Passion Purpose in Life Tips + Orange Star Chocolate Oat Cookie

Passion purpose is a sign you’re on the way to your life’s work. My passion led me to these cookies I baked, and started out as a catering manager for a DoubleTree Hotel, as full circle. 🍪🍪

But I believe…

We all have a second act in us for a passion purpose in life. And that’s how I felt when I started to question the culture we live in and our individual purpose.

The longer you live and explore the full possibilities, you get to see and decide if you’ve been looking out from the wrong lens in some areas of your life, like a passion purpose in life. ✨

You can use this star cookie (recipe below) as a guide or inspiration. 🍪

You can walk into your passion purpose if you take strategic steps (and that’s what this blog post is all about).

I’ll start with my humble adult story.

I got married later in life (at least I thought). I didn’t enter marriage in my twenties (something I recommend waiting on). Like most, I went through big changes from 25-30. That’s pretty typical of getting your feet off the ground as a newer adult.

By 28, I kept getting the same answer back that I was changing and trading in my caterpillar feet for wings. I didn’t know what I didn’t know and my 180-degree career switch in high-tech data (from the hospitality business) was a metaphor.

I knew that if I wanted any semblance of a life outside work like my business college friends had, I needed to jump ship into different waters.

I had no idea how and had no real job connections other than the internet. There was no LinkedIn, lol. But I knew that if I took the risk, then a new door could open. I believed whatever direction I was headed in would happen without yet knowing why. And it did.

I experienced what work-life balance was for the first time. I also got married.

And I had time for relationships and self-care. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I still had a past that I hadn’t addressed but was affecting the way I thought and acted, especially in my marriage.

At that time, I didn’t know childhood wounds existed into adulthood as PTSD.

I didn’t connect the dots to how events from decades ago could show up in my marriage. The brain is messy and complex like that.

It’s easy to stay unaware about the lens from which you see out into your life (and even these days in a more open and knowledge-aware society). And that affects your daily thought life and outcomes.

It’s a lot easier to be critical of others and notice how they behave that’s different than you.

And if you’re married, you’ve probably been tested, as marriage like no other relationship will make you go into deeper places you’ve never explored. You’ll meet each other’s ego.

Intimate bonding will highlight those insecure dormant spaces that need addressing like a UV blacklight spotlights stains.

A marriage relationship can make the partners want to fix everything that’s not how each would have done as a single person.

Marriage can be a tough bootcamp and why it’s such a great training ground for personal growth (and I’m all for it!). And so is building a business from a passion purpose in life. Even though not everyone likes that kind of testing ground to move up.

And that described what I experienced. Then years later, I lost my work-balance job from a massive corporate layoff.

And my marriage came to a peaceful screeching-halt end suddenly. And the business foundations I started, crumbled.

I relocated back to where I grew up and started over with a more mature lens. These events eventually helped me to find my individual purpose.

It started with a blogging journey back in 2009 and then put aside for about a decade. That was my passion purpose in life then.

And one day, I started writing a funny lesson learned story from a hot tea kettle burn on my finger. I submitted for publication and have never stopped writing since.

Long story short, writing never left my veins. And in the messy middle (by design), I found the path leading to a passion purpose in life.

And this leads me to 3 ways I can share (from my journey) how you can walk into your passion purpose this season.

1.   Start Over (Finding Your Passion Purpose In Life Could Depend On It)

Don’t be afraid to start over. Be okay with the unknown as all of life if you think about it is uncertain. Taking gut and heartfelt risks is worth the chance!

If the timing is right, be brave, and don’t look back (at least not at your decision right away). You’re wisely guided internally.

It’s easy for any of us to wrap our identity in jobs and titles and rationalize why we can’t leave (they’re handcuffs whether they’re golden or not).

In my case, I grew up and worked in the most politically powerful and driven metro mover-and-shaker Washington DC culture, where people will run circles around you if you don’t pull over or speed up.

And I’m convinced it’s the area where the corporate rat race phrase came from 😂.

In my corporate work, I quickly learned that everyone working for someone is replaceable. And lessons learned yearsss later, that letting go of the fear of losing a job is so freeing and liberating. And not something to be scared of. It’s the ticket to your personal happiness and success.

When I was laid off after six years of success at a corporate job, I was literally in shock. I mean, one day your job existence is there, and then POOF!… the next day you wake up and it’s gone.

If you purposefully stay in the mindset of choosing to design your quality life, then you’re always nimble and heading towards your north star pointing passion purpose in life.

The uncertain journey isn’t prescriptive, all roses, or without doubt, but your creative purpose is in there and you can eventually do what you love and love doing (or else why pursue?) even if you’re not creative.

We all have a passion purpose in life. In This One Life.

Plus, in control of your own destiny, you will never be bored! Getting there may take some years, wrong turns, and grit (almost an inevitable formula for the best things in life!), but it’s so rewarding and worth the effort.

If you’re starting over, that’s a sign of growth into your purpose. New starts can be a deliberate choice, but often you’re blindsided with a job or relationship loss or change, health scare, or an unexpected move.

Anything can happen suddenly, even though it could be years in the making. You could become a 10-year overnight success (or land your dream job) with a new starting point or unintended re-route.

When there’s a fresh new beginning, your senses are heightened and you soak up more like a sponge. You feel life (and alive)!

The alternative is staying on the comfortable course. When life is busy, in the messy middle, that is when you can grow comfortable… until you’re not. Life doesn’t work the way it should. You feel stuck. And maybe discouraged.

Those are times you look deeper inside yourself and into what else you got in your bag o’ tricks. And you’ve got so much more than you know today! You just have to start digging for your today passion purpose in life that can change tomorrow.

It’s actually more methodical (than scary) and sensible if you think about it… you only get this one life to do what you want with it. Look at those on America’s Got Talent.

They’ve worked so hard for decades on their talent that they started from nothing but an idea and a dream. And they’ve failed forward plenty. But they didn’t give up.

…And they know each fall and fail is one step closer to success. And when they end up on the AGT stage, they never look back. And their big break success takes off.

Starting over may be just what you need to go to the next level in your unique part of this life.

After you meditate, think, or pray about it, and you get a form of A-ha confirmation that excites you and makes sense to you for that next step, then you and the shining Galactic Universe celebrate with a burst of fanfare (a new kind of Big Bang theory 🎉).

And when you go all in, they and all your support fans in your life will go to town to help you in your belief. You figure out your unique unstoppable path. And what you were destined to do.

So these are the steps I would recommend (and I did to find my self-taught writing passion):

2.    Discover Your Hidden Talent(s)

Maybe you have started an interest years ago that you never fully saw into fruition, and now is your ripe time. Or you want to know what your hidden talent is if you have uncovered it…  you DO have one (and probably more than one).

That I’m certain of!

If you want to know what that is, then I encourage you to keep looking and more deeply as it’s there on the tea leaves and in between your yoga poses if that’s your jam.

You can also find it in your hobbies, interests, and activities you’ve dabbled in that excited you for a day or a season. Those outlets and past times made you feel good, and maybe even felt a sigh-of-relief from life’s busyness and stressors.

We all find time to do the things we want and love, even if we’re SUPER busy. It doesn’t have to be just one interest, as it can be a category especially if you’re a Vata and like to multi-task…

Such as, when I was in corporate work, I’ve always had a side interest in scrapbooking, painting art, and creating (anything) where I got lost in my project…

And that’s what The Great British Bake-Off (or The Great British Baking Show in the U.S.) past and present contestants do. They have day jobs and baking is their side gig or hobby, so they are on the show happy to be there. It’s another outlet for them.

OK, I have to pause the serious reel here for just a minute ⏳… I was laughing so hard over the baking show comedy last week in the current episode series. Are you familiar with the show?

…If not, I’m gonna give you a 30-second program interrupt and let you in. 😊

The comedy is there in every episode (it’s not hard to find like your hidden talent can be, haha.) Gut there’s a funny sound bite clip from one show episode that I’m reminded of where the contestants are tasked with making baklava and phyllo dough during Pastry Week.

One of my favorite contestants from the season episodes, is Giuseppe who mentioned he had never made either before because it’s a hassle and easier to just go out and buy.

It’s funny on two levels because 1) with his lovely and classic Italian accent, it sounded like another English word to Matt (one of the tent sidekicks) he was talking to, and 2) because the challenge was for him to make the painfully hassle-filled baklava under 3 hours, and cut in a star design. 😅

Btw, the star pattern looked a little like this healthy inspired chocolate chip oatmeal orange cookie I baked from show inspiration (it’s as good as the DoubleTree Chocolate Chip cookies I used to work-live and breathe as a Doubletree catering manager, but a lot less calories!):

Food was (and is) a passion purpose.

It would’ve tasted just as good if I didn’t make the design. But we know Life can be a hassle by our design. Thank you, Giuseppe from Great British Bake Off! 🇬🇧

And in the hassle, we learn the pattern (process) and that enriches our life (and we gain clarity) to the next challenge and steps moving towards our greater purpose and into our happiness.

I had to get out of that needed Time Out laugh… and now get back to the serious.

…On that note, I have found these two mindset shifts and responses that have made the biggest impact on finding purpose.

3.    Let Go and Move On

Deeper awareness (the A-ha’s) can be humbling and freeing, and a little of both (as it was for me). Living in a get-ahead culture can have damaging internal consequences and allow for pride and ego to grow.

The ego hates to let go. And it hates quiet time. I have an entire chapter in my book Empowered Happiness.

So to outsmart my non-serving ego, I first had to scrape out the believing invincible thoughts I grew into from my teens and into my 20s.

And after I saw the drama thoughts for what they were, I saw life as fragile (and not invincible).

And that taught me to play a more active role in my thought life. And if you’ve ever encountered people who don’t know how to change their daily thoughts, then there’s a good chance their ego is playing them. The reality is that’s how most people you work with operate.

Seeking awareness (going from dark to light) is a learner trait and a growth mindset. Something I’m attracted to (and maybe you are too).

And with that lens, over time, I gradually made the shift to taking control of my thought life observing the crumbs fed and changing them. And those ‘lil daily mind re-routes led into better knowing, taking better steps, and fewer missteps.

The temporary disconnects were favors in disguise as they helped to turn the ship around and steer into the right passion purpose in life path.

And, along with letting go of what I couldn’t change (also referred to as the Serenity Prayer).

Letting Go may not be your brain’s natural way. It’s not mine. But by letting go, you can bypass the messy middle, the in between neither here nor there, and get to the happy fulfilling place faster.

Here are two things that could help you let go (and get there faster):

1)      If there’s nothing you can do about it, then deliberately forget about it. Trust it will work out. Release your mind-body from worries, release resentment, and offer forgiveness.

For your own good and growth. Even if you’re not there yet, assume the position and you’ll get there soon. What you put your attention to shows up in your life… and probably pretty quickly!

2)      Stop caring so much for matters that don’t need your attention. That’s when things can be taken too personally or blown up in mind importance (but not really that important).

The ego loves to cling and accumulate past and old ideas (that shows up as a Kapha imbalance)

In Ayurvedic mind-body terms. (they’re always connected), that’s letting go of being needy or cloying. That’s a sign of a Kapha imbalance even if that’s not your natural way (or it worsens as you’re emotionally charged up around that one specific person).

Without letting go, you can stay stuck. And without moving on, you can also stay stuck.

A move-on sign can be when a door closes, or when you don’t get a full night’s rest, waking up at 3 am with worry thoughts, or you still don’t know why.

If it was because you needed to use the bathroom, you would fall right back asleep. …so if you determine that’s not it and this becomes more nights than not, then try a pivot. Your purpose is calling!

Our wise body-mind is so much more intuitive than you we are as the decision-makers.

And that’s why it’s possible to tell what is going on with you now by the food you’re attracted to, and what your annoying body symptoms are trying to tell you… the stuff I get excited about (restoring, optimizing in balanced living, and prevention).

Staying in shape, good self-care, and getting the balance (sattvic in Ayurvedic terms) helps you do the healthy things for optimal, purpose-driven living.

And there you have it!… good snack tips as you grow one day closer to your passion purpose in life. 🌱