Ephiphany

I figured out what I want to write about.

If you're going to take on a project, it has to involve something you are truly passionate about. Something that you do without anyone telling you or pushing you-- often it is something you can't help spending time and money on.

The trick to people who are successful is that they acknowledge when they're stuck on something. There's a need, there's a drive, they can't help it. While watching one of my two favorite YouTube makeup gurus today, I heard her say something that stuck with me. Why does she spend all that time going to the store, buying makeup, testing it, blogging about it, buying more, testing more, rinse and repeat, and then more video blogging?

She just loves it. She loves makeup, she loves trying new colors, techniques, products. I'm trying to think now if there was something special about the way she articulated it to really drive this home, but I don't remember specific words and I can't find any key moment of exaltation in the videos I watched today.

No magic sentence or phrase to immortalize her love affair with makeup in my head, but I can just tell she is addicted to it, and all she is doing is sharing her addiction with the world. It's her passion.

The difference between her and me is that she embraces what she loves. First she is actively conscious of it and acknowledges it. Second, she embraces it. She doesn't hold back. Everyone else's instinct and conditioning is to hide or downplay what they love. To not let it consume them, to let it cool off. Even to hate themselves for wasting time with it. After all, what can come from something you love?