Find your passion

As we get older, time is less on our side, or at least that is what we tell ourselves. Long ago were the days when we spent our free time doing things we loved, when we were driven by our passions.

Back then, ballet was my passion. From three years old, I danced for fifteen years, only stopping for a few months to go on exchange. After I completed my last Royal Academy of Dance Advanced 2 exam, I concentrated on my year twelve studies and then flew to Paris to be an Au Pair for a year. 

During that year I danced on and off. Without the regularity, I saw my technique, flexibility, stamina and strength fade fast. 

Over the ten years since Paris, I have done a bit of jazz and contemporary but not much ballet. I found yoga to be a good substitute. I built up my strength and flexibility, but I missed the music and the dance element.

This year I took the plunge and headed back to the barre. I forgot how much I loved ballet. Without the stress and pressure of ballet exams, I can completely let go in class and dance just for me. Nothing else matters when I am dancing. As cliché as it may sound, it brings me pure joy. 

Do you ever think about your old passions? Maybe it was a big-scale passion like rock climbing or horse riding, or maybe it was small and quirky like collecting stamps or knitting but it made you happy.

When I was younger, people would ask me what I did and I would reply 'ballet'. It was my point of difference, something I could share with others to give them a glimpse of who I was. Nowadays we don't take the time to do those things for ourselves, instead we spend our time on the internet and waste time. 

Do a self-check and ask yourself about those past hobbies. Are they related to who you are today? If you picked it up again, would it make you happy? Perhaps tomorrow is the day to start.

If anything, it makes for a great conversation starter.

Lei xx