Your
passion is the reason you wake up in the morning, and just the thought of it
can keep you up late with excitement. Passion can also be a quieter feeling of
satisfaction, knowing you’re living life on your terms. However, not everyone
knows exactly what his or her passion is right away. Don't worry -- whether
you're looking for your passion to find a new career, or if you're looking to
get completely immersed in a new hobby or activity, there are a number of
things you can do to find your passion.
Do your research. Read up on your new passion. Talk with people who have
experienced it for themselves. Check out books from the library. Take classes.
The more you know about your passion, the better-equipped you’ll be to make the
transition. For example, if you’ve decided to start your own business, you need
to know how to do that. What skills do you need? What funding, products, etc.,
will you need to set up before you can open your doors?
- Talking with people in the career or area you feel passionate about can be extremely helpful. Generally, people are happy to give you advice and tell you how they’ve made their way. They can also tell you the less-exciting stuff about your new passion, which is important to know now so it doesn’t surprise you later.
Avoid jumping into a new job just on
instinct. It can be incredibly tempting to
ditch your old unfulfilling job and dive headfirst into the new career you’ve
just discovered. However, it’s a good idea to test your new discovery before
leaving the stability of your old job. Everyone can be passionate about
something new and exciting for a few days. When you discover the unpleasant or
even dull aspects of your new discovery and still love it, that’s when you know
it’s right for you.
- For example, becoming a chef might seem like the ideal career for you, but it’s easy to glamorize something when you’re not living in it day to day. Taking a culinary class -- or even enrolling in culinary school -- will familiarize you with the nitty-gritty details, such as the insanely long hours, hot kitchens, and generally low pay. Once you know the worst about your new interest and still can’t imagine yourself doing anything else, you can feel confident that you’ve found a real passion.
Commit to leaving when it just feels
wrong. If you feel stuck at a dead-end job
that fulfills none of your needs except paying the rent every month, commit to
finding something else. You may even find that quitting before you’ve found
another job motivates you to work harder. This is because of a little something
called the “zone of optimal anxiety,” a psychological phenomenon where being in
an unfamiliar situation causes just enough anxiety to make you work harder and
think more creatively.
- Be aware, however, that too much stress is as bad for your performance as too little. If you leave your unfulfilling job without any savings or other ideas and have a mortgage, student loans, and your kid’s tuition to cover, you might find yourself overwhelmed with so much stress that you can’t function.
