Are you tired enough of living your current life to make a serious change? It’s easy to be told to “follow your passion.” That’s great advice, if you could figure out where your passions lie.
There are many ways to find your passion, but it’s not necessarily easy. We tend to shy away from the things that are most meaningful to us. It seems counterintuitive, but it’s a little scary to live with that much enthusiasm.
Having a lot means that you can potentially lose a lot. It’s natural to want to play it safe and keep your 9 to 5 and your three weeks of vacation. However, few of us grow up wanting to work in an office, pushing papers around.
If you’re stuck in a life that bores you, resistance won along the way.
Luckily, you can reinvent your life. You can dare to be bold and different. And you’ll most likely find life to be much more enjoyable!
Use these strategies to find your passion and multiply the excitement and meaning in your life:
1. Expect the process to be challenging. When you determine your passion, you’re likely to feel elated at first. However, that feeling might reverse itself before long. There is some part of you that will rebel against your spectacular idea.
* Hidden fears will come to the surface. These can include fears of failure, vulnerability, rejection, inadequacy, and exposure.
* The burden is on you to fight this resistance. If you refuse to give up the fight, your feelings of resistance will eventually die down.
2. Know your values. Your passion has to be in line with your values, or it can’t truly be a passion. Make a list of your values. Take your time and do a good job. You have more values than you think.
* Now, make a list of your favorite activities. It might be playing the piano, drinking vanilla lattes, writing, and teaching judo. Again, take time to ensure that you cover all the bases.
* Be clear on your values and what you most enjoy. These will provide clues to your passion.
3. Look to your past. What did you want to do when you were a child? Why didn’t you follow through? Make a list of the things you enjoyed as a child. What did you dream about? What did you want to become and experience? Your passion might not be dramatically different from your interests as a child.
4. Use the power of your mind and a pen. Find an hour you can spend alone and in peace. Write at the top of a piece of paper, “My passion.” Now just write whatever comes to mind. If you think to yourself, “This is silly,” then write “This is silly.” Just put every thought you have down on paper.
* It may take 20 minutes or so to get all the refuse out of your mind before you get to legitimate ideas. Just keep writing.
* You’ll know when you’ve hit pay dirt. Many people report the experience of tears running down their cheek when they finally write down the right idea. If you’re not sure, keep going.
* Listen to your gut. Your passion won’t be the result of a logical decision. It’s the result of intuition. Trust yourself.
Are you ready to live a life filled with passion? Are you ready to risk your current level of mediocrity? Make a commitment to yourself to find your passion and make a difference in your life. Time is ticking away. Now is the time to act. The world is waiting for you to be motivated and engaged.
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