Oftentimes we wonder how to find your passion or purpose in life. When I am counseling younger individuals or those that are struggling with addiction, depression, or even those after retirement, they question their purpose. Here is how to find your passion or a life of purpose. Below are ten ways.
How to Find Your Passion or a Life of Purpose: 10 Ways
Try new things. It is important to try an array of different sports, activities and hobbies to see what interests you and what you are good at. If you are unsure about volunteering, try it and give back to your community. See what new experiences it presents for you. Or, if you are only good at cheerleading, try volleyball. The point is: try something new and stick with it for a while to give yourself a fair chance at figuring out if it is for you.
Keep an open mind. Do what you normally would not do, within reason. Don’t shut out ideas, especially healthy ones. If you have never baked cookies from scratch, try it with a friend or family member. If you have never been on a plane to travel but now you have an opportunity, try it. If you have never talked with an elderly person, take time out to hear her stories of her life from decades ago, in a time when you were not even born yet. Try not to be judgmental and remain open-minded.
Dedicate time to your talents and hobbies. Before you know it, if you are practicing your talent or hobby each day, you will become great at it. Think about investing an hour a day, each day, for ten years on your talent or your hobby. This type of dedication results in greatness.
Talk to people. Hear about their experiences. Ask a lot of questions. If they have been to a country, you have never been to ask to see pictures and hear stories. If someone has a job that you are curious about, ask them what they like best or worst about it, how they got the job in the first place and what they do on a daily basis. You can learn a lot by having conversations with others.
Read. At the local library there are numerous free books in every area you can imagine. Libraries have online resources now. By reading you will not only educate yourself but challenge yourself in ways you never knew. You only know what you know and what you know can either be limiting or abundant.
Be fearless. Don’t let fear guide your choices. There is a difference though between stupid, non-calculated, impulsive decisions versus problem solving a calculated risk. Remain fearless and take action.
Make time for self-reflection. Sometimes talking to others will complicate your feelings about your passions and your purpose. Oftentimes, we tend to listen to others and not ourselves. If you can get quiet with yourself a few minutes to twenty minutes per day, the answers will come. Trust yourself.
Think good thoughts. It might be human nature for others to bring you down during your quest for passion and purpose. Ignore them and remain positive. For any negative comment or idea, battle it with two positive thoughts. For example, if someone says: “You shouldn’t focus on being an actor. Actors can’t make a living.” Say to yourself: “Some actors make a great living and since I love it, I could become great too.”
Share your gifts with the world. Each person has gifts they can present to the world. First, recognize your positive qualities even if they are only a few. Try not to compare yourself to others. When you are discovering your gifts, be sure to expand on these gifts not only by reading (as stated above) but also by challenging yourself. For example, if your gift is the ‘gift of gab’, learn more about public speaking or networking.
Be action-oriented. Walk the walk. Work hard at doing. Nothing will happen if you simply think about it, although there is a time and place for thinking. Put those thoughts and ideas into action. Make simple and achievable goals such as, “I will practice my cello one hour a day.” That is a short-term goal. “I will perform a short song at a recital by this time next year.” That is an example of a long-term goal. Now go do it!
Photo Credit: Pexels
)