“Our passion is our strength.” — Billie Joe Armstrong
Being a software development engineer plays a part in but doesn’t define Kin Ming Li and his passions. Below, Kin shares thoughts on his path to passion and how you can carve out your own path:
Tag: passion
“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” — Oprah Winfrey
A psychologist by profession, Hajra Khatoon has been through such a journey these past few years as she has been rediscovering her passion with gusto.
Acting would come full circle for Jose Miguel Vasquez, a devout family man who initially gave up his passion for what he felt was the safer route. Sometimes, life itself reminds us what we’re destined for.
For the “Living with Gusto” series, we may not find a better visual example than Rob Adelphia’s bungee jumping video. Blogging at Today Has Power and The Four the Road Family, Rob has gone through more than his share of challenges but is the epitome of how we can overcome anything when we put our mind to it. If you need a jumpstart in your life, pick up his eBook, “How to Get Anything You Want Out of Life…And More!”
What am I doing on a blog if writing is so difficult for me? That was my initial reaction to Paula’s post entitled “Why Do You Write?” on her blog, Geeky Shopaholic. Reflecting on the question and her response changed my world. Sometimes blog posts do that.
“Work? I never worked a day in my life. I always loved what I was doing, had a passion for it.” — Ernie Banks
In this first post of the “Living with Gusto” series, I’m excited to introduce you to poet, writer, and editor A. D. (Sweepyjean) Joyce who is the author of the eBooks, “30 Poems, 30 Days: Inside a Poet’s Mind” and “Like. Love. Hate.” She also hosts the highly successful Third Sunday Blog Carnival. Catch her more creative and personal writing at Sweepy Jean Explores the (Webby) World.
Living in Peru has taught me to live life with gusto and I mean that in both the English and Spanish sense.
In English, this translates to “hearty or keen enjoyment.” I’m imagining taking a bite out of something intensely delicious and eating with gusto for example.
“Ahora sé que el tiempo es la única manera que tenemos para comprar nuestros sueños.” — Lucho Quequezana (link in Spanish) [I now know that time is the only means we have to buy our dreams.]
Lucho’s parents forced him to bury his dream of becoming a musician, so he filled his life with his studies instead. In Lima, he studied Communications and ended up teaching at one of the best universities in the country, the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. It was a comfortable life, but his love for creating traditional Peruvian music continued simmering in his heart, seeking a revival.
Lucho continues to tour with Sonidos Vivos and teach Peruvian music internationally. He has shared extracts of his compositions with Cirque du Soleil and has also produced a documentary of his group’s story and journey. Meet the multicultural members of the band and get a taste of Peruvian fusion music in this short promo clip of Sonidos Vivos’ world tour last year:
When and how have you valued time over money? How has music played a role in your life?
“El tiempo me ha enseñado que la felicidad sólo es verdadera cuando haces lo que quieres con la gente que quieres.” – Vania Masías Málaga [Time has taught me that happiness is only real when you do what you want with the people you love.]
Ventanilla is the other face of Peru’s capital city — a district on a sandy hill, haphazardly established long ago by poor, squatting families who couldn’t afford living in the city center. The instability of the houses constructed on sand mirrors the unpredictability of lives in poverty. At least one advantage of living on a sandy hill is that the environment is favorable for practicing flips and acrobatic tricks. As such, a group of boys from the neighborhood banded together to form “The Sand Angels.”
Vania’s chance meeting with these angels changed the direction of her life.
Her professional dance studio in a more wealthy part of town funds free classes for impoverished yet talented dancers. Now, one of her graduates is a professional dancer in Finland, several others are hired by her dance studio and still others have found employment across Peru through their experience with her dance company.
What is your true passion and how have you followed it to places you never imagined?
One of Rik’s projects here is a youth drop-in centre (JPC) for the so-called “thugs” of Huancayo – those who are not necessarily thieves or hooligans, but are nevertheless looked down upon in society because they are different. Most are break dancers, rappers, graffiti artists. All are kind, welcoming, and open.
The other night, we went to support BTU’s break dancing show at the discoteca. Their show went without a hitch and they were so proud of the shirts they had designed and bought for themselves, the BTU crew, with their individual names stitched on the bottom right of each shirt.
It’s interesting to think how much kindness, personality, and talent many people in Peru are missing simply because they discriminate against these youth. And how much more would these guys thrive if they did have more support from their own community? Despite the odds, they have taken initiative to spend their free time practicing, to seek out opportunities to perform, to write meaningful lyrics, to make music videos with what little they have. Why don’t I have a passion? Why don’t I put more effort into the things that I love when I already have so much love and support from others?