I prepared this document over a few weeks in 2020. An entrepreneurial friend had asked me to share my passions, and they would brainstorm ways we would work together. I remember flailing around trying to figure out my purpose, values, and passions despite going through such activities in the past. Given that this was two years ago, I am fuzzy on how I arrived at this output, but I know it involved a lot of soul-searching, brainstorming, conversations, praying, and lists. I remember some friends helping by acting as a sounding board, giving feedback on my process, and perhaps more. Finally, I had arrived at something I felt I could share while respecting the time of the person asking and represented important things about me.
If I created something like this now, I think it would be quite different because (I can't remember how I came up with this and) the last two years have been a continued time of transition and change. I hope this serves someone somehow.
In response to what my passions are,
A summary of my essence:
I love people and dogs especially, am a lifelong learner, and global citizen.
A list of what I do in life, that I feel driven by and fulfilled by.
Some ways I care:
I live with Liv the Luvrador, giving her as many choices as possible, organizing my life around her pyramid of canine needs.
I make pancakes as a ritual. I see life as ritual.
I practice mindfulness, breathing, and work with my spiritual self to create compassion and improve attention and self awareness.
I write daily for processing (sanity), brainstorming, intention setting, or other purposes.
I notice beauty everywhere and go into nature as often as possible to allow processing of energies from life things and listening to non cognitive sources of intelligence.
I play drums, listen to music, draw, “dance” or other spontaneous activities for fun and brain health.
I learn about trauma and practice consent, curiosity, and show empathy.
I hold space for people.
I openly work on my mental health management and stress management, and work to create openings for other people to do so as well.
Some ways I create community:
I help people however I can and in general try to be helpful.
I listen. I listen deeply because listening is magical.
I encourage people and help them with their dreams or gifts. Or just say yay, good job.
Encouragement is a gift, and I like to give it as freely as possible.
I take on roles (sometimes with little definition) in groups.
I smile at people I pass on the street, wave, and say hello.
A friendlier world is a safer world, with less stress, and less violence. Not to mention I just feel better when I am friendly.
I make jokes.
I specifically help artists, business owners, and neighbors with time, money, or other resources
I love solving problems together, like working with my friend to fix her dryer belt.
Some ways I help with clarity:
I may suggest a process, structure, or idea that makes a group of people feel more comfortable, like a role, check in, agenda, or meditation.
I like educating, mentoring, and coaching others.
I can help others understand work or life changes in a new way.
I learn, whether it be learning about myself, new ways of thinking, new skills, other people, cultures, and other ways of doing things.
This increases compassion too.
I practice asking open questions, using active listening, and reframing or checking assumptions so we have shared meaning. Confirming who will take a next action. ;)
I may write or say something helpful like summarizing a new business offering or a theme or pattern in a conversation.
I write things that speak to people and help them feel better or learn something.
I facilitate situations, ideas, projects, processes, or when there is no process.
What impact do these activities and ways of being have?
Ultimately, I want to generate more care, connection, and love every day.
We must collectively come to understand that self care is not selfish (and is a bad label, but the best we have) and take more shared responsibility for care.
I love people because we are connected and the world has enough separation. We are stronger, more capable, courageous, and healthier when we know we are connected. This could mean connected to ourselves, to others, to the world, to whatever our ‘orienting compass’ is in life, and to our future.
People need to feel heard, acknowledged, affirmed, validated, and supported. This makes us more able to handle the stressors of our lives and more in touch with our own intuition, creativity, and other strengths.
Cultivating compassion and positive energy for ourselves and others gives us some ability to have compassion for others and create connection and peace.
People are able to hold space for other people more.
Some beliefs that drive my activities and desired impact:
I believe our attention is our most valuable skill, so anything we can do to cultivate our ability to be intentional is powerful.
I also believe to be a healthy human and hopefully thrive in our life, we need internal resources that a spiritual life provides.
Being with people as they are is healing and validating. When there is room for us to be as we are, then there's also room to grow.