"Passion can seem intimidatingly out of reach at times-- a distant tower of flame, accessible only to geniuses, and to those who are specially touched by God. But curiosity is available to everyone."
-Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic

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What are you passionate about?

In her book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert talks about how we spend a lot of our lives being told to follow our passions.

While that is helpful advice to those who are clear about what their passions are, it is frustrating for those who are not.

We might see this in college freshmen: some are clear about their major and the career path they would like to take; others are unsure, switching majors or delaying declaring one until they find something that makes sense. Even then, these choices and focuses are very rarely rooted in passion.

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What are you curious about?

Gilbert offers an alternative. Instead of focusing on what you're passionate about, follow what you are curious about.

While passion burns out; curiosity is accessible every single day.

Jay Shetty touches on this idea in his book Think Like a Monk.

He tells a story of walking with a monk one day, and the monk pointed to a man sitting under a tree. "He can recite every verse from the scripture," the monk shared with Shetty. Shetty was impressed and said "I wish I could do that." The monk asked, "Do you wish you could do that or do you wish you could learn to do that?"

The monk explains that the difference between these two things is motivation. One focuses only on the outcome, a desire to impress others with such an achievement. The other involves curiosity, a desire to have the experience of learning, to enjoy the process.

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Follow your curiosity

This idea really resonated with me, and it is something I continue paying attention to.

My curiosity led me to study psychology, to become a yoga teacher, to advance my studies, to enjoy cooking and so much more. Currently, I'm deeply curious about astrology (as you can probably tell from some of my recent focus on the moon) and I am enjoying all that I am learning in the process of following that interest.

It is through following our curiosities that we might discover our passions but, ultimately, the journey is the reward.

What are you curious about?