Find the joy in teaching your passion
(OMTimes | Liesha Petrovich) It’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day grind that we forget our quest for consciously creating a purposeful lifestyle.
Teach your passion
The lawnmower breaks down, the dog needs a few teeth removed, and you need to plan a baby shower. Add in work, yoga and perhaps getting the dishes done this week, and somehow you forget that your life’s purpose isn’t accomplishing your to-do list.
We all get caught up in our crazy, chaotic lives. Yet, if we don’t consciously take steps to live our passion, we’ll just be surviving and not actually be living. One of my favorite ways to incorporate our passions into our everyday lives is to teach. Sharing what we love with others can be an incredible part of a purposeful life.
And the best part is that anyone can be a teacher, mentor or coach today. It’s all a matter of accepting the challenging.
Anyone can teach their passion
I never set out to be a teacher. But stumbled into the martial arts when I married my husband, and 23 years later, I’m still happiest teaching karate to elementary school kids. Their tiny accomplishments simply make my day, and it’s incredibly rewarding when they come back and tell me how much they enjoyed taking my class years later. It’s the best job in the world.
And with today’s technology, there are no limits or boundaries on teaching one’s passion. You don’t need a special degree, just the desire to share what you love with others. In blog your Passion, Jonathan Milligan explains his goal is to teach 1000 people how to quit their day jobs and work as full-time bloggers. In an interview with Kajabi, the platform he uses to host his membership site, Milligan explains:
“Many people do not realize that when they tap into their passion and begin to share it with others, new energy starts to show up in their lives. Don’t get caught in the lie that life is supposed to be stressful and exhausting all the time. There is another way to live.”
Some may want to create an online course while others may want to share helpful tips on YouTube. And the best part is there are no barriers and no limits on what’s possible to learn online. There are now teaching platforms available for anyone who has the desire to help people learn something new.
Find your local tribe
Some people love the personal connection that can only be found when teaching face-to-face. That moment when a student’s face lights up when they learn something new is priceless. Of course, it can be nerve-wracking to teach anything face-to-face, but it’s also a great opportunity to expand your comfort zone and try something new.
In You Can Become More Confident, Right Now, Marcia Sirota shares how accepting challenges will help us increase our confidence:
“Take on reasonable challenges, to begin with. See that you’re able to meet these challenges. Then, take on slightly more difficult challenges, and match these as well. Your confidence will grow, and you’ll create a positive spiral of doing more, feeling better and better, and being able to do even more.”
Of course, you’ll make a ton of mistakes. You’ll say the wrong thing or a class plan will fall apart mid-lecture. I spoke at a parent’s group years ago and started talking about testicles when I really meant tentacles. I couldn’t understand why the parents were laughing so hard until one explained my mistake. Learning not to take myself so seriously is one of the best lessons I could have ever learned.
Start with a talk at a local non-profit, church or community group. Think about teaching an adult-ed class or give a presentation at a festival or celebration. Offer to be an assistant for a teacher you admire or share a little about your passion with a friend. You’ll increase your confidence while sharing your passion and you’ll soon be comfortable teaching bigger classes.
Still nervous? Start a passion project
If the thought of teaching is still overwhelming, consider starting a passion project. You could start writing a blog, create a Pinterest page to share your work or even self-publish a book. These are all great ways to share your ideas, tips or experiences with others who have the same interests.
For example, blogging is an easy, informal way to teach others about your passion. Many amazing teachers started out sharing tips on a blog. Kate Taylor, from the popular cooking blog Cookie and Kate, shares a little about her passion:
“You should know that I’m totally obsessed with food. I daydream about new recipes. I devour cookbooks (I even wrote my own). I read up on food policy and nutrition. I love photographing food and hope my photos inspire you to step into the kitchen to cook a delicious, healthy meal.”
While not a formal teacher, Kate teaches her readers how to create new culinary masterpieces every day. She takes them through a step-by-step process and strives to inspire others to cook healthy meals. That’s the kind of passion project is incredibly fulfilling while being extremely easy to start. Free blogging platforms like Blogger or Tumblr allow anyone to share their passion with the world without the formality of becoming an actual teacher.
Living your passion
Maybe teaching your passion will turn into a full-time job and maybe it won’t. But that’s not the point. The goal is to find tremendous joy in sharing what you’re most passionate about. It’s about incorporating what makes you happiest into your busy and chaotic life. It’s about creating the kind of lifestyle where your passion is a priority.
I know it’s easy for me to say those words and it can be nerve-wracking to put into action. But unless you consciously create space in your life to share your passion, you can easily get caught up in the daily grind where simple joys are overlooked in the pursuit of finishing your to-do-list.
I can’t imagine a world where I don’t teach what I love. I can’t fathom not having that simple joy of making a difference in someone’s life to get me through my toughest days. So, while I know it may be intimidating at first, it’s totally worth the challenge.
About the author
Liesha Petrovich is a writer by day and Kyokushin Black Belt by night. She’s the author of Zen Business: Your Pathway from Chaos to Harmony. She talks freelancing adventures at Microbusiness Essentials.
Source: OmTimes
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