A few words on passion...

It's been told to me before that I am a passionate person. Though this was said in regards to me feeling so strongly about a situation that I lost my temper completely, it got me thinking: passion is everything. I know it's cliche and said time and time again, but it is so important.

It's taken me a long time to find my passions. I remember being in middle school and high school, watching countless scores of my peers join clubs they were in love with and pursue classes they adored. I also remember sitting back, drifting through my adolescent years wondering if I would ever have the same spark they seemed to have obtained. Sure, I had liked being on color guard enough, and my classes suited me fine, but nothing gave me much of a drive or motivation to do anything. 

Then college hit. It became a time to reinvent myself and break out from under the worrisome umbrella that high school had me hidden under. I joined a sorority, pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and I really began to get serious about this little blog of mine. While it may seem silly to most, this corner of the internet has become a safe haven of sorts for me.

I owe a lot to this blog. Lauren State of Mind has given me the outlet I chased after in my younger years. This space is mine, and I am free to do with it as I please. Most importantly, this space has directed me to my passion. 

"Find what you love and let it kill you." - Charles Bukowski 

Through LSoM, I've realized how insanely passionate I am about social media, and I've fallen back in love with the written word. People sometimes laugh when I tell them that Instagram is my favorite social media platform, and I've gotten the typical run-of-the-mill looks when I tell people I have a blog, but this is what I love and what I'm passionate about. It may have taken me some time to figure out what I enjoy doing, but it has made all the difference in who I am. 

Even more so, discovering my passion has led me to new people. People like Auj, who have dedicated whole months to helping me with a single speech, to people like Erin who have continually reminded me to never stop pursuing what I love. It's led me to people like Abby, who inspire me to live a life full of firsts, and even to people like my sisters, or even Matt, who just take the time to read the nonsense that is sometimes Lauren State of Mind and support it (and me) no matter what the post is.

I guess what I'm trying to say from this long-drawn entry is just this: 

Find your passion. Find what you love and let it kill you. Once you have it, grab hold and don't let go. Let it motivate you, let it ignite a fire within you, and let it drive you. It doesn't matter how long it may take you to find it, so long as you do. Once you've found your passion, it changes everything...