How to Carve Out Your Life’s Passion

Listen to yourself.

Too many people simply go through the motions every day. The demands of life cause them to make convenient choices rather than heartfelt ones. But to tap into your passion, you have to know what you want. Look for clues. What excites you? What makes you dream? What makes your heart sing?

You’d think something as big as a life passion would be easy to identify, but often it’s not. Take some time to reflect on these questions:

1. If you inherited so much money that you would never have to work again, what would you do with your time?
2. What would you never give up because you love it so much?
3. What hobbies have you pursued over the years and why? These may be clues that will tell you something about yourself.
4. What are you naturally good at—so good that other people compliment you?
5. When others consult you for advice, what do they ask you about?
6. What are you curious about?
7. What do you do better than anything else?

Give it time.

It took me time to home in on the things that were at the core of my being. The same will be true for you. You don’t just find your passion; you have to pursue it. Paulette says that people are uncomfortable with things for which there is no blueprint. That is so true! But if you want something different from what you currently have, you need to move into uncharted territory.

Pay the price.

Life is full of trade-offs. Understand that sacrifice and passion go hand in hand. There is a price to following your passion. I don’t know what your journey will charge you, but I know that there will be a cost. Prepare to pay it, and I promise that the expense will be worth it.

Become the best.

Passion is vital to keep you going, but it’s not enough to earn a paycheck. People pay for excellence. You can have all the passion in the world, but if you don’t have the skill, you won’t be able to make your passion your profession. Look for ways to expand and fine-tune your skills.

Define success for yourself.

Paulette doesn’t make a lot of money, but he considers himself a success. Why? Because he does what he loves, and he does it with excellence. Hold yourself to the standard you set. What does a passionate, fulfilled life look like?

If you’re a skeptic, you may be grumbling that all this “passion talk” is little more than inspirational fluff. Not true. When you are passionate about something, you are all-in. You spend countless hours thinking about the thing that drives you, allowing you to formulate new ideas, solve problems and strategize ways to build upon past efforts. Passionate people are persistent

—and they are innovators.

Life’s too short to be bored and unfulfilled. You were not created to be mediocre. Find your passion and use it to light up your life. As Nelson Mandela said, “There is no passion to be found in playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one that you are capable of living.”