Passions, Pursuits, and Purpose: Purpose Part 3

Posted on September 30, 2009 | Filed Under Articles

What plans are in place for your life?
by Audrey Johnson

Purpose

After you know what your passions are, and you begin to get involved in your pursuits, you can ask, what is my purpose? All you do can relate to your purpose.

 A purpose is defined as  “(1) the object for which anything exists or is done, made, used, etc. and (2) an intended or desired result” ( Barnhart, 984).

Before and after you establish or understand your purpose, you can have goals that you set for yourself.

A goal is defined as  “(1) that toward which effort is directed; aim or end and (2) the terminal point in a race ( Barnhart, 517).

In the Christian race, Paul tells us “ I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith”; (2 Timothy 4:12).  You need to realize that sometimes it may seem like you are in a fight or struggle to pursue your passion.  However, if you stay on the path of following your passions and pursuits, you can stay on the course to fulfill your purpose.

Often, the path may not appear to be clear, but I remind myself and my children that we should have faith in God and the seeds (passions) that He planted in us.  After they have sprouted, they will grow to maturity.  You can change lives through the passions, pursuits, and purpose God has given you.

Your life’s purpose may not seem obvious. Some individuals know “what they want to be when they grow up” very early in life. Others cannot identify a clear direction. There are people who have planned out their life and others who spontaneously move from one opportunity to another.

Some students select a major before they begin their college years. Others enter college with an undeclared major.

Passions plus pursuits plus a purpose can lead to being paid.  How can we define “pay” at various stages of life?  At the school level, scholarships received only by some or even all of the program participants allows your child to be “paid.”  At the undergraduate level, because of your passions and pursuits, you can apply for scholarships based on your major.  At the graduate level, fellowships pay for post undergraduate work.  After college, the paycheck from your job you obtain as a result of following your passions will be evidence that all of the years of passions and pursuits have come to fruition.

So, what plans do you have for your present and your future?

1. Determine your passion(s). It may change or shift within a particular field. By participating in various programs of fields you are considering, you can help yourself eliminate or select certain passions and pursuits based on the experiences. This can save thousands of dollars in college tuition, because you will not select a major that is not aligned with your passions. For example, one student may decide that music is her passion.
2.  Begin or keep up your pursuits. This student plays an instrument, receives private lessons, participates in an orchestra, and attends concerts, workshops, and summer programs. She may even enjoy composing music and directing the youth choir at church.
3. Crystallize and define your purpose. Are you gifted with the abilities in science, music, communication, art, math, history, or another field? This student’s purpose is to play music that she and others will enjoy. She wants to study the world of music to better equip herself as a musician.
4. Look to obtain “pay” at whatever level you are at. Her pay comes with various scholarships and job opportunities in her chosen field. The intangible benefit of her knowing that she is fulfilling her purpose on earth by using the talents God has given her, is also a form of “pay.”

At a recent home school convention, I attended a seminar on life purpose given by Woody Robertson.  He suggested several books, including: don’t waste your life, by John Piper.  I own that book, and plan to read it!  I trust that your passions, pursuits, and purpose will be what motivates you.  It will be the reason you stay in school and look forward to joyfully starting each day.  Will there be times in your life when you wonder if you have chosen the right profession?  Sure!  But. I have faith that God is leading me where He wants me to go.  The passions and pursuits of my 11th grade son and 9th grade daughter can lead them to determine their purpose in life. What plans are in place for your life?

Barnhart, C.L. ed. The American College Dictionary. New York: Random House, 1963.

Piper, John. don’t waste your life. Illinois: Crossway Books, 2003.

The Holy Bible

Pop Corn Friday – September 25, 2009

Posted on September 25, 2009 | Filed Under Pop Corn Friday

The Write Stuff

It came in the mail sometime during the week.

A plain white envelope addressed to me c/o College Funding Resource. I looked at it and the return address stood out.

It was from a PRISON in Pennsylvania.

I frantically scanned my mind trying to figure out who in my past might have done something that would land them in prison but couldn’t think of anyone.

The name was unfamiliar, so curious, I opened the envelope.

What I saw was a well-written letter from someone who was getting out soon that was starting to plan for his future.

Like all of the people who contact us, he was looking for helping paying for college.

Everyday we get letters and emails from parents and students.

Some of them approach us casually. They remind us of job applicants showing up for an interview just from the beach in shorts, flip-flops and a holey t-shirt. Their communication is often remembered for its misspelled words and non-existent punctuation; where as others, approach us like they’re trying to get a job.

Blue pin-striped suit. Well-groomed. Shoes polished. You know the applicant.

It not just the words they use. It’s their approach.

For those individuals we go out of our way.

We are likely to share tools and resources beyond the ordinary that give them a starting point for developing a strategy to pay for college.

How do you approach your written communication – casually or business like?

When it comes to a college essay for college admission, a college admissions officer once said that every file gets about a ½ hour. But the essay gets about 2 minutes. What you say and how you it matters.

It’s like you momma used to say to you “You only get one chance to make a first impression.”

Read more

Passions, Pursuits, and Purpose: Pursuits Part 2

Posted on September 22, 2009 | Filed Under Articles

What plans are in place for your life?

by Audrey Johnson

In the first article, we discussed passions.  In this, the second of three parts, we will address pursuits. 

As a result of your passion, what pursuits do you find yourself involved in?

What are “pursuits?”

Pursuit is defined as the act of pursuing.  To pursue is “to strive to gain; seek to attain or accomplish (an end, object, purpose); to practice ( an occupation, pastime, etc.) (Barnhart, 886).

Our home in the city is graced with a small front garden where over the years our children have harvested strawberries, peas, string beans, tomatoes, and pumpkins.  It is adorned with ornamental grass, sunflowers, annuals, perennials, a rosebush, and a Japanese maple tree.  As a senior, I applied for and received the William F. Dreer Award from Cornell University’s Department of Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture.  It was a grant that would allow me to work and study abroad for one year after graduation.  My proposal was to study horticultural therapy in England.  I received money to pursue my passion as a student (scholarships) and as a graduate (Dreer Award) Upon my return to the states, I obtained employment with a private special needs school as a horticulture teacher. 

Home schooling was added to my role as a stay-at-home mother, and thus my passion for education continued.  My passion for writing allowed me to write for our church’s newsletter as a teen, create home school curriculum, and now, write for College Funding Resource.

My son’s pursuits have included television weather forecast contests, presenting a live television weather forecast, two weather camps (to which he received full scholarships), presenting a weather lesson to campers during his summer employment as a junior counselor, establishing a website: “Weather Earth,” winning school level National Geographic Bees, CN8 “Live with Lynn Doyle”: Presidential Election Viewer Opinions (2008), volunteering for a political campaign, participating in a high school student forum sponsored by a local history museum, and organizing “Junior Olympics,” athletic events for children. He plans to intern with City Council this fall.

My daughter recently completed a work-study placement at a local art college where she worked as an art assistant in the morning and studied Fashion Illustration in the afternoon.  She assisted the Arts and Crafts Director at our church’s Vacation Bible School (2009), participated and danced in church Sunday School plays, and choreographed the dances for our church’s Sunday School Easter play.  She has established her own store where others can purchase jewelry she has made.  Working on a clothing collection and a website for herself and the family also fills her time.

Drawing designs of future clothing ideas, as well transforming the ideas from the drawing pad to the sewing machine is just one step in her desire to be a fashion designer.  Another one of her passions is writing poetry.  She has submitted poems on three occasions to Poetic Power ( http://www.poeticpower.com/ )   Her work has been accepted for publication in their anthologies on each occasion.

When I asked my nine-year-old daughter about her passions, she said, “I don’t know.”  As a parent, I know that the development of her interests will lead her and me to know what her passions are.  Researching opportunities for her and her siblings to participate in is an ongoing process.  My children also inform me when they see an opportunity to develop their skills and interests.

What might you become involved in so that you can “accomplish your end?”  Study the offerings of your neighborhood and surrounding area.  Newspapers and web sites written for parents will list a multitude of opportunities for children and teens: museum visits, classes, workshops, contests, camps, private or group lessons, or team participation.  Don’t forget to communicate with your family and friends for ideas.

One book that has given me much food for thought is “What High Schools Don’t Tell You” by Elizabeth Wissner-Gross. ( http://www.educationalstrategy.org/) Please be advised that I am suggesting this book because of the lists of programs it offers as a springboard of ideas.  Some ideas you will no longer find viable and some ideas will not suit you. Your child’s passion and pursuits will create a package of its own, suitable not for college, but for life.

Do not be eager to sign up for anything and everything.  Passions are born in us and birthed out of us. I know God has placed these passions in me and in our children.  It is in our time with ourselves that we nurture that passion.  The time in outside programs can help something that was meant to be, grow. 

Passions will lead to pursuits, and pursuits can lead you to defining a purpose.  We will discuss this in the next article. Do you know what your purpose is?

Barnhart, C.L. ed. The American College Dictionary . New York: Random House. 1963.

Passions, Pursuits, and Purpose Part 1

Posted on September 15, 2009 | Filed Under Articles

This article is addressed to the student.

What plans are in place for your life?
Part one: Passions
by Audrey Johnson

I believe that if you have a passion, and if you are actively pursuing it, you can determine your purpose in life. That purpose can lead to pay in various forms and at various stages in your education. We will address passion in this first of three articles.

Passion

What motivates you?  For what reasons do you wake up each morning and stay up late at night?  I believe that God has endowed me with certain gifts and abilities.  Having three children, I see the different passions God has given each of them.  Looking back on my childhood, I recall the passions that motivated my parents.

Horticulture was the passion that drove me to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY).  I loved gardening!  Happy childhood memories of my mother’s garden and my paternal grandfather’s collard greens growing only three blocks away, fueled my desire to pursue this field of study.

Later, a love for education of special needs population was the reason I obtained a Master of Science in Special Education, with a Teacher’s Certificate, from Temple University (Philadelphia, PA).

Writing is another activity I enjoy.

My eleventh grade son’s passions are meteorology, politics, and sports.  When he was seven years old, he began checking the temperature on a thermometer between the front door and the screen door.  He continues to watch the weather reports on the evening newscasts and the winter storm predictions given by local TV meteorologists.  Cutting out the newspaper forecasts allowed him to create a collection of notebooks that he “read.” 

Following athletic teams is a part of my son’s life.  As a young child, he would hang photos of athletes on his wall in his room.  Organizing athletic teams of his own is also something he enjoys doing.

My ninth grade daughter’s passions are fashion, dancing, and acting.  As a young girl, she wore earrings she created from pipe cleaners.  Dressing up and making arts and crafts were activities she enjoyed.  She and her brother created and performed various family plays.  Not surprisingly, she designs and creates many outfits.

Passions, pursuits, and purpose all originate from the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Maybe you cannot answer that question, or the answers keep changing.  Perhaps, you are not sure what purpose you have in life.  Maybe you don’t even know what your passions are, or what you should be pursuing.

 http://Educationplanner.org has a Career Assessment and The Career Key “for career development. “The Career Key” will help you evaluate who you are, and what you may want to be “when you grow up.”  On the home page of Education Planner, select the “Discovering” section.  Within this section, select “Your top career choices.”  Complete the assessments that quiz you on your personality likes and dislikes, and determine your likely path.  This is probably just one of many resources to assist you in translating what you love to do in life into what you want to do for a living.

Expose yourself to various opportunities to test the waters to determine what you enjoy doing.

This helps you determine your passion, if you are unsure.  What areas of interest do you have strong feelings of hope, joy, and desire for? 

Your interests may change, but as you approach the college application process, it is important to identify your passions.  You will select a major or majors, and then apply to colleges that cater to your intended path.

In the next article, we will discuss pursuits.

What do you find yourself involved in as a result of your passions?

Pop Corn Friday – September 11, 2009

Posted on September 11, 2009 | Filed Under Pop Corn Friday

We are raised in a time of respect.  We replied “yes sir” and “yes madam” when we addressed our parents or parents of my friends.

We respected our elders and were taught to respect our leaders.

And even when my parents disagreed with the agenda of a president – they still respected the Office of the President.

But the political commentary of this week has drowned out the message of President Obama.  But in his words, I heard echos of conversations from my childhood.  And as we deal with a father in the early stages of dementia, it was good to hear the “parentisms” of our youth.  It was a reminder of more innocent times in our past. Read more

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