Can passion suck?
A question I get a lot in my programs.
Yes.
I said...
When things get hard, people question if they chose the right purpose, calling, vision, direction.
So how do you truly know if you are passionate about something?
(1) You can’t stop thinking about it
I mean borderline obsessively.
Look at how you spend your time.
What podcasts do you listen to?
What do you read about?
What catches your attention?
What are you excited to tell others about?
(2) You’ll feel & get reoccurring signals
Notice how your body and mind react when you ignore what you’re passionate about.
You might feel it as tension in your chest, restlessness, or constant mental noise.
For me its quite irritation with myself for not doing the thing I know I am meant to. And as soon as I do it. The irritation stop. Instead I see even more creative possibilities, and wish I had more time in the day.
A friend once told me, “If I don’t paint, I feel constipated.”
Another said, “I know I’m passionate when I’d rather work on this than go kite-boarding in Mexico.”
(3) Do you start, stop, yet always restart?
Some people stop right before they launch.
They find a reason to not release that book, article, or idea.
They talk themselves out of it.
Most likely due to fear, or doubt.
Watch for this pattern and break it.
Many have it for years.
Either do something you say you are passionate about, really see it through or drop it.
(4) Listen to what lights you up every week
We get caught making decisions based on what we want to avoid rather than what we want to move towards.
Start understanding your energy patters, to make decision in your career from a place of joy and passion.
You’re already noticing what lights you up, and what drains you. You’re just too busy to notice.
Get specific instead of getting caught up in the feeling “I have my manager” or “I hate my job.”
(5) You’ll feel a reoccurring YES
Notice what you feel YES about, to understand your passions. Learning to understand how you feel when you respond to something with a full yes, can help you notice the things you’re passionate about and continuously feel excited by.
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My 8 step process that helps you get crystal clear on your next career direction, find a meaningful job or start a business you’re passionate about. Burnout, confused and overthinking? You’ll leave motivated, connected to yourself, with a clear plan.
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How do I follow my passion at work?
(1) Notice what you love doing with or for family and friends
People have mentioned to me:
“I’d love to get involved in real estate with my family.”
“I’m always planning events for my community, for free, like sound healing or wine tours.”
“I’m the friend everyone calls when they’re going through something. I just love helping people”
“I’m always helping people eat right, and love cooking for them.”
You can recreate some of the things you love doing for and with family and friends in your career.
Match what you love to jobs that help you do more of what you love:
Love community? Join a company as a Community Manager, Relationship Manager, Event Planner, etc.
Love helping people? Change careers into Customer Support, therapy
Creative? Study product design, interior design
Love writing? Content Strategy, Product Marketing Management
Curating experiences? Hospitality, lifestyle branding, food writing, or tourism.
Always organizing? Project management, operations, logistics
(2) Focus on WHO you want to help
If it’s too hard to answer what you like doing (I get it, with burnout or demotivation it’s even harder) then focus on the type of person/company:
Who are you excited to help? Why?
Who are they? What are their needs, challenges, wants?
How are you uniquely positioned to help them?
Are you more excited about one type of person, then the other?
If you’re building your own business knowing who you want to serve will help you brainstorm offerings, services, products and ideas.
If you’re passionate about helping single moms → what coaching or service can you offer?
If you like helping small businesses → do they need marketing, tech or coaching only you can provide?
If you’re looking for work, knowing who will help you focus on the type of customer companies are focused on and build domain expertise in that area.
If you’re passionate about helping leaders build healthier teams → focus on enterprise coaching, HR, development companies
If you want to keep kids safe online → Meta, YouTube, TikTok all have huge Trust & Safety teams
What about seniors? → platforms like Honor that provide care to seniors, and many others
People designing their homes? → Wayfair, AI shopping and interior design apps
(3) Brainstorm your unique talents, skills and experiences
Find your passion by examining your past. What you liked doing, or didn’t in the past and the thing you’re now good at.
It’s easy to do amazing things and then forget or feel like what you’re achieved isn’t that great because there’s always more, better, bigger. This doesn’t discredit you though. So make sure to reflect on your journey.
What have I accomplished that I can help other people accomplish?
What do you wish you had?
What would the younger version of you want to know?
What ideas are you are uniquely positioned to build?
What knowledge do I have that others can benefit from?
In which areas and industries do I have experience?
What are my talents and skills?
What does the market and people need right now that you’re excited about?
What am I curious to learn more about and become an expert in?
(4) Match what the world needs with what you love
This is where a little research is required into trends, where the world is headed and opportunities.
What do you love?
How can that match the jobs/skills in demand now or in the next 5 - 10 years?
Have more questions, just comment below or email me and I’ll help :)