Promoting Passion Week 31: Winnie the Pooh Special

Promoting Passion Week 31: Winnie the Pooh Special

People may tell you that there is no formula for success. In fact, I will be the first person to tell you that. I don’t think there is any one way to do anything, and the more you stray from the traveled road the more likely you are to strike true genius. Yet there are certain ideas that can guide us on the path that is right for us; ideas that make us who we are or carry us to where we need to go.

These are 4 steps to happiness, passion, and success, as told through A. A. Milne quotes from Winnie the Pooh:

“As soon as I saw you, I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.”

What is it that makes you unique? What can you see in yourself that makes you special? Everyone has something, so do not dare to answer this question by saying nothing makes you unique or special. Instead, search for it. Seek it out and seek to understand it. If you have not found it yet, that does not mean it does not exist. If you have found it, nurture it.

People want to be surrounded by exciting people. I don’t mean excitement like the obvious forms of adventure, like being a mountain climber or a cave explorer. I mean the spirit that comes from within, the person you are, not the thing you do.

Once you understand that about yourself, you can conquer your own fears and find the path you should take. You may not see a path, but remember that any road that is used currently was once nothing more than rugged terrain.

“Perhaps the best thing to do is to stop writing Introductions and get on with the book.”

Once you understand what makes you unique, you can begin to turn that into something you are passionate about. for me it would be writing a book, creating an image, or working on a blog post. Those are the things I am passionate about, unfailingly. And from passion comes ideas, and from ideas comes projects, and from projects comes, very simply, life. We live life when we have something to work toward.

But what happens when life stalls, and your ideas never become more than that? We tend to write the same introductions over and over, scared of moving forward (for failure or success) and so we never do. We stay where we are because we understand the ground below us and the sky above us, and we are not sure if the ground will crumble and the sky will fall the further we walk.

But sometimes that fear is not worth holding on to. Sometimes the excitement of exploration is the only thing that will lead you away from your long introduction of your great idea into the execution of your life’s passion.

“If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”

After you know who you are, and after you’ve moved your big ideas forward, very often one must find someone else to believe in those ideas. And, even more often, it can feel like the people you are talking to have fluff in their ears. You have a great idea, you tell the world about it, and no one responds.

Or someone responds, and they don’t get it.

Or someone else responds, and they think you’re creepy and shouldn’t be posting pictures on social media…or maybe that’s just me.

Either way, your ideas will not be accepted by everyone. But make sure that they are accepted or not accepted based on your honest and sincere marketing of those ideas. Never be ill-prepared to share what your passion is. Understand your passion, and your worth. Understand your ideas so well that you make people want to hear them. It is difficult to get someone to give their time and attention, but if you are in tune with what you have to offer, and you do so in an appropriate way, someone is bound to listen.

“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” 

We are not in a rush, this is not a competition, and you need to challenge yourself based on who you are as an individual. Never become stagnant, and never hold yourself back out of fear, but also do not believe that you are less because you have not achieved a goal in a certain amount of time.

We all work at our own paces. The worst thing someone can do is to think that someone else’s career is in direct competition with theirs. There is no timeline that we must measure ourselves against. Be content with pursuing your passion.


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27 thoughts on “Promoting Passion Week 31: Winnie the Pooh Special

  1. Bravo! And a huge Thank You! Winnie The Poo always puts my head right – and you are the bestest storyteller ever Brooke – now I’m feeling better and ready for an adventure in the Hundred (or three) Acre Wood. Love your Positive Passion.

    1. Denise, this means the whole world to me. Thank you for being so kind. I hope that you have the most beautiful, inspired week!!!

  2. Thank you again for a great post and beautiful,beautiful image. That is something I would put on my wall in heartbeat!

    I got about few weeks ago little bit feedback from one of my pics, that is creepy,scary…. I did not mind that creepy,scary part because it was supposed to be little scary. But this person took it like I have done such a wrong thing because my work is not usually so dark. But that is the difficulty, I want to grow/try different things. I want my work to be always me, and I cannot change the fact that I have this melancholy/darker side too. I have had lots of sorrow in my life, so why can`t I use that in my work?

    have you ever compared yourself to another photographer? and can you tell me who? Just a little curiosity 😉

    Have a great week and feel well!

    Teija

    1. Thank you Teija! I LOVE that you use your past as inspiration for your images. Your photos are always interesting and lovely in their own way, and for those who are willing to explore that they will be given a great gift. As for comparisons – oh sure! Most recently I’ve been looking at Jamie Baldridge and wondering if I’ll ever reach that level, but always knowing that there is no top level to aim for…only our personal experience.

  3. “As soon as I saw you, I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.”
    Seriously Brooke, this is exactly the way I felt the first time I saw you during that Adobe keynote. You absolutely sent me down a path I didn’t expect that day. If someone had told me that morning that I would actually get to go on a “grand adventure” with you, I doubt I would’ve believed it.
    I haven’t even watched the video yet. Haha. Here’s to more adventure. Miss you and tell Kelly I said hello:)

    1. Tom, that is the nicest thing in the world. You made me cry..and its not the first time..but always a good thing. Thank you for allowing me to get to know you! Kelly and I miss you too!

  4. I adore this weeks video! So special. 🙂 What an amazing way to get your head back in line with your dreams and your goals. I especially loved how you said “Where ever you end up, is where you’re meant to be.” People often ask me where I’m going with my life and my photography. I honestly have no idea, but I’m having so much fun getting there. So far In my journey on this earth, everything has just seemed to have worked out as it should as long as I stay positive and work hard for the things I love. Life has a funny way of unraveling in your favor if you let it. I know I have so many exiting things to come in my future and I’ll end up exactly where I’m meant to be! 🙂

    1. I love that about you Robert – you know what you want and you go for it no matter what the outcome is. I can feel your passion, energy, and joy in all that you do. PS – Coming home in October, let’s shoot!

  5. I love the first quote, it tells me a lot. I love meeting people and I love it more when develops into a beautiful friendship. Eating bread feeds my body, being a good friend feeds my soul. Whenever I know someone, this is how I feel, a great adventure is coming. Unfortunately, I do not know you personally, yet, maybe one day the fate gift me this great fortune. But still, it’s been a great adventure following you. And I can say it has been a great pleasure to do so, because, done that, it makes me feel so well, that my self-esteem is always high. What makes me unique? One day someone told me I had the knack of being a friend. For me, to do that, is something that comes out of me naturally.

  6. The last line really speaks to me: “Be content with pursuing your passion.” I’m so going to put this quote on a sticky note by my computer. Thank you Brooke for another inspirational post and video.

    1. Thank YOU Ailene for watching! I’m so glad that something spoke to you and I hope your week is super inspired!

  7. Hey Brooke!:D
    I just wanted to ask you for a longer time already…Have you read Robin Sharma’s books?:)
    Thanks for response <3

  8. I love the last quote! Especially in THIS season of my life where I have decided to slow down in my own career pursuits and instead focus on building and shaping the futures of my children and their characters and education. 🙂 thank you brooke. xoxo be blessed and be inspired, Tara

  9. Brooke, thank you so much for this weeks post (and for a’ll the others, too)! This one together with the idea, you wrote about a few weeks ago – an inspiring idea along the lines of “let’s take our future self to be our idoll/role model” – both inspire and motivate me so much! Wow!
    Thank you!

  10. Love this, winnie the pooh is one of my favourite childhood books, so much wisdom in the quotes. One of my early memories was playing pooh sticks in the woods near where my grandparents lived where winnie the pooh was set. Thank you, inspired again 🙂

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