Some of the most important questions that you ever ask yourself on your journey through life are, “Why am I here?” “What do I really, really want in life?” “Where am I going?” “If I achieve all my goals, what would it look like?”
The most successful people are invariably those who spend the most time thinking about who they are and where they are going. They then constantly evaluate and re-evaluate their progress in light of who they are and what they really want.
To have a fulfilling life, you must find your passion. Today, I want to show you how special you are, identify some things that may keep you from finding your passion, and give you 10 steps to find your true calling and more fulfilling life.
The starting point of great success is for you to realize that you are truly extraordinary!
There has never been anyone in the entire universe just like you. You have remarkable abilities, skills, aptitudes, insights, and ideas that make you different in important ways from all other people who have ever lived.
You have the capacity within you, right now, to accomplish more than you have ever dreamed of in the past. You are engineered and designed as a “success organism,” endlessly attracted to doing more and more of the things that will bring you more and more of the success and happiness that you want.
The one common characteristic of the most successful men and women is clarity. They are absolutely clear about what they stand for and believe in and where they are going.
And you must achieve this clarity as well.
What is your “heart’s desire?” It is defined as the one thing that you and you alone were put on this earth to do. It is that something special that you are uniquely suited to do in an excellent fashion.
Your job throughout your life is to discover your heart’s passions. It is only then that you will be truly happy, completely successful, and totally fulfilled. What is yours?
Many things keep human beings from finding their true passions in life. One of the most significant is day-to-day life. Life’s responsibilities and our routines can leave us with little free time to explore the things we are passionate about.
Procrastination can also keep you from taking action. You may think “someday” I’ll pursue what I really want to do in life. But someday can only come when you set goals and make a plan.
You might also let negative thoughts keep you from exploring new opportunities. For example, you might not believe you have a special skill set or the ability to make new and exciting things happen. But this simply isn’t true. A positive, open mind can be the key to unlocking your future.
Staying in your comfort zone also deters you from finding your passion. While it can be scary to venture into uncharted waters, discovering what you are passionate about will bring you a more fulfilling life. The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire not things we fear.
A limiting mindset can convince you that finding your passion is not important. It may seem like living day to day life, working a job, and having a few hobbies is enough. However, this can leave you feeling stuck and less than passionate about life.
You might also feel like you’re being selfish to pursue your passions when others like family and friends need your time and care. Being your best self, however, will help you give more to the people you care about.
You were put on this earth to do something wonderful with your life. Your job is to find out what that wonderful thing is and then to throw your whole heart into doing it extremely well.
Your life may have a single purpose, like that of Mother Theresa of Calcutta who devoted her life to helping the poor. Or, your life may have multiple, sequential purposes, one after the other as you evolve and grow and develop into a higher and better person.
Whatever your life purposes are, it is passion that leads to a fulfilling life.
Discover how to find your passion and lead the most fulfilling life possible with the following 10 steps.
When you are passionate about something, you are excited to do it, even if it is difficult or doesn’t bring you a lot of money or notoriety. When you find passion, you will know it because:
When you look back on your day, the high points are likely what you are passionate about.
The next step to take to find your passion is to recognize what you value most in life. What things matter most to you and do you consider essential to you?
For some, core values may be serving family, having joy, being loyal, or spending time with friends. You may feel it is imperative for you to make a difference in the world or be faithful to your spiritual or religious beliefs.
Having fun and keeping humor or positivity in your life can be a core value. Or you may feel compelled to create through art, writing, dance, inventing, speaking, acting, or other means to feel truly fulfilled.
Additional values include compassion, dependability, love, humility, honesty, kindness, selflessness, integrity, curiosity, fairness, hard work, peace of mind, optimism, stability, and many more.
To help you identify your core values, which will lead you to discover your true passions, ask yourself these questions:
Similar to your core values are your needs as a human being. Psychologist Abraham Maslow’s classic definition of basic human needs is ranked in order from fundamental physical needs to higher-order inner fulfillment needs:
Breathing, food, water, shelter, clothing, sleep
Health, employment, property, family, social stability
Friendship, family, intimacy, connection
Confidence, achievement, respect from others, need to be unique
Morality, creativity, spontaneity, acceptance, achieving purpose and inner potential
As you read this list, notice the needs that resonate with you. What stands out as essential to your joy? These are the things you are passionate about.
The next step to finding your passion is to make your bucket list.
Most people dream of things they hope to do before they die. This is their bucket list, those things they look forward to in the future that will make them feel they’ve lived complete lives.
Discover what your bucket list is by asking yourself what you have always wanted to do. If money, risk, time, and responsibilities were not issues, what would you do right now that you feel passionate about?
Find your passion by identifying your “someday” items.
Now, imagine you have lived your life and the people who have known you are talking about you or thinking of you. How do you want them to remember you? What are the most important things you hope they will say about you?
Imagine yourself in your 90s. What do you want your own memories to be? What regrets would you have if you reached the end of your life — whether that is soon or later — but left something undone?
These important questions help you figure out and become more aware of your true passions.
By looking at the lists you have made so far, you should have a good idea of what your passions are. What are the items you find yourself repeating as you identify your interests, core values, human needs, bucket list, and important memories?
These are your true passions. Now, find out what it would take to do them.
Talk to others who are already doing these things and get their advice. Observe how they lead their lives. Do you research online. Get a mentor to help you. Put your free time to good use by learning more about your passions.
If you feel a new job will help you find more joy, for example, read job descriptions or talk to a career coach to get a better idea of the educational requirements or other experience you will need to make a change.
Discover what you need to do to not only find your passion but follow it and make it happen.
All great accomplishments begin with a goal, and achieving your goals requires a plan. People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine.
Determine how you will incorporate what you are passionate about into your life. This will likely require some changes to your day to day life, how you spend your free time, and what you focus on.
If spending time with your children, friends, family, or loved ones is your passion, add this to your daily or weekly schedule. Set aside time that is only for them and stick to it. Remind yourself to listen with care and focus when they are talking. Be aware of creating good memories with them.
If you are passionate about writing comic books, a novel, or your autobiography, get the advice you need and plan to spend time on your interests.
If you want to start a business, explore new career paths, find a more fulfilling job, or become a public speaker, write out a plan of how you will do this. If it means transitioning from your current job, do it responsibly.
Now it is time to move beyond thinking about how to find your passion and do it.
You will know your passion when you try it and it feels right. When you take action on your passions, you will have a better understanding of what your passions truly are.
Most people who spend time on their true passions find they learn faster because they are excited to understand a specific subject, pursue an interest, learn a new task, or develop a talent.
To take action requires you to get out of your comfort zone, but the effort of pursuing your passion is worth it.
Surround yourself with people with a similar passion. Add it to your schedule. Create momentum by starting now.
Challenges will come any time you strive to make a change or do something important. You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.
Expect the challenges, welcome them, and persevere through them. As you do, you will begin to notice that the results are worth the efforts.
Anyone who has ever accomplished something great has had to persevere through times of doubt, adversity, setbacks, and even ridicule.
Basketball legend Michael Jordan is an excellent example of persevering through failures to achieve great success. He says, “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
Steve Jobs is another famous example of the power of perseverance. His first Apple computer was a huge failure and had to be recalled. But if he had not persevered beyond that point, he would have amassed a net worth of $25 million by the time he was 25 nor a lifetime net worth of $10.5 billion.
Develop your interests, pursue your passions, and persevere through your challenges. You have within you right now, everything you need to deal with whatever the world can throw at you.
Finally, realize that regardless of where you are in life — whether you are pursuing your passion or going through your normal routine — you can bring passion to the things you do.
This includes your job, career, hobby, and day to day tasks.
Whatever you are doing, do it with excitement. Be present in the moment. Practice mindfulness and choose your attitude.
Passion can be part of your life every day through the conscious choices you make.
Finding your passions is sometimes related to your career, interests, hobbies, and talents, but it also extends beyond these. By going through these steps, you can come closer to identifying your passions.
One of the most important steps to fulfilling your passions is having a plan. To help you get started, I invite you to download my free Personal Development Plan Template to map out your success and achieve the joy you deserve.
And remember, it doesn’t matter where you are coming from. All that matters is where you are going.
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