Today, as I sit and contemplate the feelings of dissatisfaction that have been present these last few days, I realize I have had a shift. I have traveled beyond the horizon of my discontent. It’s all here within me, summed up in one word… Passion!
When asked by my husband in his daily Facebook meditation, “21 Days of Childlike Wonder,” what our inner child was seeking, she answered, “Passion.” I thought about when I first came to Kaua‘i and how much passion I had for what I was creating. It became clear—this is what I need right now. Nothing can be done without passion, and beyond the horizon of my discontent, passion is waiting.
How does one bring passion into what one is doing? I could say, “Just do what creates the feeling of passion,” but that would be focusing on outside conditions.
Instead, the answer came when I had a shift in consciousness. I already possess the quality of living passionately. I began to focus on all that is present in my life right now that exemplifies my passion. It was easy to come up with a list, and the feelings of passion stirred within me.
Yesterday, I scrubbed the floors at our center. Was that a passionate act? I could easily have regressed into dissatisfaction and a “poor me” attitude—but no. Even this was a passionate act. I did it with great love. I felt passionate about my physical ability to do it. I gave gratitude for a healthy body.
To go beyond the horizon of discontent, like traveling beyond all horizons, is to focus on the opposite feeling and bring it into the light of your current reality. In my case, passion is an innate quality that we all have. It only needed to be recognized as already present—and then acted upon.
Taking action is the necessary ingredient in traveling beyond any horizon. We must dare to think differently and then act from that place.
Perhaps you are thinking that this is all fine and dandy—but not for you. Let me offer a scientific reason why focusing our attention on the feelings we want to have works to create a greater life of joy. We are the observer and the observed. How we look upon our circumstances—how we focus upon them—shifts the reality of our experience. Have you ever wondered why two people in the exact same situation have completely different experiences? Our state of mind is everything. What we focus on grows.
I don’t chase passion—I awaken it, I choose it, and I live it now.
Love and Aloha,
Rev. Dr. Rita Andriello-Feren, Author, Co-Founding Director CSL Kaua’i, Institute of Magnificence & Partners in Empowerment
Love Changes everything 