The next step after beginning to learn from environment is to fill in the puzzle of how to become what we want to be.  If the gap between what is and what we want is large so is the puzzle.  More pieces require more researching.  More information will need gathering.  The plan will need many different steps, stages and phases to accomplish it.  Like a puzzle once we have the borders and outline of the picture in our mind, filling in the rest is easier.  Most of us imagine what we want and then focus on the immediate pieces. When we find pieces that don’t fit our immediately focus we misplace them.  When we need them in the future as the puzzle comes together extra time relocating the pieces is needed. The pieces of our lives go together easily when we have a vision of puzzle and it’s composition. That’s why it’s easier to keep the box for an actual puzzle.  Some areas of our life may be compartmentalized due to the composition of our vision. It’s up to us to fill in the areas of our lives as we decide appropriate.

The filling in of our puzzle is where we can use our passions for life to connect the pieces.  Our passions fuel our interactions through focused attention on what we want or have an inherent connection with. For myself I set out almost 30 years ago with a plan to start a second career after being an engineer in the aerospace industry.  My path started in design engineering, lead to research, manufacturing, quality and eventually to management.  When I started I did not know exactly what I’d write about, but I knew I wanted to become an author someday.  This blog and the manuscript I’m working on are pieces of the puzzle I started filling in a few decades ago.  There have been hiccups along the way, twists and turns that I didn’t expect but all of it has lead to the present moment.  For this I value the means far more than the potential ends that I sought when putting together the first pieces.  The path is more important than the end goal.  However, the path would not unfold as it does without first having a vision of the end and a high level plan to make it happen.  The passions that develop along the way are puzzle pieces bringing the vision to life.

Passion is a fire we can share with others.  For all the posts in this short series click on the links below:
What is Passionate Living?
How do we find our Passion?
The Passion of our Business
Purpose vs. Passion ( a repost)
Without Passion Why do it?
What to do with Passion?