In this episode we explore how to make your mark and find your purpose; highlighting lessons from Disney Pixar Soul. 

1.  Follow your PASSION. It leads to your joy.

As we explored in a previous video, there is a great passion within all of us that when followed, puts us on the path to our greatest joy.

As we highlighted, “A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if they are to be ultimately at peace with themselves.”

This idea is based on the concept that within each of us is a great creative and spiritual force that longs to be expressed. When we deny it or repress it, some part of us feels like it may be slowly rusting out from the inside.

P.S. If you want to bring your life path in greater alignment with your passions and purpose, you’ll love our ILLUMINATE™ course.

2.  Your passion is not the same as your PURPOSE.

In Disney Pixar’s film SOUL, the main character has a passion for music and follows it. He follows it against the wishes of his family who wishes he would pursue a regular career, and believes that if he could only “make it” in the musical world it would lead him to his greatest purpose.

But as we come to see (no spoilers) that conclusion may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

As we state in this video, “Your passion is where you benefit. Your purpose is where the world benefits.”

3. Your passion does NOT need to become a source or PROFIT.

I want to be clear on this one. Some of us have a highly profitable passion that also produces a lot of fulfillment for us.

Example: “Wanita” is a serial entrepreneur who just LOVES creating businesses from scratch (even though it’s a ton of work). She does all the heavy lifting to get it off the ground before someone buys it and makes it their dream. She feels a lot of joy doing this, and others benefit a ton from her doing what she loves. In this case, I’d say Wanita should definitely turn her passion into a source of profit.

In contrast let’s look at “Adam,” a software engineer by day, and a digital artist on the weekends. Adam creates beautiful digital landscapes simply out of his love of it. Rivers, trees, sunsets, and even a few woodland creators or two. It almost therapeutic to him and he’s been pursuing this passion for almost a decade.

Recently a board game company approached Adam after seeing his digital art posts on Instagram. They want to offer him a contract to produce 20 digital art landscapes for the game they are creating. If Adam said yes, his relationship with his art would change. He’d now receive opinions and feedback on his art, be under the pressure of deadlines, and may need to hand over rights to his creations to someone else. Should Adam turn his passion into a source of profit?

Here’s one more for you to consider:

“Sarah” loves gardening and being out in nature. Her mother taught her the craft when she was very young, and any chance she gets you’ll find her outside with her oversized sun hat, enjoying time in the sun.

She knows the name of every flower and plant, and is quite talented at building beautiful landscapes people admire. A friend sees Sarah working hard outside one day and says, “ya know, you should turn your passion into an online course. I bet a lot of people will buy it.”

Should Sarah turn her passion for being outdoors in her garden into an online course? I’ll let you decide.

As the main character in Disney Pixar’s SOUL learned, your passion (if followed) will often lead you to your purpose. But your passion is not necessarily your purpose.

See you on the path,

-Patrick