Quite often when we think of a life of passion, many people visualize a life of partying hard, having  lots of sex, risk-taking, and over-indulgence and decadence.  While there’s nothing wrong with having a little of that in our lives, to me living with passion is living a life that you have chosen for yourself because it brings you bliss.  Out of all the choices that you are given you are doing that which you love to do and that which, which brings joy to your heart, and adds a sense of purpose and meaning to your life.
 
Do what you love and love what you do.
 
This is what a dear friend, who is enjoying his retirement to the fullest, had to say about the job he worked at for 30 years:

Coming to work is like being on a vacation. 
Everyday is a holiday, every meal is a feast;
Every paycheck a fortune.

Unfortunately, not too many people value their jobs in that way. Confucius once said, "If you love what you do, you'll never have to work a day in life."  I agree.
 
Reasons people give for not living a meaningful, passionate, life:
■ I hate my job.
■ I don’t have a job.
■ I don’t have any friends.
■ I have too many friends demanding my time.
■ I’m single.
■ I’m unhappily married.
■ I don’t own a home.
■ I’m always too busy maintaining my home.
■ I don’t have enough time.
■ I have too much time on my hands and I’m bored.

The list can go on forever.  The truth of the matter is that we all have our reasons for not having the life we desire.  But at some point the excuses must end and the work must begin.
 
If your reason for not living a passionate life is that you feel your spirit is broken from too much trying and too many failures, you are not alone.  It is challenging to climb out of that part of the mountain especially when the mountain top is not within view.  But you are not dead yet.  Don’t give up. Try and try again.
 
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall’.-Confucius 
 
I always fight with a vengeance, equal to none, in whatever task I undertake.  That is why it is so heart-breaking when I fail and fall.  However, I have always taken pride in my tenacity to rise and try again.  Perhaps never giving up is my biggest accomplishment in life. 
 
So let me repeat it:  DON’T GIVE UP.
 
If you are ready to live a more passionate life, start by doing the things you already know will bring more joy to your heart.  Have you ever tried to persuade someone to do something, but their heart was just not into doing it?  Chances are that even if you got them to do it, they probably did not really do a good job.  In order for the brain to start turning the wheels for change, the heart must be involved.  Without the heart's cooperation, the brain will not produce the right chemicals for change to occur.

So practice stimulating your heart.  Take those salsa classes you keep talking about, or go hiking in new parks, or socialize more.  Start off small and continue with bigger things until you get a momentum going. Perhaps, you want to make time for more home cooking or a new hobby.  Doing and enjoying something new will always spice up your life.
 
And by all means focus on looking at things that you are already doing but have not given them much appreciation. 
 
In Mexico, we have a saying:  ‘Aproveche.”  
If you pass someone down the street, you will more than likely get an “Aproveche’ from them.   If you are out dining, your waiter will most definitely smile an “Aproveche” to you.  
 
‘Aproveche” literally means ‘take advantage of.’  However, it means much more than that.  It means to truly take advantage of, to see the benefit in, to be present with, to make good use of and enjoy, to the fullest, everything you're involved with in at this very moment. 
 
So I say to you, if you are out walking your dog, spending times with friends, eating your favorite meal, and above all, if you are out there living life…'Aproveche’.