Do not romanticize passion, give it a break

We Filipinos have a tendency to romanticize things. We romanticize almost anything, whether it’s our passion, our dreams, or life in general.

“If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

This adage is undoubtedly familiar to all of us. Perhaps some of us have made it our daily motivation or life mantra. There is nothing wrong with this saying; not until we rely on passion alone to the point of romanticizing it.

Apparently we all have a passion for something. And we look up to passion as a measurement of our success, especially here in the Philippines. We define success as having the ability to follow one’s own passion. “He’s successful because he does what he wants” (if you know what I mean).

But how does it actually feel to follow your passion? It must be nice to have to pursue your passion. It offers us a means of escape, self-expression, discoveries, self-gratification, as well as a means of diversion and healing. You are able to do whatever you want to achieve. What you had previously only imagined as your career, you are now living out. Congratulations! You are fortunate to have been pursuing your passion.

However, following your passion is not always a bed of roses. The time will come when you’ll get tired. Even if you love what you do, you will be worn-out and exhausted. That’s when what you used to enjoy becomes more of an obligation than something you look forward to doing. But that’s a normal thing to experience. Just as we may over time grow weary and give up, our passion can slowly lose its fire until it loses its gleam. When that moment comes, our typical response will be “I need to reignite the fire of my passion,” or “I need to reawaken my passion and get back on track as soon as possible.” And guess what? I suggest you let it die.

Do not romanticize passion

We Filipinos have a tendency for romanticizing things. Whether it’s our passion, goals, or life in general, we romanticize almost anything. But, as much as I hate to break it to you, life is not quite as beautiful and romantic as we fantasize it. Sometimes, life throws us the total opposite of romance. I understand that we romanticize things because we wish to see them in a positive way. However, this romance can easily blind us to life’s harsh realities. The tendency when we are so passionate, we give everything until we have nothing left to give. Even when things are already tough or we’ve hit rock bottom, our mindset remains “It’s okay, I like what I’m doing.” We have so much faith in our passion that we make it appear refined and flawless. But there is always an unfavorable aspect to everything. No matter how much we desire to dream high and ponder, we must occasionally return to reality. And romanticizing passion can lead us to lose touch with reality. We don’t want to turn our passion into toxicity, so don’t romanticize it.

Let your passion die, or at least give it a break

I used to be envious of people who never let their passions wane or who never let anything get in the way of them. I find it admirable how passionate they remain in the face of difficulties and rejections that may be present. But as I become older and experience different life circumstances, I’ve come to the realization that it’s okay to lose interest in things. that it’s acceptable if something you used to do enthusiastically suddenly feels like a burden. It’s normal to occasionally lose interest, just as it’s acceptable to let your passion fade or eventually die.

What to do next?

Being passionate about something is not a bad thing. But as I’ve previously said, things start to go astray when we rely solely on passion. Unfortunately, it isn’t something that we should rely on everyday. It’s not always there for us to hold on to. Perhaps, sometimes, we need to turn off the light for a while and rest our burning passion to save ourselves from living a pointless life. So we can take a moment to be grateful for what we already have and allow ourselves to rest. And for those who are having trouble reviving their passion, don’t force yourself to bounce back immediately after feeling this way. Take your time and seek new ways to renew your passion. Start anew, reflect, endure and look for new things to be passionate about that will give your life meaning and purpose.