Serial Passionista

Somewhere along the way, I convinced myself that to succeed you have to pick ONE thing and stick with that. My father chose at a young age to take over my grandfather's pump Company, and he worked tirelessly (and happily, I might add) at this business until the day he died. I never heard him say he desired to do anything beyond providing water for people. Perhaps it was just through osmosis that I took on this example as the only way to be. 

My Grandfather William Ingram in the Company Truck.

While I have been known to have my father’s personality, sticking with one profession, one passion, one expertise, feels stifling to me.

When I was a child and all throughout my teenage years, I wanted to be an actress. After watching Last Of The Mohicans when I was thirteen, I was desperate to be Madeline Stowe. However after pursuing film for a few years, and having several rather “not great” experiences with men in the industry, I tucked this dream away.

Meanwhile, I fell in love with my first boyfriend, Ben, when we were just 17 and deep down I knew that if I wasn't able to have a family and a home--after watching my childhood home fall apart--then it wouldn't matter what else I did. I was married by 2001 and pregnant by 2004. 

Evie and I in Florida while I was very pregnant with Georgia.

I started writing my first novel in 1999 when I was 18 years old. Yet, I was never sure that I wanted to let anyone read them. I finished this novel while living in Colorado, four months after having our first baby (Evie). I was pretty sure that I sucked and it would comfortably stay on a bookshelf.

Until Ben handed my book to one of his colleagues without my knowledge. She wrote me a sweet note encouraging me by saying, “I love your book and couldn’t put it down. Please keep writing.” It meant so much to me that I’m sure I still have it somewhere.

In 2012, after writing several manuscripts, I started a blog about my health journey from an insecure and unhealthy teenager. It sparked something in me. Ultimately this led into building a Personal Training business, that turned into a gym, and now this gym resides in Kona (called The FitXChange), where all of us Trainers work together to create a safe and functional space. 

All along, Ben and I have remodeled homes here and there. My obsession with design and Real Estate was obvious as Ben would ask me what I was looking at on my computer and many times my answer would be "Homes". "Why", he would ask. And yet I didn't have any good reason, just that I love everything about them, old and new, cheap and expensive. So, I got my real estate license. 

I found myself swallowed by this illusion that I had to pick one thing only. If I had to put them in order, I could. Writing books would always be at the top of my list. 

So going back to my father and the example he set, I wasn’t following it and found myself having guilt over it. Yet, what do I give up? Because obviously, you have to give up something and only focus on one thing, right? I mean you're even told in the Publishing world that you have to abide by one genre or you'll never get picked up. And I have to tell you that the idea of staying within one genre, sucks the life from me--at the risk of being dramatic. My first novel ever was a Civil War Romance, and my latest is a mixture of fantasy and psychological thriller. 

I know there are more people out there like me. People who are Serial Passionistas as I like to call them. Others would call them Serial Entrepreneurs, but I don’t go into things because of money. Money is just a luxury that can come with passion.

When it really comes down to it, it's not about limiting your passions, but becoming an expert at the art of multi-tasking and follow through. It’s important to ask the question, do you use the thing you are most passionate about to be your sole earning potential?

I, for one, have never wanted to risk losing my love for writing because the pressure to make money on it was too high.

My intention, no matter what it is, is my love for people. From my books, to my clients, to my fellow trainers, to providing people with their forever home, it's all the same. 

The one thing that remains steadfast is my love for writing. It provides me peace while life is hectic. It took me twenty years to get noticed by a publisher, but the truth is this . . . I would still be writing no matter whether it provides me monetary compensation. Its gifts are far too many to care.

Anyone else out there, a serial passionista? I’d love to hear your story.

Tessa