Finding Passion Through Simply Raising Your Hand

Connor Broshar

I am sure we can all reminisce and go back to our days in grade school being terrified of raising our hands in class. Or maybe remember hearing our teachers remind us to raise our hands before we talk out of respect.

It’s funny because as we get older we seem to raise our hands less. Should we be raising our hands more like we did when we were in elementary school? The answer I have found over the last few years is simply yes!

Over the last few years I have found that my passions have been easier to express and find through asking the tough questions and letting my mind be more open to curiosity. We all don’t have the answers in life and raising your hand from time to time can open the floodgates of possibilities to both learn from others and find your passion.

In the past I was so eager to learn more, I took on projects, initiatives, even those that were not related to work or school. It wasn’t the results I was chasing or the recognition, but rather the passion for connecting with others as a result and finding out more about the world. When you raise your hand to do a certain task or project, you are forced to go out of your comfort zone. This is when you learn to think, adapt and make decisions beyond your usual role. I am by no means an expert on this subject, however it is something that I have taken notice of during my years of schooling. I have found that by taking time to ask questions has led to multiple opportunities that have played to my strengths and passions.

I knew from the time I was in high school that I enjoyed conversation and connecting with others. It always fascinated me how you could learn a lot about perspective and life through other people’s stories or backgrounds. One of the best experiences of my life came from taking a “shot in the dark” and sending a message via Instagram to a local Chicago Advertising Agency asking if they would be willing to take on an intern for the summer.

I was simply just raising my hand in a way because I was so captivated by the work they did and how it connected both social media and advertising by telling a story through the passion they put in their work. This experience helped shape my perspective on many things, but most importantly it forced me out of my comfort zone and started to fuel my passion for connecting with others. I learned more about what it was like to see passion first hand in one summer than I had my entire life prior. To that I say thank you to that advertising agency.

I used to look at people in certain jobs or internships or even leadership positions in clubs and I envied for those roles or taking part in really cool activities or events and wonder, “how did they get to do that?” I always assumed they were asked or had the right connections etc. Now I know, that its was most likely because they raised their hand or put themselves out there and stepped up.

It took some deep thought and tough reflection for me to be able to make the change I needed and to come to this realization. This included getting over some longtime fears that were holding me back and even included hoping good things would just come to me. But once I did overcome this and come to my senses a bit, I had the confidence to do what I needed to do — to step forward and ask by raising my hand. It made me a happier individual in the process and I could feel that passion for putting myself out there.

Now this doesn’t mean that you are always going to get what you want. I know what your thinking “Connor this is obvious”. I have received my fair share of “no’s” like all of us have in our lives, however it is a huge relief to know you no longer have to wonder “What If”. That “What If” can hang around and bog down your passion.

By raising your hand more that “What If” can be solved and maybe something more can come from it. To that I encourage people to raise your hand more. In times like these we can all learn so much from each other by simply not holding back. Meaningful conversation can fuel something and possibly our next passion.