Nurturing possible passions . . . .

I ran into a friend the other day and she was telling me that she walked into her 13-year old daughter's room, and found her cutting up her clothes. She was fitting them on to a little mannequin doll, pinning each one meticulously, and creating new outfits of her own. Hopefully these clothes were pieces that could have gone to the Good Will drop box!  Otherwise, many Mom's would have reacted in shock! Honestly, my first thought was that perhaps she had a fashion designer in the works. My friend agreed, and said she had already begun to research sewing lessons. I absolutley loved that she looked at it that way. I told her a similar story about my son, and about how dramatic he was as a child. Everything was bigger than it needed to be.  So I signed him up for theatre. He loved it and found himself in the lead role in several productions throughout his high school years. He moved to New York, got a fine arts degree in acting, has done television commercials, and even found himself in an off-Broadway production. Since then, he has found complete satisfaction behind the camera as a Photographer, still nurturing his creative side.  My point is this.......when you can recognize something in your child that is a possibility, nurture it. Don't let the opportunity of discovering a passion pass. Nurture it, and watch to see if that passion emerges. No worries if it doesn't work out. All you did was rule out one possible career, very likely creating a  hobby. Continue to watch & explore. Pay attention to all the possible passions that could be buried deep. When you find a passion, it releases energy, which in turn creates the biggest chance of success. 

"Chase down your passion like 

it's the last bus of the night."

-Glade Byron Addams


Photo via Most Beautiful Darling

Photo by Jodi Miller 

"I believe in you." . . . .

What's the best way to let someone know that you're pulling for them, you're proud of them, you believe in them? The biggest ideas in life are often expressed in the fewest words. Throughout the centuries, "I believe in you" has remained a treasured expression of faith and confidence in the human spirit. Spoken softly and sincerely from the heart, those four little words or their equivalent have probably sparked more dreams, ideas, and discoveries.....awakened more artists, inventors, and leaders, and colleagues.....and inspired more companies, communities and countries than any others. Each of us knows how it feels to dream and to doubt. "Our doubts are prison guards," wrote Stephen Crane. "They keep us from the light and the warmth and the sky."

Take it upon yourself to remind one another of the dreams that each of us aspires to. It's more than a great tradition; it's the way set each other free.

From the book I Believe in You 

Complied by Dan Zadra

"The exciting qualities you see in others also exist in you. 

You may not be able to see your potential, 

but it's there, 

and it's enormous!"

-EDGE Keynote