186. A Step-By-Step Guide to Finding Your Passion REPLAY
A tactical approach to discovering what you love
Today, Michelle and I revisit one of our most popular episodes, A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Your Passion. Listening to it more than a year after its debut, I’m struck by how much closer Michelle and I have come to living our passion-filled lives.
Now that I’m on sabbatical, I’ve taken a deep dive into spirituality. Like many, I’ve always felt there was more to life than ambition, career success, and wealth. My journey into spirituality began in my sophomore year of college when I explored Buddhism. The concept that our thoughts create our suffering was life-changing, bringing me a profound sense of peace.
After PA school, I was excited to move to San Francisco, which I viewed as the hub of Buddhism and spirituality in the U.S. However, once I started working, spirituality faded into the background as my career took over. In 2020, a transformative experience with a patient made me reconsider the possibility of a higher power. I started incorporating small daily spiritual practices into my life, but I did not have time to dive deep.
When my sabbatical began last year, I knew I wanted to explore spirituality more deeply, though I wasn’t sure what that would entail. Little did I know the door I was opening. I started with ten minutes of daily meditation, observing the patterns of thoughts passing through my mind. Through a woman in our Deep Talk Meetup, I was introduced to The Work of Byron Katie, which helped me deconstruct my thought patterns. Repeatedly, I saw that my thoughts were merely delusions causing my suffering.
Charleston is home to the Bliss Spiritual Co-op, a lovely community that hosts events in a repurposed house. Through Bliss, I discovered A Course in Miracles and began listening to its text for an hour a day during my walks.
As I continued this practice, I noticed significant changes in my life. There was more space between my thoughts and emotions, and I felt a greater sense of love and understanding for those around me. On July 4th, during a flight from Charleston to Dallas for my cousin’s wedding, I experienced four hours of pure bliss. I realized my body was just a vessel, and the idea of being separate from others was an illusion. My thoughts were clearly illusions. Sitting on that plane, free of thought, I found myself in a state of absolute peace and love. I didn’t need any thoughts to feel love for everything around me.
These moments have been occurring more frequently, and no, I haven’t been using any substances. I believe these experiences are the result of deliberate, regular practice, and I know they’re accessible to everyone. Reflecting on how long I neglected my spirituality, it now seems absurd. Why would anyone deny themselves this peace?
As I look back on my journey, I realize that spirituality isn't just a value—it's a passion that has transformed my life. It’s about embracing the peace and love that are available to all of us, right here and now.
Michelle and I hope this episode inspires you to find and nurture your own passions, whatever they may be. What are you making more time for? Comment below.
Show Notes:
Don’t put pressure on your passions - Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
What did you enjoy doing as a child? - Happy Money: The Japanese Art of Making Peace with Your Money by Ken Honda
What are your forgotten hobbies? - The Pathless Path by Paul Millerd
Community Time:
Thank you
for listening to BWS and your comments!Thank you Abby for telling us about your quarterly review with your finance.
Thank you
for telling us how much you love the quotes “We are floating on a rock” and “You are exactly where you are meant to be”Thanks to
and for your comments on our last episode 185. We Are Never Going Back To Work and for re-stacking our post!
Want to Join Michelle’s Sabbatical Course?
Michelle and Toby recently reunited with the first cohort of their sabbatical course. It is more than just a course, it is a community of people looking to think outside the corporate box. Anyone interested in sabbaticals is welcome to join. You do NOT have to have been laid off to participate. Click here if you are interested in joining the course!
