Finding Your Passion

This week we read a case study about Erica Mills. She was able to turn her passion for art and design and turn it into a successful greeting card business. What struck me about her story was that it took a trial to put her on the right path. She was in a foreign country not able to speak their native language and without a way to work. Because she was driven, she didn't waste this time but found a way to be productive. She designed greeting cards and taught herself new skills. Mills was able to take her education and job experience and figure out a way to make a business using her passion for art and design. I wonder if she never would have faced the challenge of being in a foreign country if she would have pursued art.

As a mom, it's difficult to remember what my true passions really are. I think it's in my nature to set aside my own needs and interest in order to take care of everyone else. It is going to take some time to rediscover the things that really excite me.

I also enjoyed the talk, Perseverance, by James E. Faust. My favorite quote was, "success is usually earned by persevering and not becoming discouraged when we encounter challenges." Sometimes I want to give up too easily when I am faced with challenges. I just read a quote by Jeffrey R. Holland that seemed to go perfectly with what we've been learning this week. He says, "If for a while the harder to try, the harder it gets, take heart. So it has been with the best people who have ever lived." Everyone faces challenges, adversity, and stumbling blocks but the people we remember are the ones who keep going, keep trying, and never let life's curve balls stop them.