I spent many years wondering what my “passion” was. You hear influencers and musicians throw around the word as if it’s something we should just know about ourselves. But it’s not that simple. It takes many of us going through hardships, achieving goals, or experience changes in order to discover our passion(s). Yet, as I used to often wonder, are there things that we can do in order to get in touch with our passion? Well in some ways, yes. There are concrete actions every single one of us can take in the pursuit of finding what causes our minds to light up with intrigue and interest.
#1 Get to Know Yourself
This may sound ambiguous and confusing, many of us respond to this notion with “Get to Know Myself? I know who I am, I’m me!” Yet it is not that simple. We are incredibly complex beings, and it can take extensive introspection in order to get in tuned with our personalities, core values, dreams, likes, and dislikes. Take time to note these things about yourself, it allows you to create a positive narrative that fuels you toward where your passion may be.
#2 Don’t Let Other People Define You
We spend our entire lives being exposed to the opinions of other people. It sometimes feels natural to internalize and adopt the characteristics of what others think of us. Yet, by adhering to what others expect of us, we are left living a life that feels unfulfilling, dull, and unauthentic. Instead, utilize the opinions of others as a basis to get to know yourself better- what resonates with you? What doesn’t?
#3 Don’t Let Other People Confine You
Just like what other people think of us can prevent us from being our authentic self, what other people think we should be can hinder our ability to understand who we really are. When we believe in the limitations that others set, we are left in a box that restricts our ability to discover our true passions. We are often told that fantasizing sets us up for disappointment, but when we stop fantasizing about the life we want, we lose the fuel that pushes us towards a potentially better, more thrilling version of our present lives.
#4 Try New Things
In order to grow, we must learn to go outside our comfort zones. If you are not willing to try new things, you are restricting your exposure to what may give you immense passion, interest, and love in the future. It is important to be open-minded and actively seek activities, people, and places that you are not used to. Your passion may lie where you have not yet gone or what you have not yet tried.
#5 Don’t Doubt Yourself
When you don’t believe in yourself, it is extremely difficult to pursue your goals and dreams. Self-doubt is natural, but when you begin to feel it stopping you from doing what you want to do or being who you want to be, think of your strengths and all the reasons why you can tackle whatever lies in between you and what you love to do. We often manufacture an abundance of reasons for why we are not capable of doing what we truly love to do; finances, social expectations, and so on. But as soon as you begin to look at these things as challenges you can overcome, rather than unmovable walls, you bring yourself one step closer to living a life of passion (rather than just “getting by”).
