One common piece of advice you might get when looking for a job is to “find your passion.” Following the work, ideas, and projects that make you feel fulfilled and motivated can help lead you to jobs you will enjoy and succeed in. While the idea is simple enough, it can still take some careful consideration to identify and find your passion in life.
Define Passion
A passion is “a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object or concept,” according to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. When you practice your passions, you might feel content and relaxed. As a professional, pursuing your passions as a career can bring you greater fulfillment in the contributions you make in the workplace. You may feel inclined to pursue your passions even if you don’t have a lot of free time.
Because passions are activities or ideas that inspire you, then you could consider making a career out of them. Passions can vary widely depending on your interests or values. Here are some examples of passions that you could have:
- Teaching
- Animal welfare
- Environmental issues
- Playing the guitar
- Cooking
- Learning a language
- Writing a book
The Difference Between Passions and Hobbies
A hobby is an activity that you enjoy doing when you have personal time, while a passion is a goal or activity that motivates you. Sometimes hobbies can become passions, and passions can become hobbies.
Find Your Passion
The best way to identify what you’re passionate about is to pay attention to the daily tasks and activities that make you feel excited, motivated, or fulfilled. Here are 15 ways you can identify your passions in your day-to-day life:
1. Notice The High Points in Your Day
There might be a certain day of the week or time of the day you look forward to for some reason. Maybe it’s a specific meeting, task or time you’ve set aside. You might also notice certain surprises or unexpected times that end up being the best part of your day. Pay attention to both seemingly significant and insignificant things that you would consider to be the peak of your day.
While many of these high points may happen during work, you may notice that your high points occur outside the workplace in the time you have for yourself, friends and family. Making note of where and with whom your high points take place will bring you one step closer to knowing whether your passions are related to your career or other parts of life.
2. Become Aware of What You Spend Your Time and Money On
We tend to focus our resources on things that are meaningful to us, including time and money. Look at your credit card bill or bank statements and see if there are any themes. Look at the topics of books, magazines, films or podcasts you consume. Take note of how you are spending your free time and what activities bring you joy.
Finally, recognize if there is a particular genre, subject or theme that your hobbies and interests have in common. The interests that have remained with you through the years may be more related to a passion versus a newly emerged interest.
3. What Topics do You Love to Teach or Talk About
Consider your interactions with others. What types of conversations do you enjoy the most? Do you find yourself particularly animated when talking about a specific subject? It might also be helpful to consider if there are any tasks or topics you tend to teach others about. These are often the things we find most important to us.
Read More: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/how-to-find-your-passion