Are you tired enough of living your current life to make a serious change?
Someone’s probably told you to “follow your passion” before. That’s great advice as long as you can figure out what your passion really is.
Though you may be committed to finding your passion, it’s not necessarily an easy thing to do. We tend to shy away from the things that are most meaningful to us. It seems counterintuitive, but it’s a little scary to live with that much enthusiasm.
Having a lot means that you can potentially lose a lot. It’s natural to want to play it safe and keep your 9 to 5 and your three weeks of vacation. However, few of us grow up wanting to work in an office, pushing papers around.
Make Finding Your Passion Easier
If you’re stuck in a life that bores you, resistance won somewhere along the way.
Luckily, there’s still time to reinvent your life. You just have to work at it. You can dare to be bold and different and you’ll lead a much more enjoyable life!
Use these strategies to find your passion and multiply the excitement and meaning in your life.
Expect the process to be challenging
While you’re in the process of finding your passion, you’re may not feel excited about it at first. This feeling won’t last forever, though! Eventually, something clicks and you just know you’ve found the right thing.
However, there’s still some part of you that might rebel against your spectacular idea. Hidden fears will come to the surface. These might include fears of failure, vulnerability, rejection, inadequacy, and exposure.
You’ll have to fight through this resistance and any other mental blockages you face. If you refuse to give up the fight, these feelings will eventually die down. Or at least you’ll just be able to recognize and work through irrational fears more easily!
Know your values
Your passion has to be in line with your values, or it can’t truly be a passion. You’re not going to feel comfortable about something if it goes against what you stand for.
Take some time to make a list of your values. Be thorough—you probably have more values than you think.
Next, make a list of your favorite activities. It might be playing the piano, drinking vanilla lattes, writing, or teaching judo. Again, take time to ensure that you cover all your bases.
Be clear on your values and what you most enjoy. These will provide clues to your passion.
Look to your past
Your passion may not be dramatically different from your past interests. What are some things that you wanted to do when you were a child? What about just a few years ago?
Make a list of those things. While you do, jot down some notes to answer these questions:
- What did you dream about?
- What did you want to become and experience?
- Why didn’t you follow through?
Use the power of your mind and a pen
Find an hour you can spend alone and in peace. Write at the top of a piece of paper, “My passion.” Now just write whatever comes mind.
If you think to yourself, then write “This is silly”. Just put every thought you have down on paper.
It may take 20 minutes or so to get all the refuse out of your mind before you get to legitimate ideas. Just keep writing.
When you finally write down the right idea, it’ll be one of those things that you “just know” feels right. If you’re feeling unsure about what you’ve written, that’s a sign that you need to keep going.
Listen to your gut. Your passion may not be the result of a logical decision. It’s often the result of intuition. Trust yourself!
If you prefer, you can check out these 15 questions to ask yourself when looking to find your passion.
Work to Find Your Passion
Are you ready to live a life filled with passion? Are you ready to risk your current level of mediocrity?
Make a commitment to yourself to find your passion and make a difference in your life.
Time is constantly ticking away, so right now is best the time to take action. The world is waiting for you to be motivated and engaged!
