Pursuing Passion is a mini series written by the lovely Serena of Spillerena that will be on Undeniable Style for the next month. Hope you’ll check back often!
Hello lovely readers of Undeniable Style, I am delighted to be here. Thank you for having me!
Today I am writing about passion and inspiration. About six months ago I found myself in a horrible slump.The only day of the week I was able to fully enjoy was Saturday, because it was the only day in which I didn’t dread going to work the next day. It wasn’t that my job was a bad job, it was that it wasn’t fulfilling me in the ways I had hoped it would. I wasn’t passionate about it whatsoever, and that lack of passion started to creep into other parts of my life. I was living for the weekends and unhappy most of the weekdays. I felt uninspired and apathetic. I was in a terrible rut.
Unfortunately, I needed this job, so leaving wasn’t an option.
So what did I do? Well, I’m embarrassed to admit it, but at first, I just whined and complained a lot. I whined about my unhappiness to anyone that would listen. Oh, my poor husband, he bore the brunt of it!
However, after a few months of constant whining, I realized that this wasn’t getting me anywhere. In fact, it was making me more unhappy. I {finally} decided to stop whining and start acting, and I embarked on a mission to “find my passion†in life. I wanted to do more of the things that would make my heart sing, and find ways to add more inspiration and passion to my daily life. It’s hard to change your life when you are still unsure what exactly it is you want to do with it, but I figured that this was a good first step.
When Kate suggested I share my tips for living a more passionate and inspired life, I jumped at it! I’m not claiming to be an expert by any means, and I’m still not sure what my main “passion in life” is, but I’ve learned a lot since I embarked on this journey I call my “passion pursuit.” I’ve been living a much more purposeful life, and I’ve been a lot happier because of it.
So here it goes…
Today’s tip for living a more inspired life:Â Stop Comparing
Oh, this is so easy to say, and yet so hard to do {at least for me}. We live in a consumer driven society where we are constantly surrounded by beautiful things and beautiful people. It’s easy to fall into the comparison trap and compare your life to others, be it your apartment, your wardrobe, your job, your salary, your blog…the list could go on and on. The problem with this is that not only is it bad for you, it’s bad for others around you. It leads to jealousy, which doesn’t look good on anyone. Plus, when you are constantly comparing what you don’t have to what others do have, you miss out out on so many great sources of inspiration. Make a mental effort to stop comparing, and stick to it every time you find yourself going there. Instead, be happy for the person that has something you admire, and try to look at it as inspiration. This has been HUGE for me. As the wise Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” It really truly is.

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Serena – thanks for introducing me to Kate’s blog! Kate – your style blog is great and adding it to my list! This tip couldn’t have come at a better time! i’ve been feeling down about some things and comparing was taking me to a lower low. thanks for the surge of fresh air!
Thanks for stopping by Jean!
Great post, Serena and SO TRUE. I love that Teddy Roosevelt quote…I need to work on this area big time…so thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Serena, great advice and I love that quote from Roosevelt. I think just having it in the back of our minds to stop comparing helps. It is a natural thing to do and with the advent of facebook and instagram people’s lives look cooler than ever. It’s good to be reminded that there is plenty of opportunity out there – jealously doesn’t lead anywhere good.
I love this post!