Passions teach the young, encourage the middle-age and stimulate the old. Across the globe, children make dolls, toss jacks, flick marbles and bounce balls. They sing and dance. They paint and craft things out of sticks. Old people carry on traditions through their passions – outside shopfronts in Egypt elderly men slap dominos down on tables. In Turkey they deftly move backgammon checks around wooden boards. In France, they pitch boules in town squares. In Italy, elderly women sit together on benches knitting and chatting.

Pursuing your passions enriches and opens your experiences. Was there ever anything you wanted to do as a young child but neglected yourself of the opportunity to pursue it for various reasons? Is there a time you can remember you felt really happy from the inside out, and that experience was not dependent on any one else? Is there anything you wanted to try for the first time? Following your passions and acting on your passions instead of just thinking about them, is the most important thing you can do for yourself. It will do everything from igniting the innocent childlike impulses to be creative, imaginative and inventive, to allowing you as a traveller in a foreign country to move beyond the tourist gaze in the community. For any lover of Latin dancing, moving your body to the samba rhythms of Brazil with the locals would make you feel immediately apart of the group.

Above all, be passionate about your passions. An eight-year old cricketer on a dirt pitch delivers a ball as earnestly as a world-class crickets; fully clothed young Malaysian women relish floating in a pool as much as a bikini-clad Australian females enjoy Bondi Beach. A Cuban child clasps his newly acquired gift – a balloon – as proudly as a Pakistani man clutches his quirky family heirloom – a giant weapon.

So go on, release your inhibitions, delight in your individuality, and follow your passions. Belt out off-key songs in karaoke bars, dress up in your favourite fashions, and bop to the songs like you did in your teenage years. Pick up your paintbrush, enrol in a language course, and hike a mountain. Feel the difference in your spirit, mind and body as you feel happiness seeping into each and every cell of your body while practicing and participating in your passions. Notice how other facets, activities and relationships in your life improve, because you feel good yourself and naturally want to share that with others. Be amazed at what further positive experiences and possessions you attract in your life. It all starts with being happy within yourself. The easiest way to achieve that is doing what makes you happy.

I am travelling for a few weeks so I won't get the opportunity to write until I return. In the mean time, if you want to send in any stories, questions or comments, I would welcome that wholeheartedly. There is a contact link on the site which you can direct your messages to. In the subject line, put 'For Rachel'.

I hope you have a blissful few weeks,

Namaste

Rachel