[Catlover]

I'm struggling to find what I am passionate about and a purpose for the next chapter of my life. My first career choice was music. One day I said to my teacher that if I didn't succeed in music, I would become a psychologist. He told me that if I could think of anything else that I could possibly do in life other than music, that I would never make it in music. And he was right. After several years of frustration and then becoming a mother, I dropped that career goal and started to concentrate on office experience. I've moved up to a solid career in management, but I am aware that it is not what I want to do forever. I like the theories and study of management, but I have not found the same challenge and excitement in the day-to-day work of the positions I've held. I make an excellent income, but money isn't everything.

I've raised my son as a very active parent, and he's now a teen. I coordinated his professional acting career for a couple of years until he decided to quit last year at exactly the same time that my mother passed away after a lengthy illness during which time I managed her care and provided support. Caring for my son and my mother really gave me my sense of purpose, although my mother was very sick and I knew that she would not improve. In hindsight, it was probably not a good decision to get into a situation where the majority of the stuff that was fueling me was dependent upon others and not myself. I'm not naturally a person who gains energy from caring for others--just those that are very close and special to me. I felt a certain passion for the business of acting that was very energizing.

I realized the other day while reading on this site, but I don't remember exactly what, that I felt that everything I have been passionate about or has given me a purpose disappears but the routine of going to work every day and clocking in the hours never does. Therefore, I am more determined than ever to find something I'm passionate about and can make a lasting part of my life.

Going back to the wise counsel of my music teacher, I wonder if it's true that to be successful at something and truly passionate for it, one cannot even conceive of another passion. I still cannot reach clarity about my passion because I have a number of interests that I like similarly. They include Celtic music, multilevel marketing in the skincare/personal health area, yoga, walking and other exercise, public speaking and Toastmasters, as well as personal growth and the acting business. I've always thought that was a good thing--to have a variety of interests--but now I wonder. So, I'm looking for ways to gain some insight on this subject. One thing I thought about doing was to devote one week (in the evenings after work) to activities related to one "passion" and at the end, rate and compare them. Perhaps a clear winner will appear. I was wondering if anyone else had been in my situation and what worked for them to gain clarity.