The scary yet beautiful thing about life is that we only have so much time on the Earth. Understanding how to find your passion will give you a clear purpose and direction to the important things in your life.
In reality, the minute you have a purpose in life, a laser-like energy cuts a clear path between you and your ideal life.
Everyone knows What we do. That’s not hard to pinpoint – “I go to work so I can make money and do the things I enjoy.”
Yes, that’s what you do. But very few of us know why we do the things we do. Knowing your why – or your purpose – is what inspires you to get up in the morning. Your purpose radiates from you and inspires others around you, and ultimately is what propels you forward in life.
While there isn’t a special road map – I wish there were – of finding your ‘why’ in life, Margie Warrell, author of Stop Playing Safe and Find Your Courage, states that your purpose lies in the middle of talents, passions, values, and skills.
I’m not saying go quit your job to go chase your dreams because we still gotta pay the bills. However, understanding your why can help guide you through your life with a clearer vision of what you want.
It’s often overwhelming and confusing to figure out what your purpose is if you don’t have one. But don’t worry! Here are some questions that can point you in the right direction to finding your unique purpose.
A side note before we jump into the questions: Don’t think that your purpose has to be a grandiose thing, it’s 100% personal.
1.What makes you so excited that you can’t wait to get out of bed in the morning?
When something is lighting a fire underneath you so hot that you can’t wait to get out of bed to do that one thing, it’s a great sign that it’s one of your passions.
A passion can be anything concrete like photography to something more abstract like helping people. Take a moment find a passion that puts butterflies in your stomach.
2. What Unique Skills do You Have that Make you Different?
Being passionate about something is only a part of the puzzle. What are your unique skills or things have always just come naturally to you?
It is possible to be passionate about something and have no skills in that particular area. But that isn’t very common. I’ve found that people are typically passionate about something they are good at.
Look at where your passions and your skills intersect skills. Are you a naturally good communication, are you good at finding solutions to problem, or are you naturally creative? How do those skills align with the things you are passionate about?
3. Never Lose Sight of Your Values
You won’t find your purpose when you’re in a place you hate or that doesn’t align with who you are at the core. Apply the skills and passions that you figured out in the first two steps and ask yourself how you could apply these within your life to add value.
Focus on your natural abilities, find problems that make you passionate about, and work towards solving them.
You don’t have to march out of your job that you hate. that’
4. Learn how to Measure your Success
Chasing money and fame are ill-fated. Money will come and go and you’ll get burnt out and pushed in directions that you don’t have passion for if you chase fame.
Understand what you want out of life and stick to that mental image. With a clear purpose, there is little that can truly stand in your way. So get out there and find your why – you only have one life…make it count!
Goal setting is the next step after figuring out how to find your passion. We recommend this article to help you on your next step.