Can the crazy cat lady find a way to make a meaningful difference in the lives of other humans and actually integrate her passion for cats into that calling?I believe it’s possible. While we believe that we will evaluate our lives according to how we’ve impacted other people, we do not have to abandon what we are passionate about. There are creative ways to have it all.
If a person’s most intense passion does not directly involve other people, it’s possible to use that passion as a vehicle to make a difference. It helps if there is another passion that does relate to benefiting other people. One can creatively combine the two to make that difference. So, rather than being a calling in itself, the passion that doesn’t directly effect other people becomes a vehicle or a means for making an impact that helps other people.
In the example of a person who is crazy about cats, it’d be most helpful if there was another passion that relates to other people. Following are a few examples of how to use a non-human-related passion like a love for cats to make a difference in people’s lives.
- If the person is passionate about helping people through cancer treatment, she could cat-sit while the patient is not well enough to care for the pet cat.
- If she feels for people who’ve been through a natural disaster, she could help coordinate efforts to help cat owners reconnect with their lost cats when the disaster subsides.
- If she is also an artist, she could create cat-centered art to be sold for her favorite charitable endeavor.
- If she is passionate about helping kids learn to be responsible, she could teach kids how to responsibly care for a pet cat.
- If she is passionate about dealing with depression, she could breed rag doll cats and get them to people who have depression to help them with that illness.
- If she is passionate about learning other cultures by traveling abroad, she could foster people’s cats for them while they do that traveling.
If I can come up with half a dozen ways someone can use their love for cats to make a difference in the lives of other people, you can imagine that it’s possible to use almost any passion to make a difference in people’s lives. The point is to use that passion as a way to make a difference in the lives of other people.
So, if you’re crazy about cats–or dogs or boats or exercise or sports or cribbage or whatever–trust that you can still make a difference in the lives of other people. You can get creative and use that thing you are passionate about to positively impact lives. Just don’t give up on your fellow humans. Look inside to find what you are passionate about regarding other people and get to work on putting your passions together for good.
