Pursuing your passion is always a good thing, right?

“Follow your bliss.”

“Do what you love, the money will follow.”

“Shoo be doo be doo wap.” (Hey, passion comes in all forms.)

But are there any downsides? Does the decision to pursue your passion automatically result in a clear and easy path to success?

I’m just gonna answer all these questions right away: Yes. Yes. No.

Yes, pursuing your passion is always a good thing.

Yes, there are (what could be perceived as) downsides.

And No, the decision to pursue your passion does not automatically result in a clear and easy path to success. (Again, perception plays a part here. We’ll get to that later.)

I’ve written about this topic several times already.

I’ve talked about how following your bliss exposes the liar in your head that tells you you’re not good enough, a liar that needs to be replaced with a newer, seriously Badass version of yourself.

I’ve talked about the resistance that comes when being guided by a Source bigger than yourself, a resistance that can manifest as fear, arguing with Source, and discomfort with the Unknown.

And I’ve talked about how the Unknown contains infinite possibilities. So even though it’s scary to not know what’s around every corner, embracing the Unknown puts you in line with way more Awesome Stuff than playing small and sticking to the Known.

Which brings me to my current predicament.

Yes, I’m embracing my Inner Badass.

Yes, I’m acknowledging my fear and discomfort and moving forward anyway.

And yes, I’m remembering that my Unknown future holds infinite possibilities of Awesome Stuff.

But.

(Yes, I have a but! And not the one I sit on!)

Back in the day? Before I was brave enough to get off my “but” and follow my passion, life was so much easier. So much calmer. So much more straightforward.

I discovered the spiritual path decades ago, so in many ways I started following my passion then, but it was a quiet passion.

It was me, in my house, with my meditation practice and my books.

When I moved out in the world, working first on a farm and then in the counseling field, I was passion adjacent.

I liked what I was doing, and I was still meditating and growing spiritually, so my in-the-world activities were fine. They were nice.

Then I started writing fiction. This was definitely a step closer to full-on passion, and my life improved accordingly.

But it was still mostly me alone in my house, with my books and my spiritual practice.

And then it happened.

The Big Bang wasn’t just the word song Melissa and I wrote, but the whole thing. Melissa and I coming together, creating OhMyGod Life, going out in the world with our message.

Yes, I still get to spend lots of time in our house, with my books and my spiritual practice, but I’m also out in the world in a whole new way.

An out-in-the-worldness that creates all kinds of absolutely crazy mental shit fun stuff in my head.

For example, I’ve started looking back on my early days of writing fiction with a sepia-toned nostalgia:

It was so easy when it was just me and my pen. Why can’t it be simple and calm NOW? Maybe the calm I felt back then was a sign that I was more on track?! Maybe my current not-always-calmness is the Universe’s way of telling me I’m doing something horribly, irrevocably WRONG?! What if everything is somehow horribly, irrevocably WRONG?! AAAARRRRRGGHHHHH!!

Fun, right?!

Because the whole basis of what Melissa and I teach is having a relationship with the Divine, whenever the absolutely crazy mental shit fun stuff in my head gets cranking, I turn to this relationship.

And every time, without fail, I’m reminded that I’m in the exact right place, with the exact right people, doing exactly the right thing.

It’s just that this exact right thing happens to be a much fuller, richer, more exciting life than the one I used to have. And there’s a part of me –  call it my ego, call it my elf self, call it Jerry – that wants to go back to the “peace” of playing small.

Except, if I’m honest with myself – and my elf, and Jerry – my past wasn’t as sepia-rosy as my mind now paints it.

There was a longing back then, an I’m-not-on-the-right-path-yet knowing, a knowing that was answered by my current life.

So what to do?!

Turn within.

Call on that spiritual practice I’ve spent decades, alone in my room, building.

Indeed, I need it now more than ever.

In the midst of super busy days, I need that Peace.

In the midst of absolutely crazy mental shit fun stuff in my head, I need that Peace.

In order to move forward in alignment with the vision of OhMyGod Life, I need that Peace.

One of the biggest benefits of being a teacher is that you get to teach what you most need to hear.

Luckily for me, I talk a lot about building a relationship with a Higher Power.

And being reminded that my life is guided and sustained by a Source bigger than me? It brings me Peace, every time.

The more that Source pushes me beyond what I thought I was capable of, the more I need Its Peace to stay sane.

Back to those questions I asked at the beginning of this post.

Yes, pursuing your passion is always a good thing.

Yes, there are what could be perceived as downsides. (Like the absolutely crazy mental shit fun stuff in your head.)

And No, the decision to pursue your passion does not automatically result in a clear and easy path to success.

But that’s where perception comes into play.

It doesn’t always feel like a clear and easy path to success, especially when compared to the sepia-rosy of the past.

But it is clear and easy, because Source is in charge.

And when we tap into our relationship with Source and remember Its Peace, we’re good.

Even Jerry would have to agree with that.

What’s your experience with pursuing your passion? Share your comments below!