What are passions?
According to Merriam Webster, “passion” refers to a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement either for something or about doing something. Passions are often something you would love to do constantly. Traveling is a good example of a passion.
Sometimes our passion is something we would love to do for work. Sometimes we only think that’s what we want. Having passion for our work is more specific than being excited or enthusiastic about something.
The Deloitte research describes “worker passion” as something that motivates us to dig into the tough problems and sustains us through challenges and setbacks. This type of passion brings out our desire to figure something out, to learn faster, to make an impact.
It’s important to understand the distinction between passions and core values. Everyone has their own set of core values that guide them and shape how they feel about their work or work environment. Strong core values might include discipline, perseverance, playfulness, learning, excellence, and resilience.
The interesting thing about pursuing your passions is that doing something you care about on an emotional and intellectual level will result in you wanting to do more of it. This means there’s a direct link between discovering and developing your passions and achieving growth in your career and personal development.
It isn’t always as clear as finding a way to get paid for doing the thing you love to do in your spare time, though. You often have to practice imagination to find the threads of passion that connect a hobby or interest to a career or profession.
How to find your passion
Discovering and uncovering your passions requires engaging in different types of work and other pursuits. It is rare to have a passion for something we know nothing about. You have to develop some understanding, get to know the problems and challenges of a pursuit, to fall in love with it. Or, to want to work on it every day.
1. Create a personal vision statement
2. Uncover your values
Your personal values are the things you regard as important for underlining the way you work and live. Your values determine your personal goals and priorities. And they often act as an indicator of whether or not your life and career path are turning out the way you want them to.
3. Find your true north
Closely connected to getting more clear on your core values, the concept of finding your true north is about discovering what motivates you. What type of impact or goal compels you? What makes you feel complete and present, as if you are doing what you were made to do?
4. Make a list of things you love to do
5. Assess the things you don’t love
6. Acknowledge your strengths and achievements
Often, people find that their biggest personal strengths are the things that come naturally for them. Once you realize this, you’ll find even more reasons to achieve and accomplish bigger things.
7. Practice journaling
8. Embrace a mindfulness practice
Mindfulness means embracing life in the moment. But it also means embracing wellness and being aware of everything you feel and experience — all without judgment, overthinking, or interpretation.
Embracing a mindfulness practice helps us tune in more closely to our inner guide. This is often the best way to allow our true feelings and desires to rise into our conscious minds.
9. Seek guidance from a coach
For example, a career coach has been trained in helping people find their passions in life and work. Career coaches can help us shed the burden of external pressure working from the outside in.
10. Surround yourself with people with similar passions
There’s just one secret to successfully surrounding yourself with people with similar passions. Know what makes you feel inspired, confident, and secure. Finding those qualities in another person will mean you’ve discovered someone with similar passions to your own.
How to Find Passion in Life
1. Is There Something You Already Love Doing?
Whether it’s reading comic books, collecting something, or creating or building, there is probably a way you could do it for a living. Open a comic book shop, or create a comic book site online.
2. Find out What You Spend Hours Reading About
There may be a few possibilities here for you, and all of them are possible career paths. Don’t close your mind to these topics. Look into them until you feel your heart is content, and this will help you get started as you learn how to find your passion.
3. Brainstorm
If nothing comes to mind right away as you’re asking how to find my passion, get out a sheet of paper and start writing down ideas [1] . This doesn’t need to be an organized list. It can simply be a paper full of random notes or even doodles. All of this will eventually come in handy later.
4. Ask Around
There are likely people you admire in life, and there are things about them that you would like to replicate in yourself. Go to them if possible, and pick their brain. See how they landed where they currently are and whether they feel they’ve discovered their passion.
The more possibilities you find, the more likely your chances of learning how to find your passion in the long run. This may mean that you spend time talking to friends and family, coworkers, or even acquaintances in your free time.
5. Don’t Quit Your Job Just Yet
If you can do your passion as a side job and build up the income for a few months or a year, that’s even better. It gives you a chance to build up some savings (and if you’re going into business for yourself, you’ll need that cash reserve), while practicing the skills you need.
6. Give It a Try First
It’s best to actually test your new idea before jumping into it as a career as you’re wondering how to find your passion. Do it as a hobby or side job at first, so that you can see if it’s really your true calling.
7. Do as Much Research as Possible
Know as much about your passion as possible. If this has been a passion for a while, you may have already been doing this. At any rate, do even more research. Read every website possible on the topic, and buy the best books available to live a more fulfilling life.
8. Practice, and Practice, and Practice Some More
Get very good at your future career, and you will make money at it. Practice for hours on end and learn how to focus; if it’s something you love, the practice should be something you want to do and life fulfilling.
9. Never Quit Trying
Perhaps you thought you found your passion but discovered several months on that it wasn’t for you. Start over again and find a new passion. There may be more than one passion in your lifetime, so explore all the possibilities.
Source:
https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-find-your-passion
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/featured/how-to-find-your-passion.html
https://www.themuse.com/advice/6-fresh-ways-to-find-your-passion