LIVING YOUR LIFE WITH PASSION

Living your life with passion is really living with an open heart, being totally present and in the moment all the time and having complete faith in yourself and your destiny: Allen L Roland
 

Many of my friends and clients have marveled at how I live my life ( work,books,poetry,music,blogging, etc ) with so much passion . So I have decided to share my seven prerequisites for living your life with passion ~ with the hope that you may find them helpful if not useful .

1. YOU MUST LOVE AND RESPECT YOURSELF
   By loving yourself I mean giving full and honest expression of your deepest feelings regardless of the risks  ~ which in itself is an act of love with the key test doing this in relationship.  Remember that love, joy and a state of soul consciousness, not anger, pain,resentment and ego consciousness lies deepest within each one of us and joins us to a universal loving plan.  
2. YOU MUST TAKE RISKS
   You cannot tap into your passion if you are careful or controlled by the ego's need for outer validation versus inner validation.  As such, you must be willing to say YES to yourself and not be controlled by fear particularly when you are on the path of the heart.  
3. YOU MUST LIVE YOUR DREAMS
   People who live their dreams , as I do, reflect a special inner glow, aura and passion. And the ultimate dream is just being yourself and making a difference in the process. 
4. YOU MUST CONQUER FEAR
   By defeating fear I mean you can feel fear but you must not let yourself be controlled by it.  Most fear is false exaggerations appearing real and the most common fear is That being myself is not enough ~ which usually manifests itself in relationship.   
5. YOU MUST SAY YES TO YOURSELF
   When you say yes to yourself you are in sync with your destiny whereas saying no to yourself is the ultimate self-negation. What most  people don't realize is that the Universe is always saying yes to us if we will but stop saying no and conquer fear in the process. 
6. YOU MUST MAKE A DIFFERENCE
   Making a difference means being in service to a greater humanitarian need than the ego's self-serving needs.  And it starts by owning and believing in yourself or as Shakespeare wrote ~ " To thy own self be true and it shall follow, as the night the day, thou can'st not then be false to any man " 
7. YOU MUST BE INNER DIRECTED
   By being inner directed I mean being willing to stand alone and have faith in yourself even at the risk of those closest to you not understanding. Many are called, few listen and fewer still respond to their own inner voice but true passion begins with listening and responding to your true and authentic inner calling. 

So there you have it but Pema Chodon says
virtually the same thing much more simply:

  " If your everyday practice is to open to all your emotions, to all the people you meet , to all the situations you encounter, without closing down, trusting that you can do that - then that will take you as far as you can go . And then you will understand all the teachings that anyone has ever taught . " 

So living your life with passion is really living with an open heart, being totally present and in the moment all the time and having complete faith in yourself and your destiny.

It's quite a responsibility and its an act of love ! 

  Allen L Roland http://blogs.salon.com/0002255/2008/02/24.html 

Freelance Online columnist Allen L Roland is available for comments , interviews  and speaking engagements  ( allen@allenroland.com )