One of my friends asked me this question and it took me awhile to find an answer. The question never came across my mind since passion just comes to me so naturally. After reflecting on it, asking friends, reading about it, I finally realize one thing: You don’t find passion. You live with it.
Have you ever heard the statement “Happiness is not a destination, it is a way of life”? Or "Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response." ~ Mildred Barthel. I think passion is the same. So many people are wandering through life looking for a passion, a purpose of life, hoping some day passion and purpose will jump from out of nowhere and greet them. For me it’s not a rainbow randomly appearing without prediction, but it’s the multi-color that we decide to paint over our lives.
I have had a lot of passion. Years and years ago during my high school and college time in Vietnam, my passion is my charity group. I wanted to contribute the best I could. Those trips to isolated areas were very tough sometimes. We would sleep on the floor of a temple or a church, shared with each other some pillows and blankets because of course there were no hotels in those areas. It was tired but so fun since we all could share a whole night talking to each other, joking around, singing and going to sleep together. The more hardship, the more I like it (weird, huh?). Sometimes, we went to some poor nursing homes to help clean the place, bathe the residents, take care of their ulcer and diseases.
I think a part of me likes challenge, but the real reason is that I wanted to make the most out of it. I wanted to go to the furthest area, to the poorest communities possible. I didn’t like it easy just hop on hop off to some nearby communities when they don’t even need our help. Whenever I am down, I will think about that time, look through those photos and videos and find my spirit full of passion again. Sure you can say that passion found me through the charity group. But again, people join those activities and barely feel anything or maybe they feel something but do nothing after that to keep the flame living. So it is our choice, not miracle happened.
This is the video of my group taking care of residents in this poor nursing home
This is a video of my group singing and dancing after sitting on a bus for 10 hours to reach the community (our longest trip was 18 hours on bus)
Then I found my passion in studying English. One time a classmate asked if I was passionate about English and I said no. I only wanted to score high on TOEFL so I could apply for the program later. It all started with learning crocheting. My greataunt taught me once when I was about 10 years old. I never practiced after that until years later I saw some cute pictures of crocheting animals. I decided that I should learn crocheting again but by myself with the help of Internet. I looked for free patterns in Vietnamese first, found a few, then happened to come across a lot more free patterns in English. I then realized if I learned crocheting in English, I could learn from people around the world and do a lot more (now I learn knitting, felting, painting, etc from internet)
For the first time in my life I realized how important English was. It opens my eyes and transforms my life. The fact that I can learn anything I want if I know English changes me. I wanted to be able to read, to write, to communicate better. I listened to English songs only, I read lots of books, I talked to myself whenever possible, etc. I didn't do it just because of TOEFL but because I honestly wanted to be good at it. I know it’s also a weird connection between passion in DIY and passion in English. Passion did not come suddenly in my dreams, it came because I wanted to be better everyday at crocheting, and later English.
In a more professional aspect, I love endo because after many failure, I want to be better at it. I wonder what I did wrong, what I learned and what I should do to prevent it happening again. I love esthetic operative because when I look at my restorations and other colleagues’ restorations, I feel the shame and I want to learn the secret to do a better, more natural-looking ones. I love pros because I am not good at it and I have so much to learn. The “so much to learn” excites me in the way “sleeping on the floor of a church” excites me years ago.
When I first started the drafting version of this website, I was overjoy that I kept bouncing my legs for hours. For the first time in my life I now know how to buy a domain, how to build a website and I did it from scratch on my own (of course with some help from one of my friends). It may be nothing for someone, but for me I learnt a new skillset and no matter if the blog is successful or not, I am happy. I want to do my best to build it the way I imagine it should be. I spent hours to read how to create good content, how to make better visual effect, what to avoid, etc. and I always ask myself what else I can do to make it better. I am not a master but I know I am trying my best and that is more important. So passion comes when trying our best at whatever we are doing.
Alert, I don’t do everything with passion cause that will exhaust me. I know how much energy I have and how much I should spend for each activities. I usually pick among all current activities, which one is the most important during that specific time period, and which one can create more positive energy back. My most important duty right now is to finish requirements so I can graduate on time, therefore I spend the most energy on it. This blog helps me to gain positivity and confidence so I can focus better on the previous one so I spend energy second most. I am also not “high” all the time. There is a lot of down time, insecure time when I do nothing, reflect, relax, save energy for when I come back.
Bottom line, you don’t find passion, you choose to live with passion. It comes when one chooses to make the best out of whatever one is doing, when one keeps improving themselves and learning new things. I know this topic has little in common with taking NBDE or applying for dental schools, but I think it’s an important part of life. Whatever you do, either preparing for application or choosing a longer path such as becoming an assistant or hygienist now so you can save up for dental schools later, do it with all your heart but in a smart way. Always asking “what else…” but do not exhaust yourself. Everyone needs a break at some point. It’s good to stop and breathe every now and then as “Life is a marathon not a sprint”.
Also check out this article, I think it is spot on