As a Life Coach and Reiki Master I notice a common thread among many of my clients and that is the continual search for a fuller, more passionate and meaningful life. The question is “How do I discover my personal passion?”
Your personal passion is what drives you, it’s the reason you get out of bed in the morning, and it’s what gives your life purpose and direction. Not everyone knows precisely what their passion is right away. Many people ask "Isn't there a passion course available?" A good place to start is to become aware, as you go through your day, as to what gives you the most pleasure and joy. Even though you may feel as though you have endless daily responsibilities, you can simply create your own self-reflective test to discover your personal passion. At the end of the day, reflect upon the activities and interactions that provided the most meaning and that made you feel completely in your element. When you practice this simple self-reflective test often, you will soon become aware what your truest passion is.
At times you may feel stuck and unable to move forward in your life. Life may feel overwhelming and the path ahead unclear. You may also find yourself coming up with excuses as to why you can’t do what you love, why you can't take the time to discover your passion. A common response is”yes, but….” You may find yourself falling into this category, just as one of my clients Connor (not his real name) does.
Connor is about to turn 40 and as he reflects back on his life and the choices he has made, he is left feeling empty, with no burning passion and completely unfulfilled. Even though Connor is living the American dream of enjoying a good marriage, 3 healthy children, a successful business and a nice car, he wonders if there is more to life. As a little boy, Conner loved playing with airplanes and his dream was to become a pilot. Being a wiz at math and science he followed an academic route and excelled at college and started a very successful financial consulting business. Working with numbers was not his passion but it was something he was very good at. So when I asked Connor what was stopping him from getting his pilot’s license now, he came up with many excuses as to why he could not embrace his personal passion. Connor had become a “yes, but” person.
The next time you find yourself saying “yes, but…” drop the “but” and keep the “yes”! Become a yes person and see what happens. “Yes” opens you up to a whole new range of possibilities and pulls you towards your truest passion and purpose. When you use words that limit you, you will get stuck and life will loose its vigor and meaning.
There are various ways to make your self miserable in life. These included unnecessary comparisons, lack of gratitude, self focus, fighting against reality, living with limitation, fatigue, fear of failure and broken or forgotten dreams, among others. One way to assure misery is to not discover your passion, not to work hard and create something larger than your self. . Having a purpose draws you into life. Compare a person that is active with some purposeful work or personal passion, with a person that merely passes time with meaningless activity. Living a satisfying life with meaning and purpose will automatically make you feel good. When you feel good, your life expands. When you feel down, your life restricts and you can fail to see the opportunities right in front of you.
In the process of aligning with your personal passion and creating meaningful work, always come back to your purpose. So whether it’s to go back to college, search for a new job, get your pilot’s license, start your own business or put a course or workshop together, get clear on your purpose, then take the necessary action. Pay attention to what reality is presenting to you, as this is where the gift of opportunity can be found. Life will require that you take risks along the way, take one step at a time and remember that results come from taking the necessary action and saying yes to life! Discovering your passion, your truest passion is one of life's greatest rewards.
“If we live a life contributing to others in our present circumstances, then our lives will blossom, and our shoulders will straighten. When we become a person needed by others there comes real significance to our living. When our existence is not useful to others we shrink into ourselves.” -Takehisa Kora