How Do You Find Your Passion?
Passions are activities that you love. They are things you do ( or would do ) without being paid, whether for the sheer joy of doing them or because of the subject engages you so deeply. And it's quite possible to have 'hidden passions' you haven't recognized, at least when it comes to thinking about them in relation to a business you might start.
Someone who is close to you might help you identify your passions, but for the most part, it's up to you. You can't rely on input from others as much as you do in identifying your strengths. Here you are searching for what makes you light up inside, as distinct from skills you display on the outside. So you'll want to do some introspection.
You could start just by noticing the 'issues' or 'causes' that trigger strong feelings. For example, what makes your blood boil? Does it happen when you see people littering or parents screaming at their kids? When you see people struggling to earn a living? conversely, what's happening in the world around you that excites you in a positive way?
An observation like this may seem to have little connection with a line of business you could pursue, but take note of them. They give you clues to subjects that arouse your energies--and the clues could lead somewhere you hadn't considered.
Next, pay attention to the things you do proactively. If litterbugs you, maybe you organize a neighborhood meeting to keep the street clean. Or, in any clubs or groups that you belong to, type of task. Repeatedly looking to seize the initiative in a given area is a pretty reliable indicator of a passion.
Last but not least, notice the things you put a lot of time and energy into--often without being asked or paid.
Maybe you spend hours on the phone helping a friend with a relationship problem. Or you are visiting your cousin's home for the weekend, and you bring your toolkit so you can spend happy hours fixing everything from the faucets to the children's playset in the back yard. Or, if the President's latest public-policy idea strikes you as wrong, you fire off letters and talk endlessly about why it won't work, backing up your view with data that you have collected and analyzed as closely as any pundit on the subjects.
Does this mean you ought to start a counseling service, a home-improvement business or a political consulting firm? Not necessarily; the linkage from a personal passion to the business idea may not be that direct. But you are getting a strong indication of the kind of activity that turns you on.
You don't even notice time passing when you are doing what engages you deeply. If you can't think of any major activity in your life for which this is true, try watching yourself for a few days to capture the little things that make you feel passionate, if only for brief periods.
It's also possible you have not yet 'found your passions' because your experiences have been limited. In that case, the prescription is obvious. Go out and have some new experiences! Maybe your passion is waiting to be discovered, in a setting that may have little to do with 'business' or 'work', as you now conceive it, and it will lead you where you need to go.
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