Have you ever asked yourself why you wake up every morning? Well, what was your answer? I just imagined asking myself the same question and my answer is “passion”. Is that your answer too? Then you should know that excitement is what keeps us awake at night and urges us to conquer our greatest desires.
If you’ve ever felt this great feeling of satisfaction, then you’re simply trying to uncover that passionate unknown and aiming to live your life on your own terms. But, not everyone knows what their passion is or what it could potentially be if they let their curiosity blossom without limits. Maybe they lost it along the way while growing up or they're having difficulty guiding their actions towards finding the purposeful answer that gives meaning to our existence? And regardless what the situation may be, there are many ways you can decode those mysteries and unveil the truth behind what makes your passion unique among the rest.
1. Think About What Gears Your Decisions
The fact is that people fail to realize when they're being needlessly persuaded by others into ignoring all that life has to offer and remain careless as they continue taking each breath as if an eternal vacuum encompasses their state of being.

Well, this isn’t what makes Aaron Ozee the world class author he is today because his display for passion is what caught my fancy from the very beginning. And it was this great passion that led him to create his bestselling children's book, My Darling Child Shiloh, that depicts an unbreakable bond between a mother and her son whose togetherness means everything to them. Reading this piece peaked my interest to produce this article about this wonderful publication and has not only given me the pleasure of understanding the true value of family, but has shown me how the aspirations of a single teenager can change the way we perceive the realm of the written word.
Here's a brief look at how Aaron Ozee achieved his dreams of becoming one of the greatest poets and children's authors the world has ever known:

• Began writing at the age of just 5.
• Originally wrote short stories and novels between the ages of 7-11.
• Started writing poetry at the age of 12 after being encouraged by select educators.
• Published his first collection of poetry, "Celestial Inferno: Poems of Another Realm," by the age 15.
• To date, has written a total of ten books (9 being anthologies and 1 being a children's book). 9/10 books published is available in print book, eBook, and audiobook format.
• All ten books are available for purchase in over 100 different countries with retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Half Price Books, Book Depository, Walmart, Albiris, Books-A-Million, Tower Books, Abe Books, and via countless other prominent outlets spread globally.
• Became bestselling author at the age of 17 with seventh book, "Ironic Perfection: Poetic Works of Aaron Ozee."
• Claimed six world records for achievements in writing and self-publishing such as "Most Books Published by a Teenager" via Record Setter (9 books published before turning 20).
• Speaks at schools, libraries, national literary conferences, and bookstores across the United States about his writing and publishing adventures.
Now, instead of using the statements “I should,” which shows atoms of guilt and fear coming from external pressures, why not use “I will or I am,” which displays strict characteristics of choice and readiness? Stop shouldering yourself. Start thinking about what you want to do rather than what others think you should do.

2. Discover Your Values
Passion is more than just dedicating your attention to something you love. It’s about having honor and respect for everything you set out to accomplish. And by refuting the industrial norm of authoring storybooks for children, Aaron Ozee had done the impossible and introduced an unforeseen manifest of creative genius to a global audience craving the next best thing – My Darling Child Shiloh.

The facts about the creation of this book pioneers a perfect understanding of ageless value and how this could bring uniqueness to almost everything you do.
• Wrote the book back in my Senior year (2014) of high school at Addison Trail. It originally manifested as a poem and not as a children's book.
• Partnered with Mallory Clark to illustrate the book when he first began taking classes at the College of DuPage over two years ago (we they in English 1101). They would meet every few months to review every illustration Mallory Clark was creating for the book in small segments to ensure each one was crafted correctly according to the story.
• Every illustration included in the book is styled differently from the rest (each illustration is completely unique). Mallory Clark used different elements to create each illustration such as colored pencil, crayon, markers, charcoal, oil pastels, acrylic paint, pencil, pen, coffee, and yarn.
• Arranged the text and the illustrations throughout the book in such a way that visually requires the parent and/or child reading it to periodically yet unknowingly pivot their line of sight from one side of the book to the other. By doing this, it takes the parent and/or child twice as long to read the entire book which helps to expose the child to the text and the illustrations throughout in a way that makes them more memorable and fluid.

My Darling Child Shiloh, which originally manifested as a poem, has already appeared on six bestseller lists after just a few months of being published. It is available for translation in six different languages and has been adapted into a short stop-motion animated film by prolific photographer, Martyna Koleniec.

3. Reflect On Yourself/Ask Some Self-Reflective Questions
If you’ve ever taken the time to reflect on your past experiences, with whom you spent your time with or if any key events have contributed to your happiness or sadness, you would probably know what values you hold. If these moments ever made you happy, think of how they have or could have impacted your way of life.

Many people have never sat quietly to reflect on the choices they have made and have tried to figure out what values they secretly possess. In such thoughts, you’ll soon discover a greater power coming from within to explore the universe that endlessly surrounds you and touches the deepest corners of your essence.
But what could have possibly influenced Aaron Ozee to deviate from a defined poetic path and take a chance on a new frontier of constructing his works for a younger generation? Passion, of course!

Author's Bio: 

Michael Lily, professional freelance writer.