Passion Hunting

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

--Harold Whitman

In my post "Just Choose Anything," I suggested that our freedom to choose is extremely powerful which is why making any decisions in life can be daunting. We live with too many options! Making a decision means choosing one option and alienating many, many others.  However, by not getting into the habit of taking actions that commit us to a specific direction (whether it turns out to be right or not) we run the risk of becoming habitual followers. I also indicated that having a passion can make decision making much easier, but didn't provide specific details on how to find it.


You may know what you are passionate about.  If so, that's great!  If not, here are some tips to get you on the path to pinpointing what turns you on the most. 


1.  Who are you?  How much time do you devote to figuring out what principles and values to live by?  If a friend of yours asked you to describe yourself, what would you say? And, would you feel comfortable with your response? Be honest.  


2. What are you good at? For decades we've been told to improve our weaknesses instead of focusing on our strengths.  


3. Keep a running list of things that make you smile.


4. Keep learning and ask questions!  Knowledge is power, right?  The consistent pursuit of education will allow you to build new perspectives that might provide a clearer picture of what you truly love.


5. Think harder.  Why do you think what you think?  (This will help with #1)


6. Tune out negativity.  Your pursuit for passion has nothing to do with anyone else.


7. Don't quit.  We all have passion for something.  It is within us all.


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This is a late addition to this post, but it's related to finding one's passion....