Living Your Passion – A New Wealth For Everyone

I decided to live a life of passion when my father was killed in a car crash in 1998. He was 59 years old.  Making every second I am alive count, has been my way of making sense of both his life and his sudden death.  That is why, following our daughter’s birth instead of pursuing our rising city careers we moved to the country in 2004. This is the passion I live at present and the meaningful life that sparked my online therapy practice.  This week I want to inspire you with stories of people who seemingly go against common sense and take risks to live their passion.

It all Starts With One Person with A Vision

True wealth is your passion. One feels alive when the path of the heart is taken.  The joy that comes from following your passion is like surfing a big wave.  Here are some people who have invested in their passion as their wealth:

José Antonio Abreu is a musician, economist, and politician in Venezuella.  He cared about the poverty and social problems in his community.  He did not waste his time and energy in complaining but followed his passion. He decided to teach street kids music in his garage. He said the problems are caused by exclusion and asked the youngsters to put their hearts into their music. From his modest effort a huge system that touched millions of kids’ lives grew. According to official figures, El Sistema consists of over 400 music centers and 700,000 young musicians. The program provides 4 hours of musical training and rehearsal per week day after school, as well as work on the weekends.  The documentary of this movement is totally inspiring.

Similarly a couple in Turkey, Mehmet Selim and Yeliz Baki put their heart and resources in bringing music into the lives of deprived kids in Turkey. To watch and listen the founders and participants of this movement in this documentary makes you simply happy, energized and hopeful. So far they have already reached 5000kids, their aim is to reach 10.000 children by 2020.

My friends Neşe Karabekir and Hakan Çoker have been committed to natural birth as long as I have known them. Since then they have played a very important role in spreading the huge awareness and in initiating cultural shift leading even to political changes.

Filiz Telek first attracted my attention when I noticed how she shared the contents of the workshops she organized.  Her own words may convey the depth of her contribution to life: ‘As I grow wiser and refine my life and work in more alignment with life force, the invitation is to commune with the World in its fullness. The world wants to be seen and witnessed. Following this invitation, I am offering my gift of seeing…what is, what could be, what wants to happen. I am here to live courageously, aroused by the longing of the heart. What if I can deeply listen to the silence of things, look in the eye of the yet unseen, what if I hold the kind of faith sustained by the Source and Great Mystery, who would I be? What could I create?’

Deniz Seyrek, educated as an architect has chosen a life close to nature, away from the big city.  Deeply grateful and blessed by the gifts of nature she wanted to serve life in return. She dedicated herself to save seeds as her gift to mother earth.

Yusra Community Center started in March this year.  My friend Susanne Böhm volunteers full time to provide Syrian kids’s basic needs in Istanbul.

Your Passion Is Your Vision

I often hear young people being advised to give up their passion.  The reason is because it is different. Because it does not necessarily bring money, status, or security.  The only way we feel alive is when we follow our heart’s path.  There is no creativity, no joy on the heartless path, it is a spiritual death. The truth is we cannot afford not following our passion.

Are you following your path?  Are you allowing your children, your partner to follow their passion? What passions have you failed to follow? It is never too late to get on the path where your heart is beating.

I look forward to hearing your experiences.