Do something today that'll shape your future. Finding passions, being crappy, and video goodness.

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Short of time?  Skinnier version is here.  Aspin's Essentials is here. 

I did something today that'll shape my long term future.

It'll define me and show the world, should they want to look, what my biggests thoughts are, and what kind of person I am.

When this gets out, some doors might slam shut. Others will open so wide you could get my neighbour and her incredibly rectangular bingo mates through it side by side - in gangs of ten!

So what did I do?

I gave my sparkling new publisher the first draft of words that, if all goes well, will appear on the cover of my first book when it comes out next year.

OK, so it's not that dramatic! But hey, it's a big deal for me and I'm very pleased I've got this opportunity to write about something I really care about.

It's as if that woolly idea, that's always been some way off in the future, now has bones.

Soon it'll have flesh, guts, a life of it's own. Yes, something of me will be in those pages, and to some degree or other, I'll be defined, and judged, by it.

The reality is, instead of being only a dream which may be infinitely great, with no compromise or dirty rotten bits, my book will be "out there" and everyone will see how amazing, or crap, it really is!  (Sorry for the melodrama! - it definitely will not be crap! - though actually, in the scheme of things my book is of negligible importance but ya get my point eh?)

Anyway, though I'm bursting to tell you all about it, I better wait 'till everything's in place. Then, even librarians won't keep me quite.

Why am I telling you this?

For loads of reasons, not least of which is because I'm grateful for all the lovely, kind, generous, and outstandingly bright people I'm getting to know through our global, digital connectedness. I truly appreciate all the inspiration and love that comes my way through you guys! And if you give a crap about people, you naturally want to share stuff with 'em, right?

Second, I know you'll help me with this book, so I want you to be part of what I'm up to from the start.

The third reason's related, and came from a post I read today called "If We Want To Be Champions, We Should Talk About Our Goals" by Matthew Goldsbrough.  It's only short, but a great little piece about a boxer named David Haye, perhaps you've heard of him? Anyway, that post kinda sums up another great reason why I'm telling you this today: if we get our ideas out there, instead of keeping 'em in our heads and never taking action, we increase the likelihood of making sensational things happen (and perhaps too, the risk of frightening ourselves to death - deal with it, why don't ya!).

I've had 134 million great book ideas, but this is the first time I've been really serious about actually plonkin' my ass on a chair for long enough to write one! Oh yea, I really have discovered some important things I'm passionate about. I've stuff to say that I reckon'll help us build happier, more on-purpose lives too, so I guess that's the forth reason I'm telling you this stuff!

And like a slinky radio DJ, that link brings us smoothly to this:

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Passion.

I think I've found mine. In fact, deep down, I've always known what my passion is, and my purpose, the "point" of my life, gets clearer everyday. I've found that purpose starts to emerge when we get in touch with our deepest passions, and start to be honest about them.

But if you're struggling with this next question, help is on the way.

How do we find our passion in life?

A question lots of people ask.

Sure it is. But it's a question that results in quite a bit of frustration, confusion, and for some, paralysis! Perhaps we should re-frame it and ask "how can we find our passions (more than one!) in life".

If we could just stay still for a moment, I think most of us could see really obvious clues as to what our passions are. I know one of the major blockages is figuring out how, and believing we can, turn our passions into a lifestyle where we can still pay the bills and get by in the so-called "real world".

But don't let those thoughts hold you back from this great video, it's one of the clearest most helpful we'll find on the subject!

Thanks very much Randy Komisar and to Seth Simonds!

And remember when experimenting with finding our passions and doing stuff with them "don't worry, be crappy!".  Take risks.  Get stuff out there!  We'll get better and better at it when we listen to feedback and have a little patience.

If you found that helpful, there's more inspiring stuff here:  Want to live with passion? Follow your DNA.

I love it that you bothered to read this post.  I hope you enjoyed it and found it helpful, thanks!  I always like to know what you think.  Did you find your passion?  Your purpose?  How?  What have you discovered about following your passions and having a clear purpose?  Any advice?  See you in the comments.  Much love, Ian.

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IAN ASPIN

• Location: Lancaster Lake District, UK
• Bio: I’m passionate about my work:TV journalist, producer, presenter, business ideas person. I care about: family, friends, helping people, finding meaning, running

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