Finding Your Passion & Mission
“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”
~Oprah Winfrey
Have you ever experienced a moment in which you really felt energy flowing through you? It was probably when you were living out your mission and passion.
My mission in life is to have a positive impact on the people whom I am honored to encounter… and I know that there is nothing that invigorates me more than knowing that what I am doing or saying is making a positive impact. I can say with sincerity that it does not matter how hard the work is, how tired I am, or what the challenges are, If I am in the flow of my mission and passion I am able to push through and keep going.
This blog post comes out of just wrapping up the AFB Leadership Conference, which I played a major role in building the program and then being the conference host/master of ceremonies per se. I felt such energy as we delivered the mission of the organization in a powerful way. Being around people, knowing that everyone had an opportunity to be inspired and motivated, connecting people to each other for collaboration, and just delivering on a promise to make it a great conference just totally reignited my passion for my career mission. We all need experiences like this to empower us.
“A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.”
~John C. Maxwell
Some of my favorite and most empowering moments have been:
- Spending quality time with family and friends
- Listening to my daughter play the piano, as I hear the emotions coming through loud and clear
- Mentoring people to live out their mission and passion
- Spending time encouraging or teaching individuals who are blind/low vision
- Inspiring or motivating people
- Moments when I knew I was the “girl on fire” living out my passion
What were these moments for you recently?
I recently heard someone say that we remember our difficult moments so much more than the great moments, and I realize this is so true. Let’s all make a commitment to honor our moments of living our mission and passion. If we live our mission, we will not have to tell others what our mission is…it will be obvious!
“Don’t tell the world your mission statement. Show the world you are on a mission.”
~Jon Gordon
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Connecting With Sylvia:
- Facebook: @Sylvia Stinson-Perez
- Twitter: @SylviaSPerez101
- American Foundation for the Blind: afb.org
Author Bio:
Sylvia Stinson-Perez has spent her career in the blindness field, and is the Chief Programs Officer for the American Foundation for the Blind. Sylvia believes the authentic shared experience of living with vision loss can lead to the development of bold confidence in living with blindness. She loves helping others find their beauty and courage on this journey.
Sylvia has Master’s degrees in Social Work, Visual Disabilities Rehabilitation, and Business Administration. Sylvia is blind as a result of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), however, she believes that everyone should have the opportunity to achieve their potential.
Sylvia is a wife, a mother, a friend, an advocate, and a professional dedicated to making a positive difference. She enjoys reading, cooking, travel, crocheting, writing and public speaking, and time with loved ones.
Image Descriptions:
- Header image: “Live on purpose” written on a white notepad and ink pen on a wooden desk.
- Photo of Sylvia Stinson-Perez living her passion & mission at he AFB Leadership Conference. She is standing at the podium addressing the hundreds of attendees looking beautifully confident in a pink skirt suit.
- The author’s bio photo is a glam photo of Sylvia in a pink dress with spaghetti straps. Her hair is in a fancy updo with a pink flower on the left of her bun.