invited back into your life.

Stephanie is an acclaimed speaker and author. She speaks from experience. Stephanie is the “go to” expert for those seeking to create quality driven lives. She is the author of Chicken Soup for the Soul’s Life Lessons for Women: 7 Essential Ingredients for a Balanced Life, If Not Now, When? For more information please visit her website: http://www.stephaniemarston.com