How to Discover Your Passion

What do you do with your free time?  Are you so motivated with your life’s tasks that you jump out of bed in the morning, eager to start your day?  Does the word “task” have a negative connotation for you?

The happiest and most successful people on this planet are those with a sense of purpose, driven by their passions.  But how does one go about discovering what she’s passionate about?

I’ve read a lot on this topic over the past 20 years or so and I have a certain amount of personal life experience to back up what I’m about to say.  So, without further ado, here is my step-by-step process of how to discover your passion.

  1. Meditate. This might mean learning to meditate, it certainly did for me.  The best way to get to know yourself, who You truly are, is to get quiet and listen to your inner being.  I’ve written detailed instructions on this in One Hour of Solitude.
  2. Observe your reactions. Take a week or so to examine and reflect on your reactions to the things around you such as television shows, newspapers, conversations, books you read, and any other stimuli that causes you to react in a passionate way.  If you come across something that has been of interest to you for a long time, make a note of it.
  3. Answer these questions. What are you really good at?  What specific quality do you possess that others may not?  Whom do you admire?  Why?  Who do you know that is doing something you would love to do?  What’s to keep you from doing it?  How could you make this world a better place?
  4. Analyze your surroundings. What collections do you have in your home?  Do you collect old photographs?  Do you have a “green thumb?”  There are probably many clues in your very own home or room that will provide the insight you’re looking for.  We tend to hold on to things we love, so, what’s in your closet?
  5. Try it. You do not have to be certain about something before giving it a try.  Once you get involved in something, you’ll either want to stay with it and expand your knowledge, or you’ll lose interest and move on to something else.  Keep in mind that our passions change throughout life.  We are constantly growing, expanding, and wanting more.  Some passions remain the same for a long time, and some come and go on a fairly predictable basis.

For example, my husband’s passion for dentistry has remained strong for over 40 years.  Some gardeners get excited about their passion in the spring, but tire quickly as the weather warms up.  Yet, every spring, they have a strong desire to “plant something.”  It’s all good, you just have to know yourself well enough to say, “Okay, since I only like gardening in the spring, I’ll plant strawberries.  That way, the harvest is over before my enthusiasm wanes.”

Then, of course, there are some passions that may last for a few months or years, and then fizzle.  That’s okay, too.  Anything you attempt will get you closer to discovering your long-term passion.  And I fully believe that for some people, their passion is constantly trying new things!  I had a Life-coaching session with an incredible woman a few months ago who knew herself well enough to tell me, “I’m a starter.  I like to start companies, get them up and running, then sell them.”  She’s done that several times and it works for her.  Her “problem,” was figuring out what to do next!

When you find your passion, you find your reason for jumping out of bed in the morning.

When you get in alignment with your inner being, you will feel exhilarated and alive.

When your time is spent performing tasks related to something you are passionate about, you do no “work,” and you have a sense of vitality that is wonderful beyond words.

So find your passion.  The result is worth it.  YOU are worth it.

You can subscribe to this blog here.

GET CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE NOW When you’re ready to stop talking about changing and ready to actually create the life you want, you’ll want to purchase my latest e-book to help you get started and on the right path. I share my latest success tips and how I’ve applied 20 years of solid business principles and the law of attraction to acquiring the life of my dreams. Wake Up and Create the Life You Want: A Guide to Self-Empowerment is helping many others do the same. It comes with my free report on “The Science of Getting Rich.” Both are downloadable, so you get them immediately.

Posted under Education, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success

5 Comments so far

  1. Stephen Hopson September 29, 2007 5:12 pm

    Debra:

    You may or may not remember communicating with me but I am Stephen Hopson, the blogger over at Adversity University.

    Your name keeps coming up no matter where I go. So I signed up for RSS subscription to your site!

    Before I go any further, let me congratulate you, if I haven’t already done so, by making Priscilla’s List of PD. What a great idea, to create a list like that - that’s passion, wouldn’t you agree?

    But more to the point, I wish to point out an awesome cross-country tour that is called “Pursue the Passion.” Have you heard of them? It’s 4 young guys on a mission to find out why people are passionate about what they do. They even stopped by Adversity University to visit a month or so ago. You can do a google search and type “pursue the passion.” They’re all about passion!

    I also wrote some articles about passion over at Adversity University, particularly about Southwest Airlines and how they thrive with passion. It’s one amazing corporate culture and a rare one at that.

    Stephen

  2. Debra Moorhead September 29, 2007 8:42 pm

    Stephen,

    I do remember you. I just read your other comment as well and thought, “I’ve talked to this guy before - I wander if he remembers me?” Isn’t that a hoot?

    I do like your site. I’ll try to get over there again soon. I have been so swamped with consulting business lately I simply don’t have time to visit as many sites as I’d like. But it’s a good think - I’m living my passion to motivate, educate, and inspire others to be their best through my writing, speaking, and consulting.

    Thanks for subscribing and I hope to converse with you again soon!

  3. Stephen Hopson April 14, 2011 12:12 pm

    It’s been 4 years now but I haven’t forgotten you either! LOL

    As you may know, I just came out with a new book “Obstacle Illusions” - my first-ever and was wondering if you’d like to do an interview with me?

    On the day it was launched nationally, it debuted at #3 in Happiness and #13 in Self Help. As we speak, I’m seeing an unexpected segment of the reader population emerge that I did not have in mind when first writing the book - pre-teenagers!

    You can check the video book trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfeVDZrZyzY

    I have a ready-made press release with questions and answers that will make it a snap to set up your next blog post.

    Cheers!

    Stephen

  4. Richard Prosser August 5, 2011 4:23 am

    The link to “Wake Up and Create the Life You Want: A Guide to Self-Empowerment” does not work. Any chance that you could fix it please?

  5. It’s fixed, Richard - sorry!

Leave a Comment

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

Comments

*
To prove you're a person (not a spam script), type the security word shown in the picture.
Anti-Spam Image

More Blog Posts