Breakfast this morning was a fun change.
I don’t have cereal too often because I find it doesn’t fill me up, but this morning I was just craving a bowl with tons of mouth-water toppings.
Sometimes only cereal will do!
Trail Mix Spelt Cereal
Ingredients:
- ~1.5 cup Nature’s Path Spelt Cereal
- 1/2 banana, sliced
- ~1/3 cup Power House Glonola
- Pinch of unsweetened coconut
- Almond milk
- 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
Even though I slightly over-cooked the Glonola, almond milk makes it all better. ;)
Soft and chewy and crispy and comforting.
How I found My Passion
[For my full A Year Can Change A Lot Series on Career Changes, See these posts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10]
The other day I was asked what led me to discover my passion for the blogs and bakery.
I was asked, ‘How did you know that it was what you wanted to do?’
For the first 25 years of my life, I had no clue that this is what would make me happy.
Do you remember the Oprah episodes from years and years ago about finding a career that would make you happy?
Those shows were always inspiring yet anxiety provoking for me. I loved hearing about other women’s triumphs and how they went from working a horrible job to running their own business or going back to school to get a degree. I could watch story after story after story, but for some reason I would always walk away from it saying to myself, ‘I can’t do what they did.’
We are talking about an early strike-out here. I remember feeling these thoughts when I was just 15 or 16 years old. I just felt like I would never be able to find the means to follow my dreams like these other successful women did. Sure, I thought I could be happy if I had a well-paying career, but I never thought that I would be able to do something unconventional for a career.
Why did I defeat myself so early on in the game?
Because I simply didn’t know what my passions were!
If you don’t know what your passions are you surely can’t act on them.
For so long, my passion was my eating disorder and it took up all of my free time. I didn’t have many real hobbies. I played in sports for many years, but I obviously knew I wouldn’t be pitching for the Blue Jays any time soon. ;)
I started the blog on October 31, 2008 which was when I began my journey to health. I was looking for positivity in my life and I wanted to reach out to other women who were struggling with the same things that I was; not just about food and weight, but with all aspects of life.
My blog was my hobby and it brought me great joy, especially during a time when I was quite unhappy with my career. For the first little while I figured that I would be ok if I could keep this hobby on the side. It would keep me going and positive. It would be something I could look forward to when I got up in the morning and got home from work at night.
It kept me sane.
Little did I know that pursuing a hobby I enjoyed would be one of the best wake-up calls I have ever had. I felt alive when I wrote and connected with others, when I cooked in the kitchen, and when I explored photography.
For a while, I dismissed my feelings because I felt guilty about them and I didn’t want to admit that perhaps this was what I should be doing. What would people think if I told them? Surely they would laugh in my face and tell me to keep looking for a research job.
One morning I woke up and everything was clear.
I wanted to write. I wanted to open a bakery. I wanted to make healthy recipes. I wanted to help others.
And then I quit my unfulfilling career.
And damnit, I wanted to take a leap of faith for the first time in my life. I wanted to take a chance on ME.
Pursuing a hobby changed my life.
When I am asked how I discovered that this is what I wanted to do, I always thank my blog. It was the hobby that opened my eyes and helped me find my passions.
Passion finding tips:
1) If you have no clue what your passions are, pursue hobbies that you have always wanted to do and go from there. It will feel like you are going on a blind date and you may have to kiss a lot of frogs to find ones you love, but persist on.
2) Not sure what hobbies to pursue? Ask yourself what you enjoyed as a child and as a teenager for clues. Not all of them will be winners, but you will be on your way to finding them. Look at the hobbies you have now and ask if they are telling you clues about your happiness.
Do you currently have any hobbies? Why or why not? Do you know what your passions are in life and what makes you come alive? Do you think you can turn what you love into a career?
A have a few hobbies, but not all of them are realistic to turn in to careers. I’m definitely not a strong enough runner to do it as a career. That is fine because I feel like when I have to run it is less enjoyable. However, I love writing, baking, crocheting and nutrition; all of which I can channel in to a career! Especially Nutrition… since it is my major!
I was just thinking about this the other day…I finally feel excited and passionate and KNOW I’m doing the right thing, but it took me so long to find it, because I kept standing in my own way. I think fear and doubts keep us from really exploring what we want, and it can be almost anything that opens up our eyes. I’m so glad you’re so happy and following the right path.
I can definitely relate to not really knowing what my passions are. I guess it’s easy to start by thinking what your passions aren’t: right now they aren’t my job, despite spending 4 years in undergrad and 2 years in grad school, they aren’t my degree. I think that eventually I will narrow it down, but sometimes you have to look at what you dislike to know what you want.
such an inspiring post! congrats for having the guts to chase your dreams girl! i’m glad everything worked out for the best (:
for me, my number one passion always has and always will be ballet. i started when i was three years old, and i was dancing 5 days a week all throughout high school.
i could never become a professional dancer, i have what they would call “bad feet”.
i’ve always been a people person, i love helping and interacting with people, and i’ve always been facinated with the human body, medicine, and health. so i’m focusing all of this and planning on becoming a nurse practitioner!
ballet is still my first love, and i try to keep up with it as much as possible. i take a lot of summer classes since a lot of my school year is spent at sorority functions, studying in the library (which this year i will be doing a lot thanks to organic chemistry), and usual college party life. just because i’m not currently taking classes doesn’t mean i’m not dancing however, i’m the girl practicing her plies and relives while making her morning oatmeal and tour jette-ing down dorm road. i really am blessed to have so much love and passion in my life, now that i think about it!
Angela – this is such a great post. I’m 27 but still trying to figure out what my passion is and how I can make this a career. You are really giving me some food for thought!!
I just tagged this under “Inspiration” in my Reader! I have also approached jobs the way you used to, based on my skills and what sounded practical and serious. I think that’s how most “Analysts” have ended up in those jobs!
Hobbies: quilting, cooking, HEALTH, exercise.
Could I turn these into a career? Probably. I’ve got friends who have done so, particularly with cooking.
But I really like safety and stability. And I love my job as an engineer in the semiconductor industry, so I don’t see any big changes coming.
Angela, this is such a beautiful post. I started reading your blog back in college and you were the one who inspired me to start cooking and being more aware about healthy living (and now I’ve even started blogging :-P). My passions in life are quite varied and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to turn them into a career. I really admire you for starting globakery because it takes guts to let go of what’s familiar and to venture into something so new.
SO glad you found what you love and went for it. Inspirational!
I absolutely adore my garden. It’s the best thing I have ever done. It makes me happy. It keeps me sane. It’s my calm. It’s what I get to nurture. I love to cook. And I love to read. I started my blog when my fiance had been dead for two years and I was a year divorced from my alcoholism. Writing about my journey from alcoholic despair to building a brand new life gives me purpose. I don’t know what that will lead to, but I do know these things about me. And since I just finished my first 5K, I’d say that’s quickly becoming a serious passion. There are so many possibilities. I get stuck in them sometimes.
My hobbies are blogging, decorating my home and keeping it neat and beautiful (which is giving me more joy than I ever anticipated), and fitness!
I struggle with the idea of turning my hobby into a career. My father opened his own hobby business and it was a tremendous struggle for my family financially throughout most of the time he owned his business. It also turned what he loved into WORK. I like that I get to go to work, and then come home and do what I love for fun and in my own free time. And there is no pressure to pay the bills with it.
What do you do if you chase your dreams and you are unsuccessful? Might make for a good post.
I’m in a career rut right now and trying to figure out what I really want to do. Thanks for the inspirational post. I hope I can find something I love to do the way you did.
I always drew houses as a kid. Like always. I would draw sections, plans and elevations–though I didn’t know what they were called. I just drew. I’m very lucky that this easily translates into a career.
i have no clue what my passion is :-/ In fact, reading this post makes me anxious just as you were anxious watching those Opera episodes. I’m in law school right now & I know that this is NOT my passion.. perhaps I can find something/someone I’m passionate about representing? I really just don’t know :(
I am in law school too and I can feel you!
Great post Ange! Reading all your posts about how you changed careers gave me that push I needed last year to finally pursue my passions. :D Health, fitness, and nutrition have been hobbies of mine for the past few years, but I never considered them as career possibilities because I felt like I had to be doing something more academic. But this year I switched to a nutrition degree and already I feel like it was the right decision!
My main hobby other than blogging is horseback riding. I’ve ALWAYS been fascinated with horses and have been an equestrian for about 14 years now. I love everything about it :) The freedom, the discipline, the connection with the horses and nature..it’s fabulous
Thanks for this post! I’m in the second year of an intense graduate program and sometimes I question if this is still what I want to do. Over the summer I was able to work which gave me a bit more perspective. I still occasionally struggle with not knowing what I want. Some of my class mates know exactly where they want to work and I feel bad because I’m still not completely sure. I know it will all come together. Normally things do when you least expect it. For now I am enjoying running and blogging. It helps me feel more balanced.
great post!
I can really relate since I also quit my job a couple years ago to focus on things that I have a passion for, namely baking and painting and gardening. I am still figuring out how to make these all work for me along the way (i very recently began blogging), but I’m having a great time doing so!
About a year and a half ago I started an artisan baking business out of my home…it’s been an incredible journey!
Thanks for the inspiration!
Cathy B.
Angela, thank you.
I have been going through such a struggle lately because I know my job is making me miserable, but I feel guilty complaining about it because it is a “good” job. Plus, I don’t know what I really want to do. I’m afraid of taking a leap and just grabbing the next thing in line, instead of making a solid decision.
I want to thank you for making me feel ok that I don’t know what my passions are. I have been feeling so silly lately because when I try to think of what I want to do my mind goes blank. How can I not have any passions?! Do I have no personality anymore?! Who am I?!
Anyway, this post was like a deep breath. It got me centered when I felt like I was flailing. Thank you!
This is exactly how I feel right now! EXACTLY! So stuck and frustrated, saddled to my job because of obscene school loans from my MS in Mental Health and rent and other bills. Now what? I want to attend the Natural Gourmet Institute so despirately (http://naturalgourmetinstitute.com/html/chefs-training.html) because it the perfect program for me. I couldn’t have dreamed up a more perfect curriculum, but I just can’t afford it. Taking out another school loan would essentially double my existing school debt and I simply can’t swing it. How can money really be the reason I will never be happy at work or passionate about what I do?! I spend each day at my desk searching for scholarships and grants, but nothing is leading me any closer to my goal. I wish I had realized my love for health and food before I went to college and grad school. I guess things happen for a reason, but I feel so hopeless at the moment.