We’ve all heard the phrase: “Follow you passion and then you’ll be happy.”
The biggest problem is: What if you don’t really know what your passion is?
We all enjoy a variety of things and it is often difficult to pinpoint that one thing that makes you the happiest of all. These days when students finish school, there are very few young people that know exactly what they want to do with the rest of their lives. They did not have proper career guidance in school and they also were not exposed to all the opportunities out there. Most of them just seem lost without any direction.
In the olden days, people used to choose a career, stick to the career for the rest of their lives and then one day when they retire they could sit back and enjoy life without worries. Life has changed so much that the stability of a job is not so important anymore and it is a known fact that you as a young person might often change jobs. There are so many opportunities out there to create an income that some people never even leave their houses and they still make money. Everything in life revolves around money these days and the passion for a job has long gone out of the window. For this specific reason we have millions of people in jobs that pay them well, but they are not as happy as they could or should be.
Money makes the world go round, and unfortunately we cannot survive solely on passion. Everything is getting more expensive and we do what we have to do to create an income.
BUT
What do you do when you get to a point in your life when you just cannot stand your job anymore because it is taking up so much time that it literally just swallows up your whole life?
It is all just too easy to fall into this routine and when you decide to make a switch to get your life back, you are not sure what to do. You are unfulfilled and you are looking for an opportunity to be in a happier place. No need to go into depression, but it is time to grab that pen and paper!
Ask yourself these questions:
1. What would you spend your time doing if you had no financial burdens?
2. What can you do for a whole year without getting paid?
3. What can you read about for days without getting bored?
Now that you have a fair idea of what you actually like, you need to make two more lists.
1. What things do you like, but are not very good at it?
2. What do you absolutely hate to do?
Once you’ve made these lists you are a little bit closer to finding out what your passion is. Many people are waiting for that one specific day where they make a breakthrough in their lives and that might NEVER happen. Some people get inspired very easily but for others it takes a lot of work. Chances are that you will never be inspired enough for that one moment where everything just suddenly make sense.
If you want to change your life, it is advisable to spend twenty to thirty minutes per day thinking about things that interested you recently. You might also think of other opportunities that you have seen or thought about.
"Your true passion is not found overnight, but is realized through a series of discoveries of small interests. Thinking/ meditation as a process of reading/analyzing your mind can in turn lead to the discovery of your true passion."
If you still have no idea, ask your friends. Often a friend can shed more light on something that you struggle with. Explain to them what you are going through and that they should help and support you with the thought process. Give them enough time to think about this.
Check out the hobbies of your friends. If any of their hobbies or interests, interest you, ask if you could observe them for a few days. Experiment with new things to see what tickles your interest. You might be good at something that you thought you would never enjoy.
"Steve Jobs was not the world’s greatest engineer, salesperson, designer or businessman. But he was uniquely good enough at all of these things, and wove them together into something far greater."
If all else fails then go back to your childhood. What did you enjoy most while you were growing up? Did you enjoy art, reading, and writing? Think about it. Would you enjoy doing any of those activities now?
What did you enjoy before your life exploded into a mad house?
Try to remember the activities that you enjoyed. Lastly if everything else fails, then place yourself in a different scenario. Imagine you are old and on your deathbed.
What do you wish you had spent more time on?
We all want to be happy in our jobs, and it might take a few tries before you find something that you really enjoy and are excited about. Just imagine if you could wake up in the morning with a song in your heart and a jump in your step!
Imagine yourself being happy and excited to go to work.
Where are you going?
At the end of the day, you might find your passion and be truly happy, but it is important to take it one step at a time. Do not quit your job immediately because you still need to survive while you are chasing your passion. Start small if you find out what you want to do, and use all your extra time to pursue this passion. Perhaps one day it could become a permanent job.
