I think passion is most often connected with doing. It's a physical reaction that incites you to action. If you are passionate enough about something, it will cause you to move, right?  Well, maybe. While this may seem obvious for certain interests you hold, other passions may present more of a challenge when it comes to incorporating their presence into your daily life. For example, when I refer back to my earlier post of what I believe to be some of my life’s passions, some of these aren’t exactly tangible, such as Loyalty, Openness and Maintaining Friendships.

So how do we translate our best motivations into meaningful action? While the contemplation of ideas and meditating on certain qualities we would like to achieve can be both powerful and useful, there is also something to be said for bringing these ideas to life.

Through the years, I’ve noticed it can be more and more difficult to keep in touch with the people in our lives. Before we know it, weeks or months have gone by without any real interaction. It can be moments like these where we start to feel a decline in our connection with others. So how can we manage to maintain our relationships through time and distance? It’s definitely tough, but I think part of conquering any challenge is owning up to its difficulty. If you’re passionate about loving the people in your life and making sure they know it, the effort you put forth can help your relationships reach new levels.

So how do we do this?

• Share often. While the thought of sharing anything anymore seems unnecessary since you can learn almost any detail about anyone’s life online these days, (from what they had for breakfast to what they were thinking about on their way to work to how they feel about the morning traffic), creating an intentional moment to share with one particular person is more special and certainly more meaningful. Even if you can only share a quick note, letting someone know that you're thinking of them by sharing a moment in your day (and asking about a moment in theirs!) can be a great reminder of your friendship.
• Make real plans. It’s easy to say, “I’ll call you soon.” Those words, even if my intentions are true, always seem to get me into trouble. So be specific. If you say, “I’ll be home at nine tomorrow. Can I give you a call then?” then there is a time on your calendar that should be treated as you would any other standing date with a local friend at a coffee shop. By hovering in gray areas and not really committing to a time and figurative place, you run the risk of long stretches with no real conversation.
• Ask questions. It’s more than natural to want to tell your friends (especially those you haven’t seen or talked to in a long time) what you've been doing. However, by keeping the conversation two-sided, you can showcase genuine interest in their new business venture, significant other, family life, etc. It also creates a gateway for follow-up questions the next time you both take time to share together. 

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Helen Williams is the Community Love Director at Holstee. She is passionate about cooking and writing which pair well together on her vegetarian food blog, green girl eats. She's strives, every day, to be less sorry.