Let’s get real here for a second and be thoroughly honest – I’m new to blogging; I’m not new to writing. When I was in college, back in the day… You know you’re officially an adult when you’re able to use the phrase “back in the day.” You know you’re retired or respond to some sort of grandparent nickname when you’re able to use the phrase, “back in those days.” It’s a subtle difference, but the semantics matter.
At any rate, back in the day, when I was in college, I had a newsletter entitled, “God Times.” I went to a Christian university and the internet was in its infancy without Google or Myspace, so a newsletter seemed to make the most sense. Also, I didn’t have to pay for any postage if it was being sent to anyone who lived on campus. Considering I had a “massive” following of about 110 people, it saved me enough money each week to upgrade from the 6” to the footlong sub once a week.
So, the way I look at it, I’ve been a writer for over 20 years who’s simply been on a 17 to 18-year sabbatical.
Each writer has their own voice and own segment of audience they reach. When I think of bloggers, I typically think of the motivational or self-help folks. Maybe that’s because I believe I tend to fall in that category. I know there are recipe bloggers, pet bloggers, 80’s music bloggers – if you read blogs online, you can find something that will suit your “exclusive” tastes.
When finding your voice, people like to ask, “What’s your passion? What do you enjoy?” I think that question is like simultaneously asking, “Where did the chicken come from? Where did the egg come from,” and expecting someone to answer both at the same time. Look, I enjoy jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, drinking mixed drinks in Cancun, and solving multifaceted dependency equations with overly complex Excel spreadsheets; however, I wouldn’t necessarily describe any of them as my passion.
I am passionate about relationships. I’m passionate about helping. I’m passionate about teaching. I’m passionate about creating things with my hands and problem solving. What I may find out is that I’m passionate about writing…
Here’s the thing, neither your passion nor your enjoyment are mutually exclusive, but which one is coming ahead of the other? I’m no expert in the field of what makes people successful. The only evidence for my opinion I can point out is purely anecdotal. However, what I have regularly noticed is that the people who start with their passion generally have the most enjoyment in what they have decided to put their hands to. Who’s to say that they started out enjoying what they were doing?
What I can tell you about passion is it is more times than not accompanied with a strong sense of purpose. But once again, we end up with a chicken/egg question – which comes first? Maybe a better question to ask someone finding their voice is, “What is your passion? What is your purpose?” - that nagging and ever so elusive question of why you’re breathing oxygen for this relatively short period of time. Darn you existentialism!!
In all seriousness, I’d be willing to bet that anyone who truly discovered the answer to that question, would immediately find their passion - unless this is your purpose…
