Do you hate your job? Maybe you don’t hate it, but you feel indifferent towards it. In other words, you’re not passionate about it, and you know there’s a better, new job out there for you. A dream job where you can explore your true passion, but you just don’t know how to find it. If that sounds familiar, then this blog post is for you.
We want you to ask yourself the following questions:
What if you literally had your dream job?
What if you were able to work on amazing things that you’re passionate about?
What if you woke up in the morning and didn’t hit snooze because you were excited about the day ahead?
What does the perfect career path look like for you?
That’s what this blog is about. We want you to understand that you will find your dream job when you find your passion and pursue it in conjunction with your career. So that begs the question: What are you passionate about, and how do you find it?
The first step is to open your mind. We need you to become receptive to the idea that finding your true passion is possible in the first place.
If you have a negative mindset and stubbornly insist that you’ll never find your passion, you won’t. Instead, you must relax so you can receive any nudges in your spirit or pulls on your psyche. Keep this in mind as you go through the exercises below.
Our hope is that by the time you finish this blog post, you’ll have a good idea of what you’re truly passionate about.
3 Myths about Finding Your True Passion
Due to their own experiences or perspectives, many people have different views on “finding your true passion” that may or may not be accurate. Let’s examine a few common misconceptions.
Myth 1: Work Isn’t Supposed to Be Fun
Many people believe that the entire concept of finding what you’re passionate about is a myth, but we challenge you to open your mind.
We firmly believe it is possible to align your passion with your career path, and aligning the two is the best possible way to find fulfillment in life. You are not doomed to be miserable at work. You can find your perfect job! We know this is true because we know people who’ve done it. Dean Graziosi is an excellent example, but there are people all over the world living out their passions and purposes every day.
Myth 2: Your Passion Shouldn’t Dictate Your Career Path
Some people feel that your hobbies and your work should be totally separate. However, why spend so much of your life doing something you don’t enjoy or find meaning in. It’s better to integrate your passion into all areas of your life in order to find true fulfillment and satisfaction.
Myth 3: Your Passion Is the Same as Your Talent
Being good at something doesn’t mean you’re passionate about it. Skill doesn’t equal passion. Human beings have many talents, but these talents don’t necessarily have anything to do with their core values, true passions or earthly purposes. You might be great at Excel spreadsheets, but if they bore you to tears, you are not passionate about them. See the difference?
20 Questions To Help You Discover What You’re Passionate About
So, we’ve established how finding your true passion can do amazing things for your life and career path. When you discover what you’re passionate about and apply it, you can increase your enjoyment of your work life every single day.
Now let’s check in on your own experiences to determine what your passion might be. We’ll be looking at a lot of aspects of your life—from what you do in your free time to what your loved ones would say about you. Answering these questions should help you figure things out, and once you apply what you learn, you’ll really change your life. So what are you waiting for? Grab a pen and start writing down your answers to these questions!
1. What’s Working and What’s Not?
What do you like about your current job? What do you dislike? Do you need a new job altogether or are there adjustments, alterations or additions you can perform to make it align more with your interests?
Your interests are a good stepping stone for determining your passion. Reflecting on them may point you in the right direction, so this is a great place to start.
2. What Do You Lose Track of Time Doing?
What do you lose track of time doing? What can you do for hours on end, but it feels like mere minutes?
Is it reading comic books? Woodworking? Playing a sport? Listening to a podcast?
How does that connect to other activities you enjoy? Are there people who get paid to do what you lose track of time doing? Is there any way this passion and your career path overlap?
3. What Can You Talk About For Hours?
Is there a subject you never get tired of talking about? What do your family and friends say you’re always going on about? What do you spend your lunch break discussing? What topic makes your face light up at the mere mention of it?
Is it business? Books? Trains? Self-care?
4. What Did You Love To Do As a Kid and in High School?
As a child, what did you play with the most? Were you more into imaginative play, video games or a specific toy? Did you play with others or did you play alone? What was your favorite book, movie and TV show?
In high school, what did you have the best time doing? Were you into sports, musical or social events? Was there a subject you particularly enjoyed? Was there something you looked forward to doing every single day? Take notes.
5. What Do You Want to Be Remembered For?
If someone were to write your eulogy, what are the 3 things you would want them to name as your accomplishments? Are they related to social justice, family or career?
What matters most to you? Think of what the world needs and what you want to provide the world. Ask yourself what you want to accomplish while on Earth.
6. What Would You Do If You Had a Million Dollars?
Let’s say you just inherited a million dollars. How would you spend your time? What would your day-to-day life look like? What activities would you invest your time in? What causes would you pursue?
Would you work part-time just to fill your day? If so, where would you work? Would you get out of your comfort zone or would you keep doing the things you’ve always done?
Money is an obstacle that keeps many people from considering what they’re passionate about. So we encourage you to ask yourself the question: If money were not a problem, how would you spend your time?
7. What Do You Find Meaningful?
What matters most to you? What are your core values? What really pulls at your heartstrings? Most social media posts we scroll right by, but is there a certain kind of post that always makes you stop? You might benefit from reflecting on that a bit further.
Is there a moment from your past that left an especially strong impression? What made it so memorable and special?
Do you feel like you’ve ever made a meaningful impact on someone else? What happened in that scenario? Would you like to do that again?
8. What Do You Research For Fun?
What’s the most common thing you google in your free time? And we’re not talking about restaurants or funny memes here. We mean a topic you’re truly interested in. This is something you research for fun on your lunch break. It’s an issue you read about and would like to learn more about. This could be a powerful indicator of something you’re passionate about.
9. What Do Your Loved Ones Know You Best For?
Ask 3 of your closest loved ones what they associate you most with. What are you known for? Maybe it’s your great cooking. Maybe you write amazing short stories. Maybe you give incredible real-world advice.
Our family and friends can sometimes offer insight into our blindspots. The most obvious things can escape our notice. That’s one of the many reasons we need to surround ourselves with loving people who are there for us when we need them. So be proactive, and ask them what they think you’re passionate about.
10. What Are You Most Proud Of?
Looking back, what are you most proud of? What do you think is your greatest accomplishment in life so far? We know you’ve done some amazing things. Check-in with yourself and acknowledge your achievements.
Have you helped someone find their way? Raised a great kid? Empowered a group to achieve more than they ever expected? Coached a young person?
This is a very telling question that can provide you with valuable insight to your true passion, so make sure to think hard.
11. Who Do You Most Want to Help?
What group of people do you feel called to serve? Who do you feel like you need to help because their obstacles hurt your heart? Who can you help along their path?
It’s important to get specific and narrow with this question. Don’t just say “young people.” Which young people? Where? Young people going through what? Be specific. The more specific you are, the closer you will be to finding your true passion.
12. What Problem Do You Want To Solve Most?
Sometimes it’s not the group of people that pulls on your heart but the problem itself. Many types of people might encounter the same issue. If that is the case, what is the problem you are passionate about solving? Does this problem overlap with a certain career path? Could your specific skills and education help solve this problem, or do you need to take some classes and get trained?
Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone! If there’s a problem you want to solve, but you’re not qualified to solve it, you can always receive training.
13. What Can You Not Give Up On?
This is deeply related to the problem we want to solve most. What we can’t give up on is a powerful indicator of the cause we care about most (i.e. our true passion). Maybe you can’t give up on homelessness or world hunger, or you get fired up about racial injustice.
Even when setbacks knock you down, you get back up and try one more time. You volunteer, you donate and you keep resisting.
You never give up on it because you know the world needs it and you’re passionate about it. (🤯)
14. What Makes You Light Up?
Is there anything you do that just immediately puts you in a good mood or gets you energized and excited? That’s a pretty amazing thing to have in your life.
Once you find your dream job, you should be able to say that about your work life. But since you haven’t found the perfect job yet, look to your hobbies. Is there a hobby you have that makes you light up? How do you spend your free time? Do activities in your free time make you light up?
Whatever it is, you must first become aware of it. Then you can figure out if it overlaps with a specific career path.
15. What Types of Things Do You Buy?
If you’re constantly purchasing items related to a certain subject or topic, you’re obviously incredibly interested in that thing. Why do you do it? What is the topic? Are there related subjects that you’re also interested in? What is it about this topic that draws your attention? Do you use the items or just collect them? All of these questions will help you get one step closer to finding what you’re passionate about.
16. What Do You Hate?
To find your true passion, it’s helpful to verify what it definitely is not. So what do you absolutely not like? What do you really hate with the fiery passion of a thousand suns?
This one may seem like just a fun, throwaway question, but it’s actually surprisingly helpful. Make sure to also include the things you’re good at that you don’t really like. Your answers there may surprise you.
17. What Motivates You to Move?
When you’re feeling lazy, and you don’t really want to do anything, what gets you up and going? What is something that always motivates you to take massive action? What is something that’s so interesting or challenging that you look forward to doing it every single day?
What can get you up with a smile on your face the first time the alarm goes off? That’s a big tip to what you’re most passionate about.
18. What’s Your “Why”?
Before you can find your passion, you must determine your why aka your deep-level motivation for what you do. Once you know your “why,” the path to finding your true passion becomes much simpler and clearer.
Consider your “why” the starting point. What passion will result from the pursuit of its natural progression?
19. What Do You Hope For?
What is your dream for the future? What do you see yourself doing if all goes well and according to plan? If you haven’t yet, envision your future. Imagine that you figure things out, and everything is going swimmingly.
What outcomes do you see in this future world? What type of career path are you on? What kinds of hobbies do you have? What accomplishments matter to you? Check-in with your present-day self and see what you can do to start making this future come true.
20. What’s Your Purpose in Life?
Can passion and purpose be used interchangeably? We see them as 2 different things, but we believe that once you find one, you’ll quickly find the other. You see, if you discover your purpose, your true passion will naturally support that purpose.
If you find your purpose, it will likely lead you to what you’re passionate about. So this is definitely a topic worth exploring more.
How To Discover Your Passion Through Your Answers
Now that you’ve completed the question and answer section of this exercise, we have 3 vital steps for you to take. Each step will help you sift through your answers, looking for insights to what you’re most passionate about.
Look For Themes In Your Answers
As you review your notes and your thought process, did you notice any hobby, habit, or behavior crop up again and again? If so, that may be a sign of something you’re passionate about.
Start Writing Down Several Passion Finalists
Once you’ve finished your research, start writing down the most likely passions. These are the passions that truly appeal to you. They should make you light up when you think of them. Don’t think of how you can turn your passion into your dream job just yet. Right now, it’s only important to narrow down what your true passions could be.
Try Out the Passions for Yourself To Determine the Winner(s)
Remember, you can brainstorm all you like, but you’ll never know if you’re truly passionate about something until you try it out in the real world. Now is also a good time to distinguish between hobbies and profitable passions. You want to ensure your passion overlaps with a career path. It’s okay if it’s not the career path you’re on! But you want to make sure that it’s possible to profit from your passion.
Finding Your Passion Can Change Your Life
Finding what you’re passionate about is a noble mission. It offers you the ability to receive more joy, fulfillment and even greater happiness at work. By pursuing your true passion, you can provide what the world needs: more happy people putting good out there by doing what they love. We hope you had a lightbulb go off as you answered these questions and now have a handful of ideas to try out!