Some people seem to come out of the womb with an obvious passion for one thing or another. Maybe they pick up the guitar at an early age or can’t be pried from their easy-bake ovens as children. These people go on to become famous musicians and world-renowned chefs. But what about you? Where is your passion? We get so many emails on this topic, and that’s why we’ll cover all the bases in today’s article, “Help, I Can’t Find My Passion!”
Truthfully, I was once like you. I couldn’t find my passion with a flashlight in a paper bag. Seriously. When people asked me what I would do if I won the lottery, do you know what my response was? Nothing. Isn’t that terrible? It was pretty depressing because I knew it meant I was living a life without purpose. Fortunately, I learned a few easy, and a few not –so-easy ways to truly find my passion, and that’s when my life really began. It all started with a few questions.
What makes you truly happy?
I’m not talking about on-the-surface kind of happy. I’m talking about the times when time flies by and you don’t even notice; you simply don’t care. For me, there were a few things. That’s when I started to realize I wasn’t a lost cause after all. Things were starting to come together. I was on the right path to find my passion.
What do other people recognize?
Don’t think about what other people want you to do for a living or what would impress them. Think about what you’re doing or what you’ve done when you get the most compliments. Do people consistently “ooh” and “ahh” over your sketches? Or maybe everyone in your company comes to you when they need help writing a particularly compelling email. Whether you’re drawing, writing, selling or doing something else, if people always seem to recognize that you have talent in one area, it may be something worth pursuing. For me, what made me happy and what other people recognized as talent were exactly the same, and I realized that I would find my passion at this exact intersection.
What would you be willing to do for free?
Although I learned how to find my passion before getting to this last question, it’s not as easy for everyone. Sometimes people get past the first two questions with a list of two or three things. If you need to narrow things down further, ask yourself which you would do for free. Keep in mind, of course, that you aren’t going pro bono. This is just an exercise to help you find your true passion.
By now, you should be well on your way to finding a rewarding and fulfilling career. And you’ve probably realized that the answer to the question, “How can I find my passion” was inside you all along. There are many reasons why we struggle with this, but it’s usually