INFLAME: Burning Again And More For Passion
A thirteen-year-old boy imagines his future self playing his heart out in a random concert. There are heart-pounding beats, catchy rhythms, engaging crowds, and wide smiles from his bandmates. Snapping back to reality, he jumps out of bed to eagerly practice basic chords in his acoustic guitar.
We could presume that the young boy has a passion for music. When we hear the word ‘passion’, we frequently imagine doing things that we love the most. Teaching, writing, singing, gaming, we can name a few. It opens realities and scenarios that we imagine would exist, leading us to feel inspired and motivated in pursuing our everyday life. For some, passion is the drive for us to know our purpose thus. It is essential to keep this passion alive to pursue our deemed reason.
In pursuant to keeping one’s passion, interviews were conducted with people who strive to balance a well-planned and missionary life in terms of serving God.
Neil Matthew Galang, an area servant and mission volunteer assigned for Missionary Families of Christ (MFC) Youth – Laguna, and Ma. Jesusa Castillo, an elementary teacher at Dalubhasaan ng Lunsod ng San Pablo Integrated School and, area servant and mission volunteer assigned for MFC Youth – Laguna , say that passion for the things we love doing the most can be kept by maintaining one’s purpose and goals in life and choosing to do something for it. Perhaps, this is what a part-time graphic designer for social media management company and a talents/creatives head for MFC Youth – Laguna, Angelo Rigor Soliman, chooses to sustain the things we hold dear the most, “by constantly viewing and involving myself through these things”. Certainly, involvement and actions become a fuel that burns our heart to desire for more. The kindled fire becomes and serves as a light for others to be inspired as well.
The question now is, even with our efforts to keep our passion alive, why are there still times where it seems like the fuel for us to continue is not enough?
One of the familiar terms often associated whenever we feel empty with our passion is burnout. It can be situated with being unmotivated to write fresh stories, to learn new songs, or to watch our favorite movies. It naturally happens, but never be hindered as everyone can also feel that.
“If I am being completely honest, I always experience being burnt out from my passions,” Angelo said, “burnout is always a factor in my daily life”. However, no one said that our passion can never be rekindled. From various perspectives, let us together learn from these servants how they rekindle their passion.
“By looking back to my goals, getting in touch with people having the same passion, and being grateful for the pas,” Neil says.
“By taking a step back from all of these and focusing on resting myself, slowly re-integrating these passions to my daily routine again, and making it a habit to remind myself that being good in your passion is not a race and I have no opponents other than myself,” Angelo said.
“Pause for a while, have some me time, and have some moment to reflect on what had happened and what I did wrong. After that, I write them in my journal. I look at it every time I feel that I am at the end of my patience and will result in me being burnt out again,” Jesusa shared.
Passion drives us to move forward each day. Whenever we feel burned out, Mary Alianette perfectly reminds us all to repeat these words to ourselves, “I rekindle it [my passion] by letting time do its thing; [and] taking my time reflecting, spoiling, finding myself again, and really remembering why I am doing these things that I am really passionate about”.
Let us go back to the thirteen-year-old boy who is now in his twenties. He pursues college and has limited time to do the things he loves the most. But in the middle of being busy for the past 7 years, he was able to serve God through music, form his band, play at events, and live a life more than he imagined. These extraordinary experiences seem far-fetched but as long as I choose to never give up, my goal will always be my fuel to keep my passion burning.
