So last week I’m sitting at my favorite Italian restaurant. Mary’s my waitress. At the end of the meal she brings me the check and we engage in some small talk about her major and what she wants to do after college. I could sense the lack of enthusiasm in both her voice and in her course of study. And then, as I’ve been known to do, I hit her with one of my favorite questions: “So what are you passionate about?”

At first she seemed kinda stunned, not expecting such a penetrating question. After a moment, she told me that she loved horses and physical therapy. I told her about some of the equine therapy programs that are in place and suggested that she look into them as a way of doing work that she loved. Her mood lightened significantly. We talked more about pursuing what she really loved to do rather than doing what was expected of her.

And then Mary said something very telling. She told me that she gets together to study with her friends all the time. Says they often study ‘til 1 or 2 in the morning and then sit around and talk about what they really want to do with their lives.

We talk for a couple more minutes and as I get ready to leave she thanks me for the talk and says she’s feeling inspired. Question is: where does she go from here? If she doesn’t act on her inner voice, which is nudging her in the direction of her dreams, what’s the result of our conversation?

* me holding a box of leftover pizza
* and Mary pulling an all-nighter with her friends after work and then talking about what she wishes she could do with her life

While the dream of a life built around passion and purpose is delayed until it disappears

It doesn’t have to be that way. You, me and everyone around us has a purpose for being here. We have talents and gifts that we’re not using. And we have an inner voice that is calling us to move in the direction of our dreams. Whether we’re 19, 99 or any age in between, we can start from where we are and get to where we want to be.

Yes it takes courage. And a shifting from fear to faith. But we can do it!

So what are you passionate about?

Carpe Diem!