Maybe it's just because I go to a liberal arts college and I'm studying a very liberal arts major/minor comb0, but I hear so much about 'finding your passion' and 'narrowing your mission' and to be honest, that's a highly elusive concept for most of us 20-somethings.
then I realized its much easier than I've been making it.
Here are questions I regularly like to ask myself (because I'm young and the answers to these change all the time) mainly because passion really can come and go. So these mental checks have come in great use to me both in vision-casting and in my commitments.
So here we go....
1. What actually excites you?
And I don't mean is just interesting to you, I mean really gets you excited to constantly learn more about. Like when your friend brings this topic up and you just light up. That kind of stuff. What is it for you?
Right now mine is doggos, I need something to nurture in my life so I'm hardcore entertaining the thought of adopting one soon.
But also get stoked about verbal and written personal expression, both of which I engage in and receive from on a daily basis.
2. What do you spend most of your time talking about?
So yea I'm aware that my blog doesn't attract a large male readership but this question always makes me think of the guy friend you have that literally never shuts up about sports?! Like that's some passion, completely valid for some, others not so much (hint: I am others).
But if it is or it isn't sports, great. You just have to find what that thing is, and honestly asking your friends for advice on this is really useful too, because after all, they are the ones listening to you chat on-and-on about this for hours, they've probably known for a while what lights that spark in you.
3. If you could do anything for the rest of your life... what would that be?
Not to sound like a career test or your mom, but there's something important about this question that I think we don't look at all too often. Which really is a follow-up question, what it is about that thing you want to do forever that makes it so appealing to you? Whatever you find here has some significance.
Success is yours for the defining. And in reality, success, and passion go together.
4. What are things you HAVE to do versus things you GET to do?
For this one, I'm not just talking about work I'm talking about LIFE. Like what are the things you dread doing, start digging deeper here because (like my friends hear me say all the time) finding out what you dislike or hate is just as important as finding out what you love.
So flip this discovering of passion on its head and see where that inverse leads you.
For instance, I thought I hated working in an office or a sedentary environment, but in reality, it's all about what kind of work I was sitting at a desk to do. This really took some time and a lot of unpleasant experiences to realize about myself, so pay attention to the good and bad feelings you get but be open to them changing as you change.
5. If you could spend a day however you want (with no limitations or constraints) how would you use your time?
Ok, I love this question, and for the girls who talked to me during recruitment, they too know how much this question gets used in my everyday life.
But I think it's amazing to quickly find out a lot about a person's outlook on life and how they see themselves by just asking this alone.
(PS makes a great first date question that can turn into a fun date later on)
As for what it shows about your passion, I think that's evident. Regardless of anything "holding you back" from living that day today, you've still managed to idealize your life being full of specific things. That's a vision into your passion.
So I really hope this was fun for you because I really do enjoy writing about passion, inspiration, and honesty. I think it's nearly impossible to stay passionate and inspired all the time so it's really useful to stay in check with how you actually feel/are about your goals to produce work and make commitments that you are actually proud of.
Maybe you've rediscovered an old passion or saw a new one in yourself. Either make my soul sing for you!! Spread those passionate GLEAMS everywhere the world needs it.
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