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1- Ask Yourself What You Love To Do
Let’s say you work all day in an office as a financial adviser or an executive assistant. Although the work is steady and has provided you with a good income, a reliable one that has allowed you to save, take holidays and so forth, it doesn’t satisfy you. It rewards you for the work you do, but it does not satisfy you – there is a big difference. Satisfaction comes from a job well done, of course, but we’re talking about the kind of satisfaction you get deep down in your soul when you do something you love. Let’s use as an example, playing music; many people who work all day find themselves uplifted and joyous when they take guitar or piano lessons. Learning music (or another language, or another of many other different art forms) takes passion and dedication, but can it become your livelihood? Absolutely! We don’t mean you should quit your day job in the hope of becoming the next Beyonce, but you can decide to make it your life by becoming good at and then becoming a teacher yourself. Hence, the process goes from discovering the passion, learning it, excelling at it, and then using it to change how you live and what you do. Our example of music is just that – an example – your inner passion could be something else entirely. Maybe you’ve always wanted to be a carpenter. Becoming one – a good one – might enable you to make furniture and sell it online. The world is full of possibilities, and the first step of discovering your inner passion is learning what you love and what you would love to do if you were told you could choose anything at all as your profession.2- Do a Whole Lot Of Research
Being on the outside means it easy to view a passion with rose-coloured glasses, so it’s vital that you learn all you can about it. Don’t just look something up on Google and leave it at that. Please make an effort to read thoroughly about your passion by buying books and, more importantly, talking to people who already do it. Sticking with our example of making music your new focus – talk to someone already fully engaged in that world, perhaps as a teacher or player. Seldom does it happen that, if you express a keen and genuine interest in the work someone does that they turn down your request for information and guidance – just the opposite. Most people are pleased when someone recognizes the value and worth of their pursuit, and they are happy to share the knowledge and insights they’ve gained. They can offer the unvarnished truth about the difficulties, too, which are an important part of the research you’re doing. Hearing upbeat stories about your long time passion is not enough; hearing stories that convey the hardships are just as important. If you still want to pursue your passion when all the facts are at your disposal, you can be certain you’ll be able to handle them when they crop up in real life.3- Imagine All the Benefits of Pursuing Your Passion
When people follow their dreams and do what they love, many wonderful intangibles flow their way.
Less stress, better sleep, a more positive attitude and healthier relationships are just a few of these invisible benefits you’ll feel and notice once you start on a new, truer path.
This is particularly true of folks who kind of “fell into” what they do for a living and just haven’t had the time or the courage to pursue their true passions.
Ask yourself how many people you know who have retired but still keep their hand in by working at the same job for free – probably no one! That’s a good barometer of how committed and dedicated you are to your current work – would you do it for zero pay? If you hesitate even a little answering that, your true passion is probably in another area entirely.
