How To Pursue Your Passion

How To Pursue Your Passion

So you have made a decision that the time has come to take stock and make some positive changes. You want to go for your dreams, and the world is your oyster. But now what?! If you are serious about living a passion-filled life, you have some reflection and learning to do. This brief guide will nudge you gently in the right direction by giving you a few simple ideas on how to start.

Stage One – Identify your passion
List your interests.
At this stage, you may not think you are ‘passionate’ about anything. Ask yourself a few key questions about your lifestyle which will help you work out what you love and what you hate. Think about sorting these activities, much as you would when you decide it is time to declutter. Some things you give away to charity, some you throw in the bin and some you hold on tightly to.

When you come home from work or school, do you find yourself drawn to certain types of movies, series or podcasts? Do you have a favourite that you could watch over and over and never get sick of it? You may prefer reading over watching. What sort of books do you gravitate to in the book store? Is it a particular author or genre? These are clues to help you. For example, if you enjoy reading self-development books, then maybe you will also be fulfilled in a career as a life coach.

Perhaps you have a particular hobby that makes you feel relaxed, ”in the zone” and ”in flow” when you do it. For example, playing a musical instrument, gardening or taking your dog for a walk. These clues can help you uncover whether working outdoors or indoors are more suitable for you. Do you prefer working on your own or being part of a group? If being part of a group is how you feel happier, then do not consider an occupation that removes you from people.

You may devour true crime books and TV shows, and this may indicate that a career as a homicide detective or a criminologist would interest you. Your deep interest in the psychology of criminals and their motivations means that you would be driven to find out as much as you can to solve these criminal mysteries.

Your beliefs and values
You may think that everyone more or less has the same beliefs. Maybe you have not thought much about these large issues but ask yourself – “Do I get angry when I find news stories about inequality, access to justice, poverty, political freedom, environmental causes, animal rights, gender politics or racism?” ( just to name a few) Note which type of values and causes seem to make you the most passionate, you can feel angry or moved when you think about the issues. Oftentimes our lived experience of suffering due to inequality or loss creates an emotional connection to the issue. We are connected by our heart and soul to an issue, and that is why it makes us passionate about it.

Inspirational people
Are there particular people in your life close to you that you would consider a role model? It may be a teacher, parent, colleague or even celebrities, sports people and politicians throughout history. Consider the qualities that these people demonstrate and why you would like to emulate them in some way.

 
Toxic people
Conversely, there will be people in your life who mistreated people, and you have vowed never to be like them. You may see examples of criminals, politicians or greedy, selfish people and you know you do not want to have people like this in your life. It is crucial that you take a moment to consciously remove toxic people from your life. Negative people are what I like to call ‘dream killers’. Instead of supporting you in finding your passions, they would rather you stay miserable. They would rather stay in a comfort zone that does not bring them joy rather than step outside it. They would prefer you stay stuck too as it justifies their poor choices. Over time and with practice, you will come to see these dream killers a long way away and avoid them altogether.

Imagine your dream job
Without being ‘rational’, what is the perfect job for you? Be as unrealistic as possible. What are the perks? How much will you be paid? Will you own your own business or work for someone else? Is it a large or small company? Will you have to travel far to get to work? Will there be travel for work?

Brainstorm your joys
Remember when I said that you need to sort these things as though you were decluttering your home? Write down ten activities that you consider they serve your values and interests. This will give you a list of your passions. For example, I love to cook for my friends and family because it shows love. The love of family is extremely important to me, it nourishes my soul, and I cannot imagine life without it.

Think of 10 similar examples. It is hard to get started, but once you do, you will find many cases tumbling out. It may help you to think of it as sentences:
Eg. I love when people contact me and ask me if I can help them define their goals. It makes me feel useful and joyful.

When you look at your list, you will see that each one gives purpose to your life. You look forward to doing them and you never get bored of them. You are excited by them. They are high value to you and profoundly meaningful.

Now focus on the one that resonates the most strongly within you.

Stage Two – Make a plan and set a deadline

In order to take your passion and test whether it is something that you can turn into a career, you may have to spend some time trying it out. Instead of just randomly doing it and expecting to succeed overnight, you need to create a plan.

Research your skills
Will you need some professional training to support your goal? For example, you may love to teach people but to derive an income from it, you will need to gain some professional qualifications. How much money will it cost to gain the relevant skills?

Research the market to monetise your skills
If there is no need for the services and skills that you have in your area, find out where you need to be to offer them. For example, you love scuba diving and want to teach others, but you do not live close to the coast. What will it cost to live where you can work in this industry?

Create a detailed plan
Once you understand what you need to succeed, create a detailed step by step plan to take you there. For each stage of your plan, create a deadline. Build in incentives for reaching each stage on time. Allow yourself to be proud of reaching each step, even when the top of the mountain still seems far away.

Create a deadline and imagine yourself in the future, reaping the emotional and financial rewards of harnessing your passion.

Stage three – Make your plan a reality

Embrace yourself and your infinite potential. You have worked hard to get where you are. This does not mean that you will be an instant success. However, beware of self-sabotage and negative thoughts at this stage. Your fear of failure, if not consciously kept in check can lead to actual failure. Your plan requires constant hard work and dedication, but it is worth it. Remind yourself of your vision on an hourly basis. ALWAYS remember your dream. Surround yourself with people who believe in you, who build you up and avoid negative people at all costs.

Worse than a fear of failure can be a fear of success. After all, it is an unknown and people tend to fear the unknown. Once again, as best as you can, reject fear and embrace the choice that you have made to make your own path, to be your own role model, to live a purposeful life of passion and joy. Focus on that when you feel a bit low.

Stage four – consistency and persistence

If you have ever been in shape, you will know that starting exercising is half the battle. Keeping it off is a matter of being persistent in the habits that caused success. The same is for your passion. If you become complacent, you will lose sight of your goal. Do not let the fear of failure itself deter you. Some of the most inspirational people’s quests have been full of so-called failures. It is by living through failure and learning from it that we improve and reach our full potential.

Identify your passion, plan, do, persist and most of all, enjoy!