I remember the old saying: if you do what you love then it isn’t work. Now, though completely true, I feel like our society gets this mixed up with being rich and successful. This could very well be the reason why you’re not doing something you’re passionate about or why you haven’t found your passion. Understanding how to find your passion when you’re busy trying to make money to buy the new Gucci bag or $200 tickets to the Taylor Swift concert is impossible.
This is where our true passions become erased or blurred with what other people think we need or should be doing.
# Don’t put so much attention on finding your passionThis is a huge point that you need to keep in mind when it comes to knowing how to find your passion. If you’re constantly thinking and hunting for it, you won’t find it.
It’s like when you try to find your car keys—the minute you stop looking, you find it. Do be conscious of the activities you’re doing and how they make you feel, but don’t go on a wild goose hunt.
# Your passion may not be as grandiose as you thinkI think the problem for many people is that they feel a passion must be something extremely profound. For example, having a passion to sail or a passion to play the drums. Now, those are passions, but your passion could be knitting or walking dogs. It doesn’t have to be grandiose.
# Look at the small things
You probably already show signs of things you like to do. However, you’re just not looking at them. Your passion, like I said before, doesn’t necessarily have to be this huge activity. Maybe you’ve already found your passion, yet you haven’t realized it. If you watch a movie every night before you go to sleep, your passion may be film. You just don’t see it yet.
# Expect to be fearful of your passionWhen I started writing, I was terrified. Okay, I wasn’t terrified of writing itself, but I was terrified if people would like my writing, if I was a horrible writer, etc. But this is what almost everyone goes through when they follow their passion.
Will their passion be accepted by others and will they be able to get the support they need? So, if you already have something in mind, but you’re scared to follow through, it’s okay, I know how it feels. The only thing to do is push through it.
# Try out different activitiesNow if you think you haven’t found your passion, perhaps you need to go out and try new things. Take up some activities that you typically wouldn’t do and see how you like them. This also gives you a chance to develop yourself and broaden your skillset.
If you’ve never danced before, take a dance class. If you want to know how plates are made, take a pottery class. Try everything out and if you still don’t find anything that interests you out of those activities, well, at least you gave it a try.
# How do you feel? But really, when you take dance class or ride your bike, how does it make you feel? Are you excited to go to dance class? Or do you struggle to even make it through the class? How will you know where your passions are if you don’t check in with yourself? Become self-aware while you do activities.
# Go back to your childhoodBelieve it or not, most of our passions stem from our childhood. So, try to go back into your memory and think about what you loved to do as a child. Ask your parents as well.
What type of child were you? Usually, how we were at seven or eight is our truest self. So, go into your memory bank and think about what you loved to do as a child.