www.homoliciousliving.com Hello Pod listeners!  Welcome to Episode #14.  In this episode we will help you find your passion and discuss how you can start towards living your most purpose filled life.  Delicious Dish:Today's Delicious Dish is about 5 spices that will boost and improve your digestion.Here are the 5 spices:Nutmeg - a high mineral spice, containing magnesium which is found to help relaxation & sleep, potassium & zinc which helps protect again colds and flu.  Ginger - one of the best digestive aids, helps nausea, & vomiting.  Anti-inflammatory with properties that relieve joint pain & inflammation.Turmeric - Combats illness's, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, & antiviral.  The active ingredient in Tumeric is Curcumin that has excellent antioxidant & anti-inflammatory benefits.Star Anise - antifungal & anti-candida properities.   Candida is a yeast that naturally occurs in your  gut but can get out of balance with overindulgence of sugar.  Cardamom - digestive aid & antiseptic.  Has high amounts of iron & manganese.  Can be used topically to heal infections.  You can all these spices to your cooking, baking or coffee!It’s the journey that brings us happiness, not the destination, so keep on stepping forward!Finding your PassionWe all have something inside us that ignites, drives and motivates us, and that’s our passion; and the dictionary defines it as a strong and barely controllable emotion.  Living with purpose is the secret to living a longer and happier life and studies around the world have proven that people that are pursuing a “reason for waking up in the morning” and having a positive outlook will not only outlive others, but will have a more fulfilled life.Back in Episode #8, we talked about how to “Make 2016 the Year of You!” and in that show we talked about the things that hold us back from finding our purpose along with five mantras that will lead you down the right path. In this episode, we want to expand this discussion to help you find your passion and create a plan to start living it.Let’s first take a look at what is holding us back and all the ways we try to convince ourselves that we can’t do it:“I can’t make a living doing what I love.” We are conditioned to think that our passions won’t pay the bills. But if we make our passion a priority and do what we love, the money will come.“I feel so behind. I should be further along, and I may never catch up.” This is our ego-based mind trying to compare us to others. Just remember and repeat this mantra, “I am right where I need to be to get to where I want to go. Everything is in the right order.”“I’ll never be able to pursue my dreams because I don’t know what I want.” Remember that dreams don’t happen outside of ourselves, they are inspired from within. Dig deep and be open to discovering it.“I will probably get rejected, so I don’t want to ask for help.” Lots of people are afraid to ask for help or go after our dreams, for fear of rejection. Look back at your past rejections and start to realize that in most of those cases, that rejection led you to something much better. Think of “rejection as protection” and that a closed door probably helped you avoid something negative behind it.“Someone else must’ve already done it.” Maybe you feel like someone else is already living your dream, but remember that you are uniquely you and only you can deliver YOUR DREAM. The world needs what you have to offer.“I don’t deserve happiness or success.” Recognize where your insecurity originated and heal that pattern of negativity by taking small steps each day to be happier. Once you feel worthy, you will value your dreams enough to follow them.“If it hasn’t happened yet, it never will.” Don’t focus on the timing of things or where you are in your lifespan, just turn your attention to what you can do today to make your dreams happen and take action.“If I get my hopes up, I’ll be let down.” Disappointment is a huge hurdle and excuse that many people use to stop their dreams before they even start. Just get in touch with your passion and focus on them daily.       This will bring you happiness and you won’t be let down.“It hasn’t worked out before, so I am probably doomed to fail.” Fears from our past can play out in negative ways for our future goals.       Remember not to focus on what hasn’t worked, but instead look at the lessons you learned. In Episode #7 we talked about Fear of Failure, so just remember what Benjamin Franklin said, “I didn’t fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong.”“I don’t have the money this venture would require.” Sometimes we want things we can’t afford, but when you want to pursue your passion, you can begin with taking action on the things that are free.       These steps will motivate you to find ways to financially support it and you will incorporate this into your life plan.Don’t avoid your passion and end up with these regrets:Pretending to be someone you’re notLetting others choose your life for youBeing unaware, of yourself and those around youKeeping negative company around youAvoiding personal growthGiving upOverthinking everythingNot speaking from the heartWaiting for the next day, and not being presentBeing unproductiveSo let’s agree that we need to move forward, but how do we get there?Shift your thinking:Be open to shifting your focus from what isn’t working, because negative thinking won’t lead to a positive outcome.Be willing to look at new ways to live your life, and what you’re willing to try now.Think about your childhood or times in your past when you did the things that made you feel joy and the most authentic.       Usually the things we daydream about are things we love.We actually always know what we want, but we just have to do a little digging for it sometimes.Look at your unique skills, and think of them as your “superpowers.”Make a “creativity board” with images, saying, articles other things that will inspire you. Your board with change over time to help you focus even more on your vision.Don’t always think of your passion as a business because then it will be a “have to” situation; remember your passion is a “want to” situation.What legacy do you want to leave? What impact do you want to be remembered for?       What “sentence” do you want people to use to describe your life’s accomplishments.This mindset and recognition of your desires, goals and beliefs will give you more clarity and make you more open to new experiences.Take the quiz by Shannon Kaiser at Mind Body Green, to help you uncover your passion.  Some of the thought provoking questions are:If I could do anything in the world without worrying about time, money, or energy restriction, what would I do?If I knew I was going to die in one year, what would I do, and how would I want to be remembered?When do I feel the most authentic? What am I doing? Who am I with?When am I the most happy and free?Pay attention to some signs that you’re close to finding your passion:You see that things are starting to connect, so realize that you’re not off track, you’re just in training. The things we deal with and go through are constantly preparing us for our next steps.Follow your curiosity and pay attention to your insights, inspirations and ideas that come to you.Whether you are inspired by seeing someone else live their passion, or you watch or read something that moves you, you are excited by the possibilities of what your future could be.You begin to see the belief you have in yourself for making your dreams come true and you no long rely on the approval of others.We all have core values, things that we hold true to define us as individuals, and following your passion will help you feel more aligned with your values.You can sleep well and you are eager to face the next day.You act on inspiration and instead of just saying “that’s a nice idea,” you put it into action in some way.You lose track of time doing what you love; which means you are totally “in the moment” and present.Your commitment to your passion feels like an honor, not something you have to do, but something you feel privileged to do and that you don’t want to spend time doing anything else.Pay attention to you “joy monitor” it should be increasing when you follow your passion.Now that you’ve identified your passion, take this next step.Shift your environment:  While still in your current environment or job, you might feel like something is wrong, you’re a fraud, or that you’re stuck. Just recognize that this is going to be your motivator to change things for the better.You might see others around you that have found their purpose and it makes you feel envious because you don’t have that; that’s a clue that you should go get it.Make a list of people who are where you want to be. Study them and if you can, ask them questions. Don’t re-invent the wheel, just ask them about their wheel.Focus on the things you can do to improve your environment and will get you closer to your goal.Prioritize your needs and make sure that from this point forward, you make decisions that serve you and create opportunities for your future.Set up your surrounding so that you can maximize your success of realizing your full potential in life.Let’s get on the road to success:Shift your path:You have a new destination, but don’t forget about the journey.Create a list of things that bring you joy and make time to do them. This will create more happiness in your life, which will make you more open to receiving more happiness in your future.Keep yourself healthy but eating nourishing foods, getting enough sleep and monitoring your thoughts; positivity breeds positivity.Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.       Change of any kind always deals with the unknown.When you know it’s not working, quit doing it.Don’t make money your primary consideration.Believe in yourself and don’t worry about what other people think. This is your journey, no one else’s and remember that other people’s opinions of us isn’t our business.Don’t worry about what other people are doing and constantly compare yourselves to them. Be your own cheerleader and motivator, and get on your own side.Practice, practice and practice some more.Be patient, this won’t be accomplished overnight.Research as much as possible and look to successful people to learn about their “map to success.”Celebrate the steps you’ve achieved along the way to your passion, it’s a great way to stay on track and motivate you to keep going.All great ideas, inventions and creative arts came from people who thought there was a better way and wanted to improve the current status. Never quit trying and don’t settle.Life is short, don’t waste it.  Share your unique gifts and authentic self with the world by living your passion.10 Songs to Help you Find and Fulfill your CallingTo Be What You Must, by Yusuf IslamUnwritten, by Natasha BedingfieldLife’s for the Living, by PassengerDefying Gravity, by GleeDo or Die, by Thirty Seconds to MarsLove is Letting Go of Fear, by Olivia Newton JohnHeroes, by Alesso featuring Tove LoServant of Peace, by Snatam KaurLive Like You Were Dying, by Tim McGrawAll is Well, by Karen DruckerThings that make you go Hmmm? Or Mmmm:This weeks’ MmmmmEating MORE fat may save your life?So last week I brought up Bulletproof coffee and why adding butter & coconut oil to your coffee is said to support your immune system, improve brain performance & reproductive health, balance hormones, boost weight loss, encourage a healthy liver, & support heart functions.Now they are saying that a high fat diet could save your life!  But keep in mind that not all fat is created equal.  A massive new study in the journal of American Heart Association points out that to protect yourself from heart disease you must avoid the bad fats and you need to eat more of the good fats.  Healthy fats (polyunsaturated) are found in plants, nuts, & fish, non-healthy fats (saturated fats) found in meat, fried foods & refined carbs.So cut out the steak and swap it for salmon, nuts, avocados & coconut oil!Well that’s it for today's show and we hope you join us next week.Thank you:We would like to give a shout out!  A huge thank you to:Several Articles from Mind Body Green by Shannon Kaiser (10 Limiting Beliefs that Hold you Back and How to Change Them, 10 Signs You’re Stuck and What to do About it, 10 Signs You’re Close to Finding your Passion, Even if it Doesn’t Feel like it, and 21 Questions to Help you Uncover Your Passion,)10 Choices You Will Regret in 10 Years, The Spirit Science article by LexieHow to Find Your Passion in 5 Creativity Exercises,com article by Lisa Girard4 Practical Ways to Find Your Life’s Passion and a Career you Love, Forbes.com article by Deena VarshavskayaFind Your Pasion with these 8 Thought-Provoking Questions, Fastcodesign.com article by Warren BergerHow to Find Your Passion, Lifehack.org article by Leo Babuata10 Songs to Help you Find and Fulfill your Calling, Mind Body Green article by Dr. Lissa RankinQuote of the week:We will leave you with a couple of quotes:“Why compare yourself with others? No one in the entire world can do a better job of being you than you.” ~Unknown“You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Christopher ColumbusWe would love to hear from you, so check us out on Facebook or at www.homoliciousliving.com. Subscribe, rate and review us, and share your topic ideas.Have a HOMOlicious day!