What are your three passions?

I started 2014 in a rut. I had just failed yet another part of a licensing exam I've battled since grad school. I planned to devote my holiday break to preparing for a rematch, but a work deadline crept up, followed by two back-to-back jobs in cities farther North than anyone would dare travel in January.  The test had to be pushed back to February, and if I didn't pass the remaining two tests by August, I would lose credit for the two I already (painfully, somehow) passed. All I could think about was some invisible clock ticking for me, and how 2014 meant nothing but another year spent living like that.

On New Year's Day, taking a break from my computer screen, I opened a Dove chocolate Promise - must stop eating so many of these - and read the inside wrapper, "Find your passion." Ha. As usual, maybe next year.  I stuck it on the fridge anyway, and started thinking about it.  Do I even have a passion? No joke, I Googled the definition of "passion".  The definitions varied by source, but by and large the word referred to a strong feeling about something. I Googled some articles about finding your passion. In the event that I ever conquer this exam and have the luxury of looking for some "passion" of mine, how would I find it? The articles suggested that to find your passion, you make a list of the things you like to do in your free time. When you get time to read, what do you read about? What do you frequently search on the internet? What do you appreciate in every day life?

Answering these questions was easy. Deciding on only one thing was not! I pulled out a notebook and wrote the numbers one through three down the side of the page. Let's make this easier - what are my three passions? Immediately I filled in each line: freedom, clothing, and female empowerment. I'm not one for New Year's resolutions but I decided to devote 2014 to pursuing all of these. It's June now, and I've made some really great progress. Every day, I think of this list and ask myself how my daily activities are helping me pursue these three things. Knowing that I do have passions, and the ability to pursue them daily in some small way, is really inspiring.

So, what are your three passions?