by Lloyd Reeb
If passion is the fuel that drives us, and if it’s an essential ingredient to a sustainable second half filled with meaning and impact, then … what do you do if you cannot find your passion?
Few things in the season we call “halftime” are as frustrating as reaching a point where you want more. You have the margin and health to pursue a second career or new adventure. You see others living in their sweet spot lost in something bigger than themselves, but that “something” is elusive for you. Strangely, you are not alone. There are several reasons that many of us have this challenge.
Faced with obligations and responsibility, we may have turned our “dreamer” off decades ago. Finding our passion is about learning to listen to our heart and we may need to relearn that skill. Our passion may be hidden in plain view – so we may simply need others around to help us see it. We may have been so focuse
d on one niche that we have little exposure to the wide array of needs and opportunities out there. Our deepest passion may be around what we can bring to an issue or a cause rather than a specific cause itself.
Over the next few months, I am going to use this column to provide four case studies that illustrate each of these obstacles along with ideas to help you move past them. If you see yourself in one of these case studies, I encourage you to invest an hour on the phone with a Halftime coach to leverage their expertise to move you deeper into discovering your passion.
Case Study #1: “I Turned My Dreamer Off”
Story: One successful attorney told me she turned her “dreamer” off when they had kids. She felt responsible for so many things that her own dreams had to go on hold. When she told me that she found she can’t turn her dreamer back on in 15 minutes, it crystallized for me a common experience we have to retrain ourselves to listen to our heart.
Action: Read the USA Today or WSJ for a week cover to cover, NOT for information, but as you read it ask yourself, “what makes me angry, sad or makes me want to tear the article out and go do something about it?” This simple exercise illustrates the process of learning to listen to our heart. We begin the journey to discover our passion when we let our heart break for something in this world that breaks God’s heart.
Part 2 of Lloyd’s article will be sent in a few weeks. Until then, if you think one of our programs at the Halftime Institute is right for you, CONTACT US and we’ll have someone call you. We’ve been serving people in this unique season of halftime for over 15 years and would love to serve you as well.
Lloyd has had the privilege of investing 20 years helping leaders plan their second half. He helped launch the Halftime Institute, a global team that teach, coach and connect successful men and women in pursuit of significance.
In Lloyd’s words, “When all you've done or own seems to matter less …and your heart craves more meaning, joy and balance...when something triggers in your mind that you're entering your second half of life and you're unsure what your calling is for the next season... you’re in Halftime.”
Lloyd has taken the Halftime message around the world: speaking, teaching and coaching individuals through the journey. As a result, he understands the issues that surround your Halftime in a deep and practical way.
He is the author of From Success to Significance: When the Pursuit of Success Isn’t Enough, which is a road map for this mid-life transition. His book The Second Half: Real stories, Real adventures, Real Significance provides compelling evidence that your second half could be the most creative and productive season of your life.
Lloyd and his wife, Linda, have written the book Halftime for Couples. His latest e-book is Finally Connected: Deep, Rewarding Relationships in your Second Half.
Lloyd and Linda live on Lake Norman in North Carolina. They have three adult children - 2 daughters and 1 son - plus a daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and 1 granddaughter.
Checkout Lloyd's articles:
Five Powerful Halftime Habits
Seeing the Hero In Being A Servant
A Write Way to Find Clarity
Check out Lloyd's TEDx Talk:
The Most Productive Years of Your Life May Surprise You
I am very interested in this topic!I am searching frantically.
So thankful God has made it so clear what my passions are. Loved having coffee with someone yesterday in their 20’s who shares my passion for fitness and has left his job to go after his passion! His dad’s a Halftimer!
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