My passion
My passion is developing noble individuals through studying the violin. I love working with families and creating the Suzuki triangle. I love working with parents to make sure they understand how to work with their children at home and be able to recognize small achievements made along the way. I love the experience of teaching without a specific goal or timeline. It is exciting, for instance, to celebrate completing a book whether it takes one year or five.
My purpose
I’m definitely more inspired by my passion. My purpose is more concrete and down-to-earth. It is being a good violin teacher so that I have steady, reliable work and a livable income. Probably as my students see it, I am a helpful resource. I help them do great things on their instrument. As far as parents are concerned, I teach their children how to do something very high level and creative that may lead to awards and accolades.
Identifying the difference
I feel challenged to recognize the differences between my passion and my purpose. The purpose is necessary to make the passion a reality. The key is to not lose or abandon the passion along the way. What comes to mind is teaching in-person vs. on zoom. Zoom was necessary during the pandemic but it has led to a whole new way of teaching. The question is how to pursue my passion and maintain my high standards even with the shortfalls of the technology.
Questions
I continue to ponder this issue. Do you work virtually? How do you navigate the loss of personal contact? How do you deal with problems with the technology? How do you pursue your purpose without losing your passion?
The Inspiration for Violinists card deck
This “Dreams into reality” card is part of a 50 card deck. Every card has a unique image and text inspiring musicianship, mindfulness and spirituality.