Discover Your Passion for Teens

Do you wish you that when you graduate that could do what you wanted to do every day and still earn money? All of this is possible once you know what your passion is and know how to put that passion to work. By Session 30, you will have a good idea what your passion is and also how to earn money pursuing that passion. No two people are alike. Everyone has unique talents, knowledge, skills, and abilities. Finding which skill or which talent you most enjoy using will lead you to your passion. Wayne Dyer says, “There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love; there’s only a scarcity of resolve to make it happen.” Even Oprah says, “Your job is to discover what your true calling is.” Therein lies your happiness. The four major objectives of this program are (1) to help teens clarify their passion, (2) to prepare them for a job search or help them find their future business, 3) to familiarize teens with marketing basics, and 4) to help them learn how to make their dreams come true. The quest for my passion began in 1986 when I was working in a wonderful, well known, world-wide, non-profit agency. Every day I dealt with disasters, fires, floods, AIDS, homeless people, abused children, and other very depressing segments of life. I found that I could not divorce myself from my work. I hurt with every client I served. I took their problems and negative feelings home with me. It did not take long before I knew I had to get away from this barrage of calamities and disasters happening in other people’s lives. That’s when I started reading every book I could find on finding my purpose in life. During my tenure at this agency, singer Peggy Lee’s haunting refrain rang in my head, “Is that all there is? Is that all there is? Is that all there is, my friend?” I first heard this song when I was in my 20’s; then it was nothing more than a popular song I sang along with. Those single years were fun-filled, career-driven, opportunity-laden times crammed with working and dating and finally marrying “Mr. Right.” There was neither time nor inclination to wonder if I were making a difference in the world or even if I were on the right path. I hummed along to the lilting tune in my 30’s, the years that saw me tending babies, decorating a new home, cooking, cleaning, raising children, and making ends meet. I was too busy and too tired to do anything but live in the present, where I heard the constant refrains: “She hit me!” “Don’t touch!” “Sit down.” “No!” “Yes.” “I’ll count to three.” “Please - stop - screaming!” These were my daily tunes. Hugs and kisses were my rewards, and life was exactly as it should have been. It was not until my 40’s that the implication of that refrain struck me. “Is that all there is?” This is it? My two challenging and rewarding careers in my 20’s were great. Delightful part time jobs as I raised my children were fun. My kids and husband were my existence in my 30’s and 40’s. The children grew up and are now wonderful adults, and my husband has become more and more immersed in his own activities. Now what? Is this it? “Is that all there is?” During my early 40’s, a friend and I attended the funeral of an elderly gentleman who had lived an incredibly successful life. He had numerous inventions and patents to his credit. He had initiated a philanthropic organization, and he had left a large, wealthy, caring family. Indeed, to our minds, he had truly left his footprints in the sands of time. The eulogies for him were magnificent--effusive in their praise of his life--and up-lifting. On the way out of the church, my friend, who is one of the sweetest, most caring ladies I have ever known and who is also a fantastic cook, said in a depressed voice, “What have I done in life? My tombstone will read, ‘Here lies Marge. She made a great meatloaf.’” I chuckled. She didn’t. For me, this was the turning point, the event that triggered my intense search to find my passion. For some reason, her comment stayed in my mind, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Marge, indeed, has make a difference on this planet, doing what she does best. She is the one who has taken care of people who were in need. It was she who made people feel special on their birthdays and holidays through her kindness and her cooking. What she considered mundane, her friends recognized as truly special. The point, however, is that while others may think what you do is special, you have to also; otherwise, you will never feel as if you are living the life you should be living. You have to feel that your life has been fulfilled in some way. And you can, if you believe you have fulfilled your passion. First, however, you have to discover it. You have to focus on what will fulfill you. Your goal is to find a life’s work that inspires passion and earns you money. One that sustains energy. One that seduces you. One that won’t leave you alone. One which you think about wherever you are, whatever you are doing. When you discover your life’s work, you will realize that you already have the gift to make it happen. Life has endowed us with the ability, even if unknown to us at the present moment, to fulfill the mission for which we were put on this earth. That is the primary purpose of this course: for students to find fulfillment in their lives and be able to be financially solvent.