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Did you ever wonder how some people manage to find time for 'hobbies' and 'pastimes' when you are only JUST fitting in everything you HAVE to do in the space of each 24 hours? The answer is passion.

It's been said many times before, but the phrase ' if you want something badly enough you'll get it' is 110% relevant to our everyday lives.

Are you passionately committed to keeping a clean and tidy house? Then I would hazard a guess that your house is clean and tidy most of the time.

Are you passionately committed to your job and promotion prospects? The chances are you are on your way up that ladder right now.

However, the majority of us live our lives according to the passions and sometimes the whims of everyone around us. Why? Because we never stop to think what we actually WANT, what we actually LOVE or what we are actually passionate about.

Do you really, deep down in your soul, believe that the world will fall apart and no-one will like you if you don't keep your house clean? If so, then take a few tiny baby steps out of that box for a moment and remember the dust will always be there tomorrow... your friends or your dreams may not. Phew..

Now there's a kick in the teeth.

I often imagine I would like a clean and tidy house fit for a royal visit. But I'm never able to commit myself to the time and energy it requires - Why? Because I'm NOT passionate about housework. Never have been, never will be. I would rather spend time with my family and friends, chatting on the phone, going for long walks or dancing the night away. And guess what - a royal has yet to turn up on my doorstep un-announced!

Sometimes our passions get mixed up with will power or focus or even concentration.

I said I should give up smoking for years. Course I should. It's bad for you. My problem was that I DIDN'T WANT TO. No, I enjoyed smoking, so I carried on doing it.

Funny how it's easier to carry on doing the things you enjoy isn't it?

So we come straight back to passion... what do you like to do? Make a list. Write it all down. Even the stuff you know you 'shouldn't' do. You can sift that out later when you WANT to. But before you start your list, consider each passion carefully.

Do you really want a clean and tidy house for YOU or is it just so the neighbours won't say bad things about you when they drop in for coffee? If you are using your precious time to keep on the 'good' side of other people, pause for a moment and remember that those other people are definately NOT perfect. There will be areas of their lives you will not agree with - I guarantee!

I once had a neighbour who informed the world and it's mother she believed cleanliness was next to Godliness and spent all day every day cleaning her house. In the 12 years I lived next door to her, I don't believe I ever saw another person step over her threshold, apart from her family. Her passion was to have a clean and tidy house.

Well, I guess that was okay for her, but I couldn't help feeling sorry for her family who were not allowed to invite friends home, make a mess, or get dirty when out playing. Her passion became an obsession. The reasons behind her actions were her own, but I didn't see her smile very often and laughter was a long way from her face. So why did she behave in this way? Perhaps she believed that was her place in the world and no-one could fault her if she performed her duties to the utmost of her ability.

Her children moved out as quickly as they could and her long-suffering husband moved in with a lady who cared more for him than the dust bugs. And who could blame him?

Winding down?

Most of us are committed to spending a certain amount of hours every day working, often for someone else, just to earn enough money to get through to the next paycheck. Does this sound like you?

At the end of the working day, we need to find somnething to make us feel good, to enable us to endure the next day's hard graft.

Governments are wise to this formula and have enabled the average working man/woman to be able to afford entertainment in their homes. Television keeps us sane - or does it? Television helps us wind down - or does it? Television makes us happy - or does it?

I don't watch television. I've always felt, although there are some great programmes and lots of learning to be gained, the television companies are determining WHAT we watch and WHEN we watch it.

I want to decide those things for myself.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a cold sales call one evening. The woman trying to sell me their latest phone package deal referred to a television advert. I told her I was unaware of this advert because I don't watch TV. She kept me talking for approximately 10 minutes during which time she referred me to this particular TV advert a further 4 times, and each time I assured her I had not seen it because I don't watch television. She DID NOT believe me. Or she just wasn't listening.

Is this what we have come to, - everyone in our region watches the same adverts, the same programmes, the same news stories every single day or night? Yep, I guess we have. The masses are kept under control. We are all thinking the same thoughts. Our brainwaves are tuned to the exact same brand of fish fingers being the best thing for our kids since sliced bread - hmm a debateable point! And we have no time left for ourselves.

Step out of the box.

Find your passions in life. Make a list and seriously consider each thing you write down. Is it what you want or is it what you think other people want from you. Remember your life is yours alone.

You may be responsible for the care of others, children, parents, the sick or needy. But ultimately this is YOUR life. You only get one shot at it.

Don't waste another minute watching those adverts - you can watch the exact same ones tomorrow if you so wish. Believe me they won't go away!

Television is one of the biggest time-consumers. And every moment you are watching, your life is ticking away. Scary huh? But true!

This article is not written as an anti-TV commercial. There is a place for TV in our lives and it is after all the fastest way of absorbing news from around the world. BUT, and this is a big but, most of us grab the remote control, and settle for the least boring channel of the moment.

And each minute you spend watching that boring channel could be spent enjoying one of the passions in your life.

Every moment you watch that grinning fisherman feeding the latest shape fish in breadcrumbs to a bunch of kids, is a waste of your life.

Try this experiment to find time for YOU in your life...

1. Make a list of your passions - remember they MUST be YOUR passions, no-one else's

2. Pick one and find time for it.

Now how easy is that!!!

Many years ago I learned to knit. Knitting has had a bad press for as long as I can remember. -Knitting's for grannies - well, I am a granny now, and I knit less than I ever did! - Knitting is boring, time consuming. Who needs to spend three months making a jumper you can buy down the thrift shop for pennies.

But I enjoyed the challenge. New yarns and stylish pattern designs make knitting fun and fast, and I can knit even if I am watching TV, albeit a rare occurence for me personally!

Knitting can be picked up during the adverts and worked at for 5 or 10 minutes at a time. The equipment takes up very little space. It's cheap - often costing nothing - to set up. And best of all, for me, knitting is completely incompatible with eating chocolate. I like to get out my knitting during the adverts rather than diving into the fridge!

Knitting is my passion, and over the years I have learned to design my own clothes, toys and many practical household items. And, although at moments in my life I have had to live within an incredibly tight budget, I have always found the materials needed to be able to continue with my hobby.

Knitting is MY passion....what's yours?

Reading? Writing Poetry? Stamp collecting? Scrapbooking? or maybe your passions lie outside your four walls - Gardening? Tennis? Gym Club?

Find your passion and you will find the time AND resources to carry it through. You may even turn your hobby into a thriving business. Books have been written on the subject. I am on my way to creating a knitting empire at the moment.... Look out for me!!