If you've ever been to Jamaica, you've probably heard one of the locals' favorite sayings: everything is everything.  

On my last trip to this beautiful Caribbean island, I set out to discover exactly what "everything is everything" means. After a while, I came to the conclusion that everyone interprets this unique expression in his or her own way.  

So then I began to consider what it means to me personally. As I measured all that is important in my world, it became obvious that it was all about family, love and passion.

Passion is poignant emotion that is rich and powerful. Finding passion, is challenging because it involves separating ourselves from our busy chaotic lives.  It requires disconnecting ourselves from feelings that pollute our brains (and usually are not important) and connecting with our inner selves, listening to our intuition and reaching for the stars.

Finding your passion means that you are willing to fail, in hopes that eventually you will succeed. It also means that you are ready to express yourself without any boundaries set before you. Finding your passion can be a lifetime goal, but once you attain it, your life will be more affluent and satisfying.

Finding passion is not always a comfortable experience. We can't just walk into a store and buy it, like some expensive trinket. Instead, it's more like throwing ourselves into the ocean without knowing how to swim.  

Many of us avoid taking the plunge. We turn away from what's obvious in fear of failure. We convince ourselves that it's too late, too soon or too risky, and we come up with as many excuses as necessary to avoid disappointment.  

Then we spend years looking for our "lost passion," berating ourselves for not pursuing it until it's too late.

Let Go of the "Yeah, Buts"

The next time your passion manifests itself, try this:  

When the excuses start coming up and you hear yourself say, "Yeah, but...." ask yourself if you are willing to take a chance here and now.  

Whether it's the novel you always wanted to write, the painting you always wanted to paint, the skydiving lessons you always wanted to take (but never quite got around to taking) or simply adopting that puppy you've always wanted, are you finally willing to do something about it?

Take a chance! After all, this might be the answer to all of your dreams. And it's all within reach, just sitting there waiting for you to reach out and grab it.

To help find your passion, set some time aside just for you. Take several deep breaths, relax your mind, and then ask yourself the following questions:

•What is the most important thing to you on this planet?

•What brings you joy?

•What excites you?

•What are the things in your life that you find enjoyable?

•What did you always want to do and never had the time?

•If you had all the time and finances to do what you want, what would you do?

•If you were invited on Oprah as a guest, what would you talk about?

•Is there something that you were born to do?

•Is there something you already love doing? Do you have a hobby, or something you loved doing as a child, but never considered it as a possibility?  

As the New Year approaches, let's make it a point to do some soul searching and be a bit more adventurous and spontaneous about our goals and dreams.  

Let's not leave for tomorrow what we can do today. Our dreams are as close as we hold them to us. So let's start this New Year with a list of goals and a plan of action on how to implement them.

Here's to our success!