How To Find Your Passion In 5 Simple Steps

kilimanjaro - how to find your passion

As stated in my previous article Don’t like doing something? Stop NOW! I mention how waking up and dreading the day ahead is a really bad way to live your life. We’ve all been through it and some of us experience this right now. If you woke up today feeling that exact same emotion then something needs to be done.

Before I decided to quit my job I spent a LONG time worrying about what I wanted to do with my life. I would rack my brain almost every day trying to work out something that I could do that was better than facing hell every day.

I’ll be honest, the thought of staying in bed eating jam doughnuts crossed my mind more often than not, but I didn’t think it was the most productive way to spend my days.

So I only did it once. Promise!

Anyway I am going to share some of the tips and ideas that I came up with that could help you find your passion and how to pursue it.

1. Think back to when you were a kid

Now if you were anyway half normal you probably wanted to be a superhero or something, which while ambitious is a little unrealistic. I was a little weird and told my careers teacher that I wanted to work as a journalist for a computer games magazine. When I started to play the guitar at 17 these ambitions subsided and obviously I wanted to be a rock star.

Kind of like a superhero but less (more) spandex.

Try to remember what you really liked in your youth and see if it is somewhat plausible to do. If you still harbour similar ambitions then what are you waiting for? Embrace that inner child and go for it.

slash - how to find your passion

2. What do you do better than anyone you know?

This one should be easy to figure out. Most of us have a skill that our friends and family are slightly envious of, but maybe a lack of confidence means we don’t really consider it as an option. For example;

  • Do you play a musical instrument? If so maybe look into teaching and passing on your knowledge to others. This is really easy to get started with and it’s what I currently do.
  • How creative are you? If you are an avid drawer/painter or if you enjoy making things then this is a great way to start a new business for yourself.
  • Are you good at helping people? Maybe look into going to university and work towards becoming a psychologist or therapist. A simpler option is to start a blog and offer advice and tips based on your own life experiences.
  • Do you have any standout physical attributes? If you are still relatively young and you have a natural talent then maybe sports is an area that you could do well in. Especially if you have natural speed, strength, endurance etc. Maybe you are good looking and have great genes. If so the modelling industry could be an option.

The point here is to find something you are good at that you can develop and monitise. In this day and age careers can be made out of almost anything and the best part is, if the niche is a little obscure the chances are there is little competition.

3. What have you always wanted to do but never had the chance to?

This is a great way to find your passion. So far we have looked at the past and at the present for inspiration but now have a little look towards the future. Both the past and the present are based on decisions made a while ago which may or may not be in line with the person you currently are.

So what have you always wanted to do? Some people really want to go travelling and that alone can open up a crazy new world full of opportunities. Not only is it a passion unto itself but you can make money along the way by teaching English as a foreign language or again, starting a blog and sharing your experiences with the world. These routes are very popular are pretty easy to get started with.

Just because you haven’t yet done something doesn’t mean that you can’t make it happen. You would be surprised by how easy it can be to pick up a new skill or to transfer your experiences over to a new niche.

Jordan - how to find your passion

4. Thinking outside the box – Go crazy with it

Think of the most obscure ways people live their lives by doing what they love. How did they come up with their ideas? What steps did they take to get off the ground? Where does their source of income come from? The next time you read or hear about an obscure job, have a look into it and see if it inspires you to come up with something equally crazy.

Off the top of my head I can think of;

  • Work in a circus
  • Take up an obscure sport like Handball
  • Become a skydiving instructor
  • Singer? Play an instrument? Earn a living playing at weddings
  • Be a bartender on a cruise ship
  • Try your hand at stand-up comedy
  • How about becoming a life coach? Dating coach?

5. Remember, passion doesn’t have to mean money

If you are determined to quit your job. and find your passion it can be easy to just think of the money that can be made by doing what you love. Sometimes passions don’t involve monetary gain at all and can be fulfilling in other ways.

Volunteering is a great way to give something back to the community and there are many programs around the world should you fancy getting out of the country. The range of activities you can do here is limitless. If you feel strongly about poverty you can help build schools and houses in the poorest parts of Africa. Or maybe stay closer to home with the many organisations that help the homeless or the elderly.

A great way to contribute is to raise money for a cause you are passionate about. Some sponsorship schemes allow you to do something crazy like climb Kilimanjaro while at the same time earning money for you cause. Whatever your beliefs or passions there will always be ways for you to help.

homeless - how to find your passion

Do what you can to find your passion and to give up that boring mundane life that may be dragging you down. Keep working on it, think, create, plan, discover, find, inspire and motivate.

Sometimes these flashes of inspiration can come immediately and other times they can take months or years. Don’t get disheartened or give up.

There will come a time, sooner than you probably think, when you will be able to live the life you want. Whatever your goals may be.

About Jamie

Jamie is a guitar teacher and writer who hates the typical 9-5 existence. After quitting his job to enter the world of guitar tuition, he created this blog to document his thoughts and struggles as he takes on societies norms armed with nothing more than his cheeky wit and undeniable charm - Give his Facebook page a like, add him on Twitter or follow his Google+ page and he will repay you with even more awesome words!

Comments

  1. Hi Jamie,
    I liked what you did here with this post. The way you walked the readers through finding their passion was great. I do believe that when people spend a “good deal” of their day doing what they are passionate about, good things will follow.
    Justin Mazza recently posted..Creating Your Reality – Check Your Indicators to See If You Are in AlignmentMy Profile

    • Thanks for the comment!

      True and I really think more people should start believing that they can do whatever they want to. Sometimes they just need a little belief and a push in the right direction.

  2. This is great. Too many people today forget about their true passions as they grow up, and are missing out on things that could truly make them happy. This is a good reminder to help us remember what we love to do, and how it is important to keep doing it!
    Alex recently posted..Do Not Dwell On The Past, Nor Worry About The Future. Be Present.My Profile

    • I’ve said it a million times, the worst thing you can do is to carry on doing something you hate. Find your passion and go for it! Thanks for the comment!

  3. It’s great to aim for a fulfilling life, but “follow your passion” isn’t necessarily the best advice to get there. Many people don’t have pre-existing passions. It takes time to work out what you enjoy, what you’re good at, and to get better at it. You can’t expect to walk into your dream job on day one, you need to work to get good at something, which takes time, dedication and hard graft.

    Cal Newport’s article on “Solving Gen Y’s Passion Problem” is a good explanation of why “follow your passion” is too simplistic: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/09/solving_gen_ys_passion_problem.html

    • “Follow your passion” is a term that covers any aspect of living the life you want. It could mean having a skill or a hobby that you enjoy or you could simply be passionate about discovering new things. It could be applied to anything you want it to, that’s why it’s always personal and unique to every person. Thanks for your thoughts and I’ll check out your post on the subject.

  4. Nice article,well written. In my country everyone is not concerned about there passion first they see the society and there family then they do which can get them good money not the thing they acctually wanted to do,they do it just for the sake of the sociaty and family. I really appreciate you work.
    🙂
    Regards
    Mukul Chugh

  5. One thing I’d add to your tips is when you want to talk about your passion, talk to people who have done similar things. Often, we talk to people who are close to us, just because they’re close to us. And their input can be valuable, because they know us best. But if you really want to do something, you want advice and encouragement from people who have already gone along that path. If you ask people who have played it safe, that is the advice you’ll get from them.
    Mark recently posted..Find Real Purpose In Your LifeMy Profile

Leave a Reply to Caleb Woodbridge Cancel reply

*

CommentLuv badge