16 Tips to Help You Find Your Passion

An overwhelming majority of Americans have no idea what their passion is. Some have never thought about it. Some are just confused about how to figure out what their individual passion is and sift through all the overwhelming choices. No wonder so many of us are unhappy. We don’t know what excites us, what lights us up and feeds our soul.

There are the rare few who it seems where born knowing what their passion is. For the rest of us, finding our passion is a journey, an excavation of possibilities. What holds us back is not knowing where to look or how to start.

Some tips to find your passion

What Comes Easily to You?

Look to your talents and skills. Think about what activities are easy for you that others struggle with. It doesn’t have to be something that you have been educated or trained in, just something that is effortless.

What Do You Love Doing?

What activities, hobbies, or tasks do you love to do? Think about what you loves doing as a child. What makes time fly? What do you love to read about? What do you enjoy looking for ways to get better at or want to learn about?

Brainstorm

Sit down with a piece of paper and write down everything you can think of that interests you. If you can’t think of anything, look around you for clues. Books, internet, possessions, vacations. Write down anything that pops into your head. Dismiss nothing.

Words Matter

Think about the topics of conversation that you gravitate to. When you are hanging out with friends or in a social situation, what do you like to discuss? What could you talk about forever? Not sure. Ask your friends.

Explore

Look at what others have found as their passions. Explore the internet for stories or examples of people who have discovered their passions. Do any of those spark your interest? Take a personality quiz or personal assessment.  Ask your friends what they think might be your passion.

What Puts a Smile on Your Face?

Pay attention to your feelings. When do you light up and get excited. What do you feel happiest doing? When does time fly by? Think about what makes you smile.

That Creative Spark

When do you feel the most creative? Think about the times when you’ve thought of an invention or a new way of thinking. When have you thought, “It would be so great of I could do that every day.”?

Think About Next Year

Think about the future. A year is near enough to foresee, yet time enough for tangible progress. What would you love to be doing next year? Envision your life. What types of activities, jobs, or interests would you like to be engaged in.

Money Is No Object

It’s hard to imagine not having to worry about having and making money. Try to put it aside for a moment and consider what you’d do with your time if you won the lottery or had a few million dollars in the bank. Assume the whirlwind, “Yeah I’m a millionaire” has passed and now you have freedom to choose what to spend your time on. Would you paint, write, speak, build, invest, or teach? Imagine the possibilities.

Be Fearless

Where are you totally confident in your abilities? Better yet, what would you do even though you’d probably fail? You’d do it just to do it, just for the fun of it. What do you feel compelled to do? There may be clues in those things you’ve thought you definitely want to do “someday,” but don’t have the time for now. Move someday up to the present and get going.

No Regrets

When you are old and at the end of your days, what would you regret not pursuing? What will you wished you had done? “If I had it to do all over again…I would have become….I would have spent more time doing…” Regrets are clues to choices not explored. Explore them.

Try Something New

Break out of your comfort zone. Many times people discover their passion in trying something new. What if your passion lies in that experience you refused? Be open to new possibilities. “That sounds like fun. I don’t think I could do that. Someone like me doesn’t do things like that.” Try it anyway.

Look Back

What things did you like to do as a child? What did you really get excited doing? What talent did you want to show off? What activities or talents did you want to explore, but were told it was a waste of time, cost too much or wasn’t practical.

Examine Your Fears

What do you secretly want to do, but are afraid of being judged? Do you write, but never share your words? Do you create, but keep your creations hidden? Is there a job you really want, but are afraid you’ll be laughed out of the office? Is there an education, academic or vocational, you’d like to pursue, but don’t because you’ve been told you can’t make a living doing it?

Get Quiet

Set aside some time to explore your inner wisdom, thoughts, dreams, wishes. Journal, meditate, pray, walk, or just sit. Ask the question, “What am I passionate about?” When you get quiet enough to hear your inner longings, they often speak to you.

Get Help

Get support from a coach, mentor, or other guide to help you explore ideas you may not have thought about. Often there are assessments of interests and talents that they can help you investigate.

They most important tip is to keep looking. Finding your passion may not happen overnight. It may take a lot of excavating, considering, and trying out different interests or skills before something clicks. The real difficulty is that most people give up before they discover their true passion. Don’t be one of them.