A GLANCE INSIDE MY MIND: PASSIONS

Many people spend their whole lives searching for their passion — that one thing that changes their lives and consumes their thoughts. Some people find their passion quickly and easily, whether it be writer, painting, dancing, making music — those kinds of “traditional” passions.

As a young child, I distinctly remember struggling to find my passion as all of my friends seemed to know theirs from the beginning. In my group of friends, their passions were singing, music, drawing and acting, and then there was me. The fact that I had yet to find the thing that made life worth living caused me a lot of anxiety from a young age. I began to try many different things from music, to horseback riding, to acting, in hopes of forcing a passion upon myself. Needless to say, most of these ended in disaster, and my parents were definitely not happy that I was out of my horseback riding phase after they had gone out and bought me a horse … oops.

I continued trying out different things until grade 10, when I heard of a group in my high school who were going to volunteer in Kenya, Africa. Accompanied by my mom and a giant hiking backpack, we set off to what would be the first taste of discovering my passion — travelling.

Since that trip to Kenya in 2012, my mom and I have been to Mexico, Dominican Republic, Switzerland, Florida, Texas, New York City, Ireland, England, and this past summer, Scotland.

It is so difficult for me to put into words the effect that travelling has on my soul. When I’m traveling and exploring an unknown place, it’s as if I am living my best life to its full potential. I also believe that travelling has humbled me, in a sense. Knowing that the world is so big and that our place in the universe is so small in comparison has honestly changed the way I live and view life.

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.”

– Saint Augustine

Even the small journey to attend university 5 hours away from my hometown is enough to satisfy my travelling needs … until I can go somewhere more spectacular of course!

For anyone who is struggling to find their passion, don’t rush things! It’s also important to think outside of the box — your passion may not be as common as other people’s. Your passion will find you, and when it does, I hope it changes your life the way travelling changed mine.

-Alyssa xox