Finding Passion In Your Work

Most people need to work to make money to live.  That’s just a fact of life.  Having a job doesn’t have to be just working for the sake of getting by or obtaining wealth.  We all want happiness in life and part of that can be discovering your passions and making changes in your career path.  If you already have passion in your chosen career then maybe you have already gone through a long process to get to that point or perhaps you were one of the few lucky ones that fell into a job that you were passionate about right from the start.  If you are one of the many that are still looking for fulfillment in your work, I suggest you consider the following question and make a list of your answers.

Q1: Where does your non-work time go?  What do you do when you are not working?  We all have enjoyable activities in our life that cause us to lose track of time.  You can get so engrossed in something that you hardly notice that a few hours have passed the next time you glance at a clock.

Q2: What would (or do) your friends and family say that you are passionate about?   You have probably been complimented on something you do or are known to be the family expert on a certain topic.  While you might not always agree with what others say about you, it is worth noting regardless.

Q3: If you go to a library or book store, what sections do you naturally gravitate toward?  Not many of us just walk into a room of books and just start methodically perusing every aisle in order, instead we are drawn to books that pique our particular interests.  This can be a great indicator of where at least some of your passions lay.

Q4: If you were to volunteer somewhere, where would you go?  Besides just considering the answer to this, it may be also be a good idea to actually do some follow-through.  You can gain great experiences and get to know if a certain field is a good fit for you.

Q5: What things have you been passionate about in your past?  Many times we may have been passionate about something but have moved on from it.  Just the practice of remembering what you used to be passionate about may give you renewed passion or lead you to discover other passions.

After you’ve answered these questions and made a list of possible passions for yourself, start going through each passion and figuring out what career opportunities are available in the related field.  Think about volunteering or signing up for hobby groups or activities that relate to the areas you would like to explore.  Consider which of the passions you are just wanting to “take” from as opposed to being eager to “give” to.  If you are only interested in taking instead of giving, that particular passion will not be good as a career choice.

Finding passion in your work may not involve finding different work.  You should evaluate how each of your passions could be integrated into your existing job.  Perhaps some simple modifications to your current situation is all that is needed?

Whatever passions you decide to investigate, do it with no fear and understand that even if you end up not loving it you can always come back to your list and try the next thing.  Remember you always have many resources on the Internet for searching for your passions, such as our website.  Good luck!