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We’re nearing the end in our year-long look at The Art of Extreme Self-Care by Cheryl Richardson. This month we look at reigniting your passion for things that you love doing. While you may or may not already have a job that you’re passionate about, in learning how to wake up in November, we take a look at all the things you enjoy doing.

In this chapter, Cheryl talks about how we sometimes forget the things that make us happy as we go about the stresses of daily living. This isn’t necessarily about the job you have, but it’s the things outside of work that can make you happy. Now that we’ve freed up some time in our lives during the past ten months, in November we have time to find those things that make us happy or that used to make us happy.

Cheryl found this out in a department store when she became obsessed with a hat after first walking out of the store without it because of the price. But once she walked away, she couldn’t stop thinking about it and returned to the store when the post-holiday sales were happening.

But she couldn’t find the hat. After speaking to a salesperson, she was allowed into the storage room where she was able to find the hat she was looking for. Luckily, it was 30% off and she bought it.

Once she bought it, Cheryl wondered why she was obsessed with it. She asked what the hat was trying to tell her and realized that it was a symbol for a time when she used to have more care about her fashion. It was a symbol of what she was missing in her life, the person who loved classic outfits and dreamed of creating colorful clothing.

It was time to give that side of herself the permission to Wake-Up! With this knowledge, she wasn’t going to throw away the career that she already had, but instead, she knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to learn how to sew and learn more about fashion, and design.

So, this is now your mission. To find those things that you’re starting to become obsessed with like Cheryl was with the hat. Or images that keep popping up for you. Start with those things you love or keep thinking about.

In the calendar, I ask you to start a list of those things or images that you notice you like and then to make a list of all the things you used to do when you were younger. And then to compare the two lists and see if there is something common between the two. What keeps coming up?

Then ask yourself what that object or image or thing is telling you. Write down whatever occurs to you. And how you can tie it all together into something you want to do.

Perhaps your love of wine is really telling you that you want to take an introductory Sommelier course. Or your love of patterns is leading you to take a quilting class. These aren’t necessarily career or life-changing things, but they are life-enhancing. And isn’t that what Extreme Self-Care is all about?

In the below calendar, I ask you to look at what keeps coming up for you and then to determine why before spending time figuring out three steps that you can take to move you ahead in your new-found (or old-found) passion.

Below are some links that I refer to in the calendar (you can also get to them by clicking on the date in the calendar.)
The Secret to Finding Your Passion
Being Multi-Passionate Opens Opportunities
Why Some of Us Don’t Have One True Calling
Screw Finding Your Passion
Why You Will Fail to Have a Great Career


As always the best way to use the calendar is to read all of the items first.  Find out where you might need to plan in advance like scheduling tests or making appointments.  Below is the calendar and here is a link to the November Wake-Up Calendar.

Take a look at all the things you enjoy and that give you joy and figure out how to add that new passion into your life. It's not about changing careers but about enhancing your life. #extremeselfcare #NovemberCalendar #inspiration #passion
Take a look at all the things you enjoy and that give you joy and figure out how to add that new passion into your life. It's not about changing careers but about enhancing your life. #extremeselfcare #NovemberCalendar #inspiration #passion