Inspirational Awakening

Passion can guide you, not just to live, but to live with purpose. Throughout my professional career, I've had most fortunate opportunities to associate with numerous high profile individuals and organizations, including Forbes 400 successes, politicians, celebrity entertainers and athletes. And I’ve learned to recognize that people who live with passion exude alluring energies from within themselves that seem to "magnetize" great people, situations and circumstances into their lives.

Three years ago, I encountered a young man on my way to a banquet. As a valet attendant pulled my car away, around the corner, near the building I was about to enter I saw a young man sitting next to a saxophone. He was dressed completely unlike the pedestrians passing by, who all wore attire betraying the casual elegance of luxury tailoring. I realized that, dressed for the banquet, I was also cut from the same refined sort of cloth. So as I approached the young man with the sax, I hoped my upscale appearance wouldn’t make him uncomfortable.

As I came closer to him, I noticed he looked like he hadn’t showered for days, and he’d buried a sad face in his hands. I understood sadness and confusion and how they can sometimes seem unbearable; I’ve been there, as we all have. But I’ve also learned that feelings of dissatisfaction like these can be opportunities disguised as obstacles, that force us to grow, transform and become better than we once were.

So I stopped and knelt down next to this young man. I smiled, said hello and introduced myself. I politely asked him if he’d play a song of his choice for me and the other passers-by, and I placed a five dollar bill by his side. He slowly lifted his head from his hands and said, "Thank you," and tried to smile back at me. He rose to his feet and began to play his saxophone -- to my surprise, the old song, Pennies from Heaven -- (Penny was my first name).

Soon his talent was filling the air with enchanting notes that kept the valet attendant company, greeted the guests who arrived at the event and pleased the many people passing by -- adding a little more jazz to everyone’s night. Spectators complimented the young saxophonist with their smiles and applause, and they also rewarded him with some bills and change.

Soon after, I turned to attend my function, arriving "fashionably late." And since that day, I made it a point to visit that very spot as often as I could, to watch and hear the young man play his saxophone. I noticed soon that he’d even trimmed his hair, and he wore a tie to his sidewalk "gig."

But six months later, the young man seemed nowhere to be found, and my heart sank.

Then, over a year ago, while I was at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, California, I saw a familiar face appear on stage to perform with a band: that same young man I’d encountered three years before. He was still playing his saxophone -- now better than ever! I thought maybe I’d say hello to him during a break in the music, but my intuition whispered, "No, that won’t be necessary." I quietly left after the band’s performance ended. And as I slipped out, I sighed blissfully, because I was certain this young man was well on his way to successfully exploring his passion for a life in music.

Just as for that young man, living with passion can guide you to express your unique talents and use them to serve humanity. And by doing so, you can create abundance in your life that can positively affect everyone around you. You see, living with passion will not only fulfill your longings, it will also remind you to love unconditionally and perform random acts of kindness for others. I’ve experienced countless moments, like those I spent with the young man with the saxophone, that prove this concept to be positively life-altering. For when you live with passion, you’ll realize the joy and magic that lie beyond what you know through your mere human senses.

Copyright © 2005 Penny Phang Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.

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