We have a Colorado-based writer who likes to give talks about finding your passion.
Shari Caudron found herself at a crossroads when she turned forty. She tried out many new activities, but could not figure out what she loved to do. She tried Scrabble, showshoeing, Buddhism, and bridge, just to name a few.
She said, “Through all these years…and hobbies, nothing ever took hold and swelled into a grand, all-consuming, get-a-load-of-this obsession. Once I hit forty, I was no longer obsessed with finding a job, snaring a mate or buying a house–I’d done all that, sometimes more than once–I began to want more.”
Her solution to this problem was to go out and interview others who HAD found their passion. She began hanging out with fanatics: Barbie doll collectors, Trekkies, dog lovers, ice fishermen, gamers, stormchasers. She wanted to figure out what they had that she didn’t. During her three-year quest, she met many amazing people and learned even more about finding your passion.
In this process, her passion became clear to her. She wanted to write about all of these passionate people she had met. She wanted to document their lives for others to learn about passion for themselves. So she wrote the book: Who Are You People? A Personal Journey into the Heart of Fanatical Passion in America.
Shari was a writer all along! Shari likes to share these three steps to develop your passion for writing or whatever you decide to devote your time to next:
1. Claim your passion: Write about what matters to you.
2. Comfort it: Give it what it needs to thrive.
3. Stand back: Then get out of your own way and let your passion tell you where it wants to go next.
Good advice from someone who has been there.
