Aisle #7: How to Find Your Passion

Find your passion and you’ll be just fine.

Are you serious Yoda? This morning I couldn’t find my left sock or my right pant leg.

Ok, some people know what their passion is, others, have no idea. Some have found it and some never will. You are one of those people who have found it or who will find it. Trust me.

Here’s a shocker, it’s possible to have more than one passion.

Here’s the advice, don’t try to shove it all in one box or choose just one.

People feel the need to either; package all of their passions together or choose between them. “I like working with people BUT I also really like bottle-feeding Sea Elephants so I don’t know what to do.”

Most people already know what their passion(s) are. They just don’t know it yet.

Umm, Ryan… That didn’t make sense… Are you taking advice from that garden gnome again?

Let me explain. Most people do. I mean don’t. I mean…

Your passion is that stuff you get so excited about and when you are involved with it, time flies. It’s that stuff that you are good at but more importantly it’s that stuff that when you’re not good at it, you are stoked to learn how to be good. It’s that stuff you love doing, talking about, reading about, teaching to others or writing about.

And guess what? You can have more than one.

I am passionate about music. I am passionate about business. I am passionate about crayons. I am passionate about speaking to students. I am passionate about teaching people. I am passionate about helping our generation live their dreams. I am passionate about puppies, traveling, Japanese, technology, being healthy, sleeping, dreaming, finances, and so much more.

Great Ryan, that doesn’t help me figure out what I wanna do with my life?

Here you go. I am a huge fan of lists. Start by making a list of the stuff you love. Then figure out what stuff from that list could be combined in the same school/career path. Which of those passions are career/education related and which are more of a personal-life thing?

Once you get a good list of stuff you would love to have in your education or career path, start figuring out which paths or jobs would let you do that stuff.

Example time. Everybody sit down in a circle.

Ok, so you like working with people but enjoy technology and art. You love ideas and talking about those ideas but also love personal space and “me time”.

Maybe you would love to be an art teacher? Or web designer? Or art-dealer? Maybe you would love to design skateboards or snowboards? Maybe a clothing designer? Maybe something that doesn’t even exist yet?

Take your list and match it up to careers or University/college/training courses. Then, find someone who’s already doing that, email them or call them and ask some questions about it. Let them know where you are at and what you are thinking.

That’s what these guys did, www.roadtripnation.com and you’ll be amazed by the advice they were given and the stuff they found.

Finding your passion(s) is important but I bet you already have an idea of what they are. Find out how to do that stuff everyday and you’ll be just fine my young friends. You’ll be just fine.

Tags: advice, passion, what should I be when I grow up

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 1st, 2009 at 11:50 am and is filed under Make Your Own Lunch. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.