When I first set out to find my passions, I had this desire in the back of my mind to find something that was unique. Something that would set me apart from others, and allow me to bring something different to this world.

I searched high and low, I tried extremely hard to find that one thing that would be unique and awesome that I, and only I, could do. It actually made the search harder, because I dismissed anything that wasn't "unique".

When I finally did realize what my biggest passion was, transforming awesome ideas into action, I was both excited and a little disappointed.

My passion is not unique, there are thousands of people who already do that.

It sounded a little depressing at first, like the wind had been taken out of my sail. If my passion wasn't unique, how was I supposed to bring about great change in the world? How was I supposed to create these important businesses or work with people to help them realize their grand ideas?

Of course this sadness was short-lived, as I thought about how ridiculous an idea a "unique" passion was. How many different passions could there be?

We could probably make a fairly exhaustive list of the different passions in just a few minutes of thinking. With 7 billion people out there, even if there were a thousand different passions, we'd still have 7 million people sharing each of those passions.

However, what we bring to our passions, the lives we've lived, the way we think, the situations we face, and the problems we tackle, are what makes what we do unique. No two people have lived the same lives and so no two people express their passions in the same way. That's why no two painters have the same body of work, no two scientists answer the same question the same way, and no two healers approach the same patient with the same exact treatment from start to finish.

Our experiences have shaped us and our passions in ways that we can't even imagine.

If you ever find yourself worrying about delivering something unique to this world, remember that the life you live uniquely empowers you to affect change in this world through your passions. Be it small or large, that change can impact someone else in a profound way. And only you can do that.

What unique experiences influence your life and your passions?

- Ryan

Your Passions Are Not Unique, But You Are