Daily demands turn life’s passions to afterthoughts
Huan Vo
Every person has a passion of their own, may it be music, martial arts, or writing. But from time to time, people lose their passion.”Passion is something that energizes you and fills you with life and joy,” said Thomas Schmidt, a faculty member in the psychological science department. And once in a while, the passion battery may run out.
There are many reasons for this.
Brandon Cantrell, marketing major, said he played basketball every day for four years before he stopped playing competitively in junior high.
“I practiced, I ran, I played ball every day,” Cantrell said. “Eventually, it became an everyday drag, so I stopped.”
Cantrell said he still plays basketball but it’s just for fun, and he will not play competitively again.
People tend to spend a lot of time doing things they’re passionate about.
“That can turn their passion into something monotonous and joyless,” Schmidt said.
Another reason is people just might be too busy to find time for their passion.
“Sometimes people get overwhelmed with other things,” Schmidt said. “They don’t really lose passion, but they have to stop spending time with things they like to take care of other (things).”
Pierce Sarmiento, music major, was raised around music. He can play saxophone, guitar, and piano. But that doesn’t mean he can spend all his time playing music.
“I remember I had to spend this whole summer taking care of family matters,” Sarmiento said. “And for a while, my instruments broke so I couldn’t play as much.”
Because music has been a part of Sarmiento’s life, he’s been able to find joy in playing music again. Not everyone can do that.
“I used to love running,” said Brad Williams, physics major. “But then I got caught up with school and work, and I just couldn’t run as much as I wanted too. I’m just too busy to run.”
But losing passion for something doesn’t mean that passion is gone completely.
“If people want to regain passion for something, the best way to do is to go back to the basic,” Schmidt said. “They should look for reasons why they love doing it in the first place.”
In addition, people can work around a schedule in order to have the time they need to nourish their passion.
In addition, being among people who share the same passion also helps.
“It’s good to share with people who have similar interests,” Schmidt said. “It’s fun and it can take your passion to a new level.
