Gypsy Living

“If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.” -Bishop T.D. Jakes POSITIVE PURPOSE IS THE INTENT IN ALL WE DO Positive purpose surpasses simply having a passion for something. It runs much deeper, aligning you with your life’s destiny and mission. Do you know your purpose on Earth? Do you know why you are here at this time, in this place, with these circumstances? I hope that inside your fire is being stoked, the eye of the storm is building, and your passion is turning from a dull pink to a vibrant red! If not, don’t worry, it isn’t as hard as you think once you set an intention to connect to it. Stay open, breathe, and allow yourself to connect with your inner gypsy spirit as we continue to go a level deeper into positive purpose. The world needs more people that are passionate, however, we must go a step beyond passion, for when we live passionately we are like a ship in a storm without a compass. I figured out the hard way that passion alone is not enough. One day, I found my passion had run out and it felt as if my insides had become battered and hardened. While passion is wonderful, it is not sustaining. I wrote this poem, initially thinking of my past when I realized how many of us fall into this trap. If you have lived passionately and have been hurt in some way, there is hope and understanding. Maybe you can relate. Passionate people! You energy balls! You have lived with zeal and zest, and will inevitably fall. But in this fall, worry not, all will be well, for one of life’s greatest lessons, I will now tell. Life with passion seemingly surpasses all, for a time, it is enough, until you hit the wall. So be careful for passion can turn on a dime, It will drive you and thrill you and keep you for a time. Until one day it will seem not enough, your skill and talents, maybe you’re not quite so tough. And then one day you will fall down and wonder, what has all this been for? Was it all just a blunder? And slowly you will begin to learn, more about you, and life’s true purpose you’ll turn. You will begin to harness life’s greatest lesson, no need to grab a Smith & Wesson. Although the pit of despair is deep, for those who are unwilling to walk as sheep. The pit and the depth, shows us we are just human, no need to despair there is no show called Truman. For all that you lacked, was a deeper meaning, I know that you felt it, think of it as part of your mortal cleaning. Positive purpose brings meaning to life, passion can leave us with anger and strife. So recognize all as a part of the plan, of becoming the best you that you possibly can. Your life’s experiences are the perfect prescription, one in which years ago would have read like encryption. And now you can see that the highs and the lows, were not really life’s box in the ring blows. They were simply your teachers for life’s greater meaning, the true test of time is those who endure life’s screening. For a life full of purpose is a purposeful life, those words now have meaning because of the knife. The knives of life you endured seemed sharp at the time, but look back on it now, it’s all just a rhyme. You have chosen to live a life fuller of purpose, embrace who you are, and live life to the fullest. For years, I thought the capital “P” stood for passion. And although I would say I am a passionate person, it is my positive purpose that keeps me aligned with my destiny. Why? Having passion is very singular. It is you or me. We likely say, “Oh yes, she is a very passionate person!” This is how we define or describe some individuals. On the other hand, positive purpose is you and I working together as a team. Purpose is much larger and grander than passion because it brings people (gypsies) together for a common goal, vision, or purpose. I experienced this as I dove head first into fitness after my eight-year career in the mortgage industry ended in 2008. It had served my family and I well, but ultimately it was not fulfilling for me. One day at the gym one of the fitness instructors asked me if I had heard of Zumba ™ Fitness. I had not. She said, “You ought to try it. You would like it and would we be really good at it.” That was all the encouragement I needed. A month later, there happened to be a training at the gym I was attending so I decided to give it a try. Although I had not been to one class ever, she was right, I was good at it. Something inside of me sparked to life and I felt an instant passion for it. Although it took me a few weeks of non-stop practicing, it became clear that leading others by being a physical example was something I had a knack for. A few months later, we opened a fitness business called The Warehouse in Southern Utah. The stage and lighting was the perfect atmosphere for our classes, and within a few months, I had 70-100 students, five days a week. For the next two years, I ran a flourishing fitness business, improved my skills, add fitness certifications to my resume, taught new formats, and dreamed bigger than I ever had before. When we sold the business and moved to South Carolina, Zumba ™ Fitness hired me as a choreography specialist (aka Zumba Jammer ™ or ZJ).