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We talk a lot about pursuing our passions and following our dreams. What is the difference between the two? Which one should we focus on first?

Submitted by: BR

Answered by: Lisa Garber, M.Ed. CPCC

I think that dreams are the fantasies we have about something that might happen some time in the future. For example, I have a dream of going on a trip to Hawaii. A passion is something right now that moves us, makes us feel alive and fulfills us. If I were passionate about Hawaii, the culture, the food, the flora, fauna, weather, volcanoes, and history, I’d probably have visited it by now.

My good friend and colleague Jo-ann Ferreira is a Certified Passion Test faciliator. She’d have you sort out your passions by making you choose between two. “If you could only have one, which one would it be. And you can never, ever experience the other. Now pick.” It’s a really difficult process but when you are done, you really do have a list with a definite number one. Working with your Top Five passions is recommended. Once you’re living one easily and fully, you can remove it from the list because it’s going well and you can add another one.

As you might be able to tell, I think focusing on your passions is a more powerful technique. And when you can combine your dreams and passions, you are well on your way to being a Mother on Fire.