Say Yes: 3 Inspirational Women on Living Passionately

 

Passion is whatever nurtures your unique spark and lets it blaze untamed.

 

What does it mean to live with passion?

 

Maybe for you, it means pursuing the things that are personally meaningful. Maybe it’s blazing trails where there are none, or letting go of fear in favor of following where your dreams lead.

 

Passion is whatever nurtures your unique spark and lets it blaze untamed.

 

Today we’re highlighting honest, personal words about passion from the pages of Bella Grace.

 

Passion Projects

 

Kimberly Wilson is an author, artist, and activist with a style all her own. She’s proof that creating meaningful solutions to your own challenges can transform the lives of countless people after you.

Christine Miller’s article, “Kimberly Wilson: Cultivating Mindfulness With Artistic Flair,” from Bella Grace Issue 9, profiles what makes Wilson so dynamic:

 

“She is a living, breathing embodiment of passion and inspiration whose experience as a creative entrepreneur has evolved from one simple idea: to create what she wants but doesn’t yet exist. ‘Everything I do began as a seed – a desire for an experience that I couldn’t find,’ explains Kimberly, ‘Whether a feminine yoga studio with chandeliers or comfy clothing that transitions from day to night, all of my offerings started out as passion projects; Because they were created to satisfy my own inner cravings, I thought they might also resonate with others.’”

 

A Passion for Life

 

In Issue 9’s “Cloud Surfing,” Miranda Allfrey shares the lessons she learned after cancer interrupted her life as she knew it. Though her first impulse was to retreat from her struggles, she eventually came to realize that facing life head-on was the only way she wanted to live. In her words, “My life has been blessed due to the tenacity of how I greet it.”

 

“We never know what life is going to throw at us. I’ve experienced heartbreak and turmoil, and the past two years have been about regrowth of spirit. I’m saying yes, staying open, experiencing and living life because the alternative for me is hibernation.

…Yes is the only way. I don’t know where I will be tomorrow, but I do know my values, my goals, my dreams, my hopes, and my desires. I don’t know how long I have on this earth, so I’m choosing to live it. Hibernation is for the bears.”

 

 

Originally featured in Bella Grace Issue 9

 

“The woman who does not require validation from anyone is the most feared individual on the planet.”  — Mohadesa Najumi

 

Following Passion Wherever it Leads

 

In “Out of the Blue,” from Bella Grace Issue 9, Jennifer DeVille Catalano shares how a feeling of unfulfillment led her to give up the life she was familiar with.

In order to follow her dream of living a creative life, she undertook a huge move to a faraway place. But when she settled into her new home, she found that the journey was filled with more difficulties than she’d expected. In spite of it all, she created her own opportunities to connect with her love of photography, and in the end, that turned out to be “the catalyst that brought her back to herself.”

 

“It was art that saved me. My clearest, happiest moments on that island were spend behind a camera. Looking through the viewfinder enabled me to isolate bits of beauty on which to focus. …Doing so enabled me to develop a relationship with light. Part of that process was seeing the shadows in my midst, including my own. I had been fooling myself all along. An exotic postal code couldn’t cure my personal and professional discontent. Only I could.”

 

 

Originally featured in Bella Grace Issue 14

 

“Do your thing. Do it unapologetically. Don’t be discouraged by criticism. You probably already know what they’re going to say. Pay no mind to the fear of failure. It’s far more valuable than success. Take ownership, take chances, and have fun. And no matter what, don’t ever stop doing your thing.” — Asher Roth

 

 

What does passionate living look like to you? We’d love it if you shared your thoughts in a comment!