A life-long commitment to your long-lost passion

Who doesn't know about James Bond and his creator Ian Fleming? Born into a well-off family, Fleming worked as a journalist, a banker and a high-ranking officer in British naval intelligence, before finally becoming a full-time writer. 

By the time he started pursuing his dream of writing something palatable with red-hot action sequences, he was 44 years old. If Ian Fleming decided to settle for the run-of-the-mill jobs he was doing, we would have missed out on James Bond and his legendary exploits. 

The takeaway from this story is that you need to stay true to your passion, even if you are well into your forties or fifties. It is often seen that people let go of their passion as they grow older. Especially in our social context, where parents often try to foist their ideas and dreams on their children, it becomes really tough for budding minds to follow their passions. 

Parents in our social reality don't give enough room and opportunity to their children to pursue their passion, let alone make it their profession. That's why almost more than half of the country's parents want their kids to be either doctors or engineers. It doesn't matter whether the child loves painting, dancing or swimming. 

As a natural consequence, we get trapped in the same toxic pattern of 'becoming someone' respectable in society, leaving behind our passions. By the time we reach a stage in life when we can finally make decisions for ourselves and pursue our passion, we find ourselves in another dilemma – we age. Standing at such a crossroads when we can neither go back to our younger years to follow our passion nor start afresh, people lose heart and forget their passion. 

If you think you have reached middle age, and have a family, so it's not practically possible for you to pursue your passion anymore, then you are probably trapped in the regular pattern of thinking. As mentioned at the very beginning of this piece, you can still listen to your heart and follow your passion. And interestingly, if you are starting to pursue your passion late in life, it also comes with several benefits for your life and family. 

First, it has a snowball effect on your life, psychology, and physical health. As you start doing what you love, it sparks joy in your heart, making you happier. It helps you reinvent yourself. Happy hormones secreted while doing what you love also motivate you positively and encourage you to approach your surroundings with a positive outlook. 

Now comes the second kind of benefit. As you start developing a positive mindset, this will impact other aspects of life, such as professional life. A feeling of satisfaction brewing inside you from being able to stay attached to your passion will help you strive for more in your professional life as well. 

Third, as you start following your passion late in life, it will encourage you to be a better parent if you have kids and stop you from repeating the same mistakes your parents made. You can inspire your kids to follow in your footsteps and pursue their passion. If the passions are similar, then it's an added advantage. Both you and your kid can pursue the same thing together, which will, in turn, create a stronger bonding between you and your child. 

For example, I was in love with dance class since my childhood, but I could not learn and master it because my parents didn't want me to do this. However, now that I am a full-fledged woman, I can decide for myself. 

However, I still had barriers, as I had a job, a family and a child to care for. One day while conversing with my nine-year-old daughter, I discovered that she also had some attachment to dancing. It hit me that I could not repeat the same mistake. Meanwhile, I can kill two birds with one stone – inspire my daughter to follow her passion and simultaneously fulfil my dream of learning Bharatanatyam. 

Now, we are attending the same class together and getting to know each other better. Following my passion late in life has not only helped me reinvigorate myself but also is helping me greatly to be a better mother. 

So, don't give it up and be so hard on yourself. Follow your passion even if you left it behind many years ago. All you need is a life-long commitment to that passion. 

Ruksana Khurshid is a PR professional who has lately started following her passion