What’s your passion? Before you answer that take a moment and think about it. You might think you know what your passion is, but maybe it’s really just a hobby or interest. Maybe what you think is your passion is actually something you just do to pass the time. I’m not here to tell you what your passion is though, only you can do that. I’m here to hopefully help you discover your true passion.
Over the years I’ve had a lot of different interests. Some short-lived, some that I start and stop, and some that stick around for the long haul. I like to do a lot of different things. As humans I think we are naturally curious. We like learning and we like discovering things. It gives us a feeling of excitement.
Have you ever got really into doing something? You know what I’m talking about. You buy all the gear, watch a ton of videos and are super excited to do it! Take photography for example. I bet there’s a ton of you out there who started to get into photography, bought the nice camera only to have it sitting under your bed hardly used a year later.
It’s great to try new things and I encourage you to try as many things as you can that you you might enjoy. Have you heard the saying do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life? It’s good advice, except most people don’t know what their passion is.
It will take a little introspection but asking yourself a few simple questions can help you on your way to discovering your true passion.
IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO WORK AND MONEY WASN’T AN ISSUE, WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING?
There are some things you do because you have to. Then there are some things you do just for the love of it. If your answer to this is watching TV and taking a nap you’re missing the point. Yes I love to watch movies and sleep when I’m not working, mostly because I’m tired and too exhausted to do anything else.
Really try to see what you would do that would give you a sense of fulfillment, joy and purpose. A lot of our time outside work is filled with stuff we do to unwind and relax. There’s a difference between those activities and working on your passion.
Think of your passion as something you would do in replace of work but would be willing to work on even without getting paid.
WHAT DO YOU DO THAT YOU GET LOST IN?
Have you ever started to do something, get really into it and then look at the clock and realize your whole day has gone by? If this sounds familiar than you should take a look at what you’re doing when you lose track of time.
There’s a good chance that this could be a passion of yours. It’s not the same as say playing a video game all day long. That’s a form of entertainment, and its important to be able to identify the difference.
IF YOU COULDN’T DO IT ANYMORE, HOW WOULD YOU FEEL?
A passion is something that you love to do. If it was taken away from you, how would you feel? I think that losing your passion is similar to losing a loved one. You’d be lost, sad, mad, and would take a long time to figure out how to go on without it.
Your true passion helps give you a sense of purpose in life. Click To TweetSo its natural that losing the ability to pursue it would throw you in a loop. If losing the ability to do something doesn’t, then maybe that thing isn’t really your passion.
IS THERE SOMETHING YOU WANT TO DO SO BAD THAT WITHOUT IT YOU’LL FEEL LIKE YOU’LL DIE?
How bad do you want it? There’s a motivational saying that goes:
“Only when you want to succeed as bad as you want to breath will you then be successful.” Eric Thomas, The Secret To Success
If you find something you want to succeed in that strongly there’s a good chance that it could be your passion. You should be motivated by your passion and feel a strong urge to pursue it no matter what.
WHAT DO YOU CONTINUOUSLY WANT TO LEARN TO DO BETTER?
Learning is good. Learning about something you love to do is better. If there’s something you constantly research, practice, read or learn about then this could indicate that it’s one of you passions.
Some people dedicate their entire life to learning how to do something they love. Taking the time to learn how to do something takes time and attention. Things that indicate you enjoy what you’re doing and take pride in it.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Knowing what your passion is may help you prioritize your time. It may also help you understand what you truly love and value.
It’s not always easy to determine what your passion is, but asking yourself the questions mentioned can help you get there. If you answered the questions and kept coming up with the same answer, you might want to take a look at it closer as maybe that’s what you are truly passionate about.
Distinguishing between what you do for entertainment and passion is also a good thing to understand. You live for your passion, you relax with entertainment and recreation. They are not mutually exclusive though, and it’s important to have a healthy balance between the two.
These are just a few questions you can ask yourself to help you determine what you’re passionate about. I know they’ve helped me get a better sense of what my passions are so I hope they can do the same for you. Good luck on your journey of self-discovery.
~ LET’S CHAT ~
Do you know what you passion is? How did you find it and what is your best advice for finding your passion? Let me know in the comments below!
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Paolo
27 Comments
I think you comment about “if money wasn’t involved, what would you do?” is the most meaningful. Sometimes money can be the root of all evil.
So true. Thanks for reading Cathi!
Cathi and you have the same gravatar picture, or there is glitch in my mobile app 😄
🙂 Could be a glitch
I think you comment about “if money wasn’t involved, what would you do?” is the most meaningful. Sometimes money can be the root of all evil.
Definitely made me wonder…
Funny you opened with photography. I rediscovered my passion for it after I made a living in that industry. I won’t link drop but you may see (try WP ‘Discover’ 😉 ) I have had some recent success at following it.
Welcome to link drop on this site anytime I don’t mind at all. The photos look great btw! Very inspiring.
I think most can be guilty of investing heavily in a hobby, only to realise that it’s not worthwhile. As a kid, I was terrible at giving up whenever something got slightly hard or I lost interest.
Writing really was my hobby which has now become a career. I can’t picture myself doing anything else and answering all your questions, it was all I could think.
But saying that, I would love to learn more and gain an array of hobbies, or just focusing more on interests. Lovely post 🙂
Definitely been down the invest too heavily then realize I don’t really like it path. I love seeing people follow their passions, it really shows in their work as it does in your writing 🙂 Thanks for the input Laura as always!
“So its natural that losing the ability to pursue it would throw you in a loop.” – So true but, unfortunately, sometimes passion doesn’t align with your faith and yes, once you remember that, it throws you out of loop leaving you completely unsure what you need to do. I guess, there are ways to realign and adapt your core passion to a profession which would allow you to translate it but in a different but still fulfilling way. It’ll take some time but eventually you figure it out.
Good points Sophia. Finding ways to translate your core passion to what you currently do in a fulfilling way is a great. Might take sometime but worth taking the time to figure out. Appreciate the comment and read Sophia, thanks!
Great info and encouragement
Appreciate it! Thanks Da-AL 🙏
Great post! 🙂 I’m passionate about a lot of different things, such as writing, architecture, and language. I like what you said, “What do you continuously want to learn to do better?”–so important for realizing your passion!
Sorry for the late reply! My blog is a mess write now after switching hosts and themes I’m not getting any comment notifications…sigh.. Glad you had some takeaways from the post!
Wonderful post! You sure know how to put everything in perspective. I struggled a very long time because I was always caught in between what I wanted to do and what other people wanted me to do. I wasn’t until my late 20’s I finally starting understanding i’m responsible for my own happiness, so why not pursue something that I love to do.
This flowed so well, great job!
Think a lot of us get caught up between what we want to do and what others want us to do. Happy that you found your way to pursue something you love! Appreciate the read and the input, thanks Brittany!
These are great guiding questions!
Thank you Kathy!
These are brilliant questions to ask yourself to really understand what you’re passionate about. Brilliant post!
Alys
https://alysjournals.com/
Thanks Alys!
Interesting post, I love reading it! The question about, IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO WORK AND MONEY WASN’T AN ISSUE, WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING?” I would be doing charities work. XO
http://www.cantiquejoice.com
Thanks Joice! Charities work now that’s some meaningful stuff 👍👍🤗
Story. In any form. That’s my passion. But how does it pay the bills? That’s life’s mystery
Haha a true mystery indeed. 😁
While I was reading this post of yours I felt as if I wrote it myself. I felt connected right away. Since writing is my passion I have been blogging for a while.
And guess what?
I figured out that I can earn from my Blog. I was so happy and excited when I got to know that I can earn while doing something I like the most.
I would do blogging for the rest of my life even if I do not get to earn from it.
Kinjalk recently posted…3 best yet simple and effective ways to earn money online in India