Have a Passion for Life

We’ve all heard it – follow your passion.

For many people, that’s easy.

They know deep down in their soul what they’re passionate about.

Whether it’s skiing, tennis, traveling or belly-dancing, I discovered during the years I wrote a weekly “Get off the Couch” column, that passion was the common denominator. Countless times, I’d hear people tell anyone within earshot, “You’ve got to try it.”

There was the woman who joined a tennis team for the first time at the age of 50 and the couple who started hiking in their 60s.

Each one of these people were convinced that they had found the best hobby/pastime/sport anyone could be doing and that anyone who tried it would be sold on it too.

They already had prioritized their schedules to commit more time to doing something they loved for fun, exercise, or even a challenge.

Of course, passion and/or a drive for something isn’t catchy. Just because your neighbor likes traveling or your cousin loves Pickleball, doesn’t mean you will.

But “doing” rather than sitting by is always worth a try.

Start practicing your retirement by imagining your retirement.

Do you plan to be active? Do you visualize starting up new activities? Or are there already pastimes/sports/hobbies hanging around the fringes of your life that you’ve always wanted to do more of or know more about?

The bottom line is that we all benefit from activities that make us feel better physically and/or mentally.

Skip the “Find Your Passion” quizzes. Passion isn’t any one thing and it isn’t fixed. What you want to do in your 40s and 50s may be markedly different than what you’ll be up for in your 70s and 80s.

The key is to practice your retirement. Make time in your schedule now to try something new or commit yourself to an activity you’ve thought about doing more of when you retire.

Download an app to learn a new language. Try ballroom dancing. Take a class in fly fishing.

Stretch your comfort zone. Think outside the box.

Embrace practicing retirement by making time for those “what-ifs.”

You just may discover your passion.