5 answers
Danil
Student
Bronx, ID
2
Questions
Asked
348 views
How to Find My Passion in Life?
What steps can one take to find their true passion in life and make it a meaningful career? Have any of you encountered this dilemma in your own lives? If so, how did you discover your current passion?
I think my biggest problem and the reason why it's so difficult for me is because my lack of experience: I'm a homebody and have a hard time getting out of my comfort zone. So, how can someone like me begin discovering their future goals and making them into a genuine passion?
Any feedback would be appreciated and thanks in advance :)
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5 answers
Diego Fonseca
Learning & Development Specialist
4
Answers
Florianópolis, State of Santa Catarina, Brazil
Updated
Diego’s Answer
Hello Danil! Finding your true passion and making it a meaningful career can be challenging but rewarding. I lived in this situation at the beginning of my career. I can share some tips and resources that might help you along the way.😊
First of all, you need to find your passion. This means identifying what makes you feel satisfied, excited, motivated, or fulfilled in your life. You can start by asking yourself some questions, such as:
• What would you do if money were no object?
• What are your hobbies or interests?
• What are your values or beliefs?
• What are your strengths or skills?
• What are your dreams or goals?
These questions can help you discover what you love to do and what matters to you. Think of the times when you felt most alive, engaged, or fulfilled Next, you need to plan it out. This means translating your passion into a career by searching for opportunities and finding roles that appeal to your interests. You can do this by:
• Doing some research on the industries, fields, or sectors that relate to your passion
• Looking at what your competitors are doing and finding a way to do it better
• Communicating with your network and seeking mentors or advisors who can guide you
• Setting realistic and specific goals and breaking them down into manageable steps.
• Taking action and pursuing your passion with persistence and enthusiasm.
Finally, you need to overcome your challenges. This means facing the obstacles that might prevent you from finding or following your passion, such as:
• Fear of failure or rejection
• Lack of experience or confidence
• Limited resources or support
• Resistance from family or friends
• Uncertainty or doubt
These challenges are normal, but they don't have to stop you from pursuing your passion. You can overcome them by:
• Embracing a growth mindset and learning from your mistakes
• Seeking feedback and improving your skills
• Finding ways to fund or support your passion project
• Surrounding yourself with positive and inspiring people
• Celebrating your achievements and rewarding yourself I hope these tips and resources will help you find your passion and turn it into a career. Remember that finding your passion is not a one-time event, but a continuous process of exploration, experimentation, and evolution. You might have more than one passion in your life, or your passion might change over time. The important thing is to keep an open mind, follow your curiosity and enjoy the journey.
I wish you all the best in finding and following your passion. If you have any questions or need more help, feel free to chat with me again.😊
First of all, you need to find your passion. This means identifying what makes you feel satisfied, excited, motivated, or fulfilled in your life. You can start by asking yourself some questions, such as:
• What would you do if money were no object?
• What are your hobbies or interests?
• What are your values or beliefs?
• What are your strengths or skills?
• What are your dreams or goals?
These questions can help you discover what you love to do and what matters to you. Think of the times when you felt most alive, engaged, or fulfilled Next, you need to plan it out. This means translating your passion into a career by searching for opportunities and finding roles that appeal to your interests. You can do this by:
• Doing some research on the industries, fields, or sectors that relate to your passion
• Looking at what your competitors are doing and finding a way to do it better
• Communicating with your network and seeking mentors or advisors who can guide you
• Setting realistic and specific goals and breaking them down into manageable steps.
• Taking action and pursuing your passion with persistence and enthusiasm.
Finally, you need to overcome your challenges. This means facing the obstacles that might prevent you from finding or following your passion, such as:
• Fear of failure or rejection
• Lack of experience or confidence
• Limited resources or support
• Resistance from family or friends
• Uncertainty or doubt
These challenges are normal, but they don't have to stop you from pursuing your passion. You can overcome them by:
• Embracing a growth mindset and learning from your mistakes
• Seeking feedback and improving your skills
• Finding ways to fund or support your passion project
• Surrounding yourself with positive and inspiring people
• Celebrating your achievements and rewarding yourself I hope these tips and resources will help you find your passion and turn it into a career. Remember that finding your passion is not a one-time event, but a continuous process of exploration, experimentation, and evolution. You might have more than one passion in your life, or your passion might change over time. The important thing is to keep an open mind, follow your curiosity and enjoy the journey.
I wish you all the best in finding and following your passion. If you have any questions or need more help, feel free to chat with me again.😊
Martha Kramer
Corporate Training, Communications
202
Answers
Stamford, Connecticut
Updated
Martha’s Answer
Hi, Danil, and congratulations for stretching your comfort zone by asking this heartfelt question! I would like to build upon Diego's thoughtful answer, as follows:
- I have found it helpful to think about my passions from a skill perspective as different from a content perspective. For me, this has meant seeking writing (a skill) in job responsibilities. I have written courses, presentations, newsletters, surveys, blogs, reports, video scripts etc. Later in my career, I found out that I enjoyed teaching so I became a leadership trainer, then a tutor, then a technology trainer. I am interested in a lot of different subjects so I was fine - even excited - to learn new content (for example, leadership and management and medical technology) and new industries (for example, telecommunications, commercial finance, consumer good, and software). You may be more interested in content than skills - the opposite of me - and that's fine.
- This leads to Diego's point that you may have more than one passion and that your passion(s) may change over time. Either of those situations is fine and may actually be helpful if the market for your kind of job changes. If you have multiple interests, you could pivot if demand for what you were doing decreases.
- Being a homebody doesn't have to hold you back. You found us, right? You can do a lot of research and networking virtually. Networking can be intimidating, but I approach it as learning about other people's professional journey and perspectives which, generally, people like to share. The second part of networking is thinking about what I could offer in return. Of course, it starts with my sincere thanks, but could include sending links to articles or websites relevant to what we discussed. Or maybe I know someone who might be helpful to them.
- I don't know if you are in college. Many colleges have career centers with information about different professions and counselors who could guide you. They may even have aptitude tests to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and correlate them to professions. They may also have on-campus or near-campus jobs or internships to help you learn about different jobs. If you are not in college yet, you could talk with your family and trusted teachers about what they have observed about your strengths, and include that feedback in your analysis.
Good luck!
- I have found it helpful to think about my passions from a skill perspective as different from a content perspective. For me, this has meant seeking writing (a skill) in job responsibilities. I have written courses, presentations, newsletters, surveys, blogs, reports, video scripts etc. Later in my career, I found out that I enjoyed teaching so I became a leadership trainer, then a tutor, then a technology trainer. I am interested in a lot of different subjects so I was fine - even excited - to learn new content (for example, leadership and management and medical technology) and new industries (for example, telecommunications, commercial finance, consumer good, and software). You may be more interested in content than skills - the opposite of me - and that's fine.
- This leads to Diego's point that you may have more than one passion and that your passion(s) may change over time. Either of those situations is fine and may actually be helpful if the market for your kind of job changes. If you have multiple interests, you could pivot if demand for what you were doing decreases.
- Being a homebody doesn't have to hold you back. You found us, right? You can do a lot of research and networking virtually. Networking can be intimidating, but I approach it as learning about other people's professional journey and perspectives which, generally, people like to share. The second part of networking is thinking about what I could offer in return. Of course, it starts with my sincere thanks, but could include sending links to articles or websites relevant to what we discussed. Or maybe I know someone who might be helpful to them.
- I don't know if you are in college. Many colleges have career centers with information about different professions and counselors who could guide you. They may even have aptitude tests to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and correlate them to professions. They may also have on-campus or near-campus jobs or internships to help you learn about different jobs. If you are not in college yet, you could talk with your family and trusted teachers about what they have observed about your strengths, and include that feedback in your analysis.
Good luck!
David Harling
Operations
2
Answers
Raleigh, North Carolina
Updated
David’s Answer
Surrounding yourself with people who share the same interests will help towards finding your passion(s)!
My current business partner and I independently orbited the same social circles until another friend mentioned a shared passion and formally introduced us.
From there, we made an effort to integrate people with similar fondness into our professional network, turning our passion into a thriving business. Also, we determine success in our own terms and money is not in the top 5 factors!
My current business partner and I independently orbited the same social circles until another friend mentioned a shared passion and formally introduced us.
From there, we made an effort to integrate people with similar fondness into our professional network, turning our passion into a thriving business. Also, we determine success in our own terms and money is not in the top 5 factors!
Alyssa Alejo
Supervisor Gaming Audit
31
Answers
Las Vegas, Nevada
Updated
Alyssa’s Answer
Seek out the highlights of your day
You may find that there's a particular day or moment you eagerly anticipate. It could be a specific meeting, a task you enjoy, or a special time you've reserved for yourself. Sometimes, the best parts of your day might come as a pleasant surprise. Always be aware of both the big and small moments that bring joy to your day.
While many of these joyful moments may occur during your work hours, you might also find that the highlights of your day happen outside of work in the time you spend with yourself, friends, or family. Identifying where and with whom these moments occur can help you understand if your passions are work-related or if they lie in other areas of your life.
Consider where you invest your time and resources
We often invest our time and resources in things we value. Take a look at your credit card statements or bank transactions and try to identify any recurring themes. Pay attention to the types of books, magazines, movies, or podcasts you enjoy. Reflect on how you spend your free time and which activities bring you happiness.
Lastly, try to identify if there's a specific genre, topic, or theme that ties your hobbies and interests together. Interests that have stayed with you over the years might be more indicative of a passion than a recent interest.
You may find that there's a particular day or moment you eagerly anticipate. It could be a specific meeting, a task you enjoy, or a special time you've reserved for yourself. Sometimes, the best parts of your day might come as a pleasant surprise. Always be aware of both the big and small moments that bring joy to your day.
While many of these joyful moments may occur during your work hours, you might also find that the highlights of your day happen outside of work in the time you spend with yourself, friends, or family. Identifying where and with whom these moments occur can help you understand if your passions are work-related or if they lie in other areas of your life.
Consider where you invest your time and resources
We often invest our time and resources in things we value. Take a look at your credit card statements or bank transactions and try to identify any recurring themes. Pay attention to the types of books, magazines, movies, or podcasts you enjoy. Reflect on how you spend your free time and which activities bring you happiness.
Lastly, try to identify if there's a specific genre, topic, or theme that ties your hobbies and interests together. Interests that have stayed with you over the years might be more indicative of a passion than a recent interest.
Sophie Clissold-Lesser
project manager in Sales Enablement
36
Answers
London, England, United Kingdom
Updated
Sophie’s Answer
Good answers here already and I wanted to add something... your passion might be something not directly aligned to a single role or career.
When I was at school age 17 or 18 I was working on a student magazine and realised that what I enjoyed most wasn't writing articles and producing content for the magazine - it was to help others to work as a team to do this, to review work, to organise the structure and to facilitate the process to being things successfully together. So I spotted that organising and managing were a better fit for me than being the creator or artist.
Throughout my career this has proved to be a pretty accurate observation about my skillset and what I get recognised for...
This has included a diverse set of roles:
- complaint management - liaising between complainants and the experts in the departments who could respond to them and improving processes to avoid repetition
- workshop designer and facilitator
- management consultant
- project manager
So I suggest to pay attention to both the topics that you like AND also the nature of the tasks that you find fulfilling and satisfying...
Good luck
When I was at school age 17 or 18 I was working on a student magazine and realised that what I enjoyed most wasn't writing articles and producing content for the magazine - it was to help others to work as a team to do this, to review work, to organise the structure and to facilitate the process to being things successfully together. So I spotted that organising and managing were a better fit for me than being the creator or artist.
Throughout my career this has proved to be a pretty accurate observation about my skillset and what I get recognised for...
This has included a diverse set of roles:
- complaint management - liaising between complainants and the experts in the departments who could respond to them and improving processes to avoid repetition
- workshop designer and facilitator
- management consultant
- project manager
So I suggest to pay attention to both the topics that you like AND also the nature of the tasks that you find fulfilling and satisfying...
Good luck