Olivia’s Outlook: passion

After years of searching for one defining hobby, sport or activity to be passionate about, I have decided that not every person has a passion. Because I am constantly in a state of feeling out of place or feeling like I should be somewhere else, doing something else, I constantly search for my passion. Consequently, the idea that some people just do not have one true purpose has begun entering my thoughts.  

Being passionate about something (from an outsider’s point of view) motivates a person to continue living life to the fullest. Passionate people are driven to find ways to maximize everything they learn from that which they are passionate about. This is a seemingly attractive way of living because, with one true passion, a person can funnel all their energy to improving in this one area of their life.  

My attention is constantly divided between my plethora of interests, which makes me feel like I am cheating myself of reaching my full potential in any of these hobbies. I have tried chorus, writing, crochet, baking, cooking, joining different clubs, but I am too indecisive to choose just one thing to focus on. Having this burden of feeling overworked can be stress inducing, the opposite of the effect adopting new hobbies is supposed to have. 

Distributing my attention to multiple pastimes is equally enjoyable and disquieting; its effects are high and low. Feeling guilty has become a constant in my life because I feel as if I am not devoted to one occupation at any given time. I love the activities I partake in, but it is often difficult to enjoy one part of life without missing out on some aspect of another. Another downside to having multiple interests is the requirement of making sacrifices.  

Transferring into the International Baccalaureate Program forced me to choose between chorus and newspaper, the two electives I have taken since my freshman year of high school. The structured schedule of the program annihilates any hopes of having freedom with classes. Of course, I would not have transferred into IB if it did not have so many advantages for me personally. Academically, this was a better fit for me, but it was sad that I had to give up so much freedom to make this change. 

With various interests, it is difficult to choose between extracurriculars due to their often overlapping schedules. Making one choice over another stops development of one skillset to increase the development of another. My experience with lacking a singular passion has driven me to make sacrifices which has taught me how much I value some skills over others.  

The lack of devotion to a single path of interest in my life has allowed me to augment experiences with an open mind. I have learned to apply concepts to multiple parts of my life and enhance my knowledge with a variety of examples. Frankly, I do not see myself showcasing one defining passion anytime soon and I have learned to accept this while making the most of what I have.