Don't know what I'm passionate about

[Ezza]

.. and I'm looking for tips/tricks to figuring it out.

You see I am passionate about things, BUT I don't recognize that passion.
I know that I am passionate because of the way other people react, but I don't actually notice my OWN reaction when I'm doing something I really like.

So how do you figure out what you're passionate about if you don't seem to know?

I feel like I should know but I don't, and it's very frustrating. This is a block for me in changing careers - there is nothing that I'm really driven towards doing, but I hate my current job.

I feel like I know what I don't like, but I don't know what I do!

Any help appreciated.

[fourthdan]

Well, to begin with, start looking at people around you and see if you know someone who you think is doing 'something cool'.
Else, start researching - the web is a great place to find info like this:
List of occupations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You might also want to meet a career counsellor and take an aptitude test.

[nick pagan]

IMO, I think that the burning need for passion is highly overrated. I know that such an attitude goes against the mainstream but sometimes we're told to set out looking for things that either don't exist or that are just mirages so that not finding them doesn't mean that there's something wrong with you, it just might mean that such things don't exist, or are almost impossible to find.

I think that to expect a pure emotion of passion to last a lifetime (or a career) and to get you through all of the difficulties you will face is not a realistic proposition for the majority of people. Alternatively, I personally focus on developing competence at whatever I do. Whenever I feel that something sucks in my life it's usually not the thing itself but my attitude towards it and my ability to do it that truly suck! Once I realize this I give a little sigh and then choose either to quit or to knuckle down and get on with developing my abilities and overall competence at that particular thing. When I do that I grow as a person and I get a lot of personal satisfaction. In the end it is curiosity and a playful attitude allied to some vigorous concentration that keeps me going - never passion.

If you're curious about alternative ways of viewing problems you can read this article:
Conventional vs. Contrarian

Take care,
Nick

[fourthdan]

That's a pretty good point Nick.
People love what they are good at. Most of the times the way to become good is by developing skills and learning through practice.
In some ways it's better to pick a high paying occupation and become good at it so you learn to love it.

[Ezza]

Originally Posted by fourthdan

In some ways it's better to pick a high paying occupation and become good at it so you learn to love it.

I don't see much point in doing something that you are not interested in and/or don't care about.
Also I am not "passionate" about money, so just doing something I am good at and get paid well for is insufficient motivation for me.

I would rather do something that I am interested in, and can do well and can get paid for! Is that too much to ask?

btw, thanks for the post re occupations. I have scanned through the list of occupations and made a short list, but nothing jumped out at me unfortunately as something I really wanted to do.

[bart]

I feel the same as you do, I do not know what I am passionate about but started reading the series on purpose from Steve. Mainly because deep inside me I know that without a purpose passion is not something that will be there for me.

There have been moments in my life when I really wanted something (mostly not from purpose but from survival) and that always got me into taking focussed action. I can only imagine how unstoppable I will become when I have found my purpose, which will lead me to my passion (I hope).

I am still working on it and lived without much passion for about 38 years of my life. Well, last year I started taking dancing lessons and that got me very passionate about dancing, what that will lead to I have no idea.

I guess the only advice I can give is, find your purpose and it will make clearer where your passion is. At least that is the road I am trying.

Bart

[Angela]

I had fun pinpointing my passions with The Passion Test, a book that came out recently. Once I specified and prioritized my passions, it was amazing how quickly and vividly they came to the forefront of my life. Maybe you would like to pick up that book, too.

[fourthdan]

Hmm... when I was in college, I loved web design. However during my first job, I realized that I wasn't creative enough to come up with my own designs. While looking somewhat aimlessly for another job I found an oppurtunity in another career which I only began to enjoy only when I worked to be the best I could be at it. I don't enjoy it to the same level as web design (on which i would spend free hours at night during college, copying designs and learning program intricacies) it pays me enough to achieve financial independance soon - and then work on other goals.
So there might be a point doing something that may not be a passion but you enjoy to some degree.

[Rose of Cairo]

I don't understand. How do you not recognize your passion when you have it? I mean, don't you feel anything inside while doing what you're doing?

There's a free eBook at Inspired Money Maker - How To Make Money Doing What You Love called the Passion Project that's very good to find it out. Generally, I would say, look for your purpose first. And then I would choose a top-down approach to realize that purpose. Well, at least that's what I did.

But still, I don't understand that you don't feel it when you like something.

[Ezza]

Originally Posted by Rose of Cairo

I don't understand. How do you not recognize your passion when you have it? I mean, don't you feel anything inside while doing what you're doing?

There's a free eBook at Inspired Money Maker - How To Make Money Doing What You Love called the Passion Project that's very good to find it out. Generally, I would say, look for your purpose first. And then I would choose a top-down approach to realize that purpose. Well, at least that's what I did.

But still, I don't understand that you don't feel it when you like something.

I know it may sound strange, but I am simply not a person with strong emotions or feelings, so if you were to ask me "what do you really love", my answer is "Umm, I don't know".

I have yet to figure out my purpose (or even if I have one!), and in fact I was hoping this thread would lead me towards that, because if I could figure out what really drives me it would help narrow down a purpose.

The only really good thing I have achieved in this area is discovering my "Genius" (reference - "Is your Genius at work?" by Dick Richards - one of Steve's recommended books). Actually I might start a new thread on that one

Thanks for the link, I will try the Passion Project thing.

[nick pagan]

Originally Posted by fourthdan

People love what they are good at. Most of the times the way to become good is by developing skills and learning through practice.
In some ways it's better to pick a high paying occupation and become good at it so you learn to love it.

I tend to agree with you here fourthdan. Life works well when we take a highly pragmatic approach to our problems. Most jobs will have aspects that suck and aspects that challenge our adequacy. These are the things that grind us down if we don't adjust our minds to these practical difficulties, accept them and get on with taking steps to master whatever knowledge and skills are necessary to either fully overcome them or else contain them.

I've met plenty of graduates of politics, philosophy, literature and other subjects of marginal benefit in the commercial world who followed their interests/passions but now feel highly discontent with the real world job and income prospects available to them.

Few people have a burning passion from youth where they know exactly what they want to do and go all out for it. Those that do have a massive advantage over their peers because they have already been developing skills, knowledge and experience for 15years or more before they go into the market place. With that advantage it's no wonder that they excel brilliantly and have a greater likelihood of making risky propositions pay off.

For the rest of us we might as well accept that a lot of things about working life suck and have to be dealt with and that those problems are often generic whether you are in a high-paid or low-paid occupation. So, if in doubt, go for the higher paid occupation and resolve to improve your abilities so that you can deal with generic problems in highly effective ways.

[rebelwithacause]

This is such a great topic.

First of all, I agree the book the Passion Test by Chris and Janet Attwood, is a great book to walk your through and get you to really take a look at what is inside of you...

I can relate to this topic very, very well...

To me, the signs are always there...even if you think they aren't...

One of the best ways that I identify my passions are those things that give me , and that I think about a lot, dream about, or get inspired watching others that are doing something...

I really feel that this is one of the biggest reasons for unhappiness in our society...people buy in to the fact that it's Ok to just be good at something and hone your skills...

Accept our lot in life...I think that is getting yourself into some big challenges...

for instance, I was a stock options trader in my early life...I took to it like a fish to water, developed great skills at it, made a ton of money...and at the end of the day, I felt dead inside...

when I was a kid, I was playing piano at 5 years old by myself with no forced lessons, I had a dark room and was winning photography awards when I was 10, and in a band all through highschool and even a little after college...

So with all that artsy stuff as my natural gifts as a kid, I decided to major in finance in college...

go figure! so around 1992 I started out on this wild personal development path, and have since read over 600 books, been to hundreds of seminars, and dozens of telecalls etc...

And I have rediscovered those passions...Now I am doing stand up comedy, sketch comedy, writing a new book and film, and also have done TV hosting...

it took a long time to give myself permission to the types of things that I was always passionate about...it's just the tapes in our head...

Luckily I have an entrepreneurial spirit, and a very successful business background...so now I am in the midst of starting a production company as well...

I still love doing business, and have an awesome home business that is doing extremely well...because as mentioned here, I have learned great skills for marketing, and doing internet marketing...so it's a great way to plug in to your life to have your freedom without a job, and still be focusing on what you love...

I truly believe that it's not always easy to find your passion, but it is there if you listen and pay attention
to that energy level... it just uplifts you and gets your excited...when you think about and do those things...


It's so easy to get stuck in the thinking of the group consciousness telling us that it's just the way it is...

You can have whatever you want and live with total passion...

And yes, in that work, even when you love it, there is always stuff that you don't enjoy, but the passion is what drives you...

Most of my friends are doing what they love...and myself included...just put yourself out there, and set the intention to allow it into your life...you'll be surprised...

It may not always be easy, but it's worth it...and with the internet, the old adage of not being able to make a living doing what you love has pretty much disappeared...

You can either create a business or good promotions around what you love, or at the very least, learn how to work for yourself online and pursue your dreams on your terms...

I hope that helps...and all the best...

Take care,

[Niki]

Ezza, What can you do allmost all day without feeling stressed, or without the feeling that you "need" to do it. Search for something you really enjoy, something that makes you forget about time. If you think something is your passion, but you can't get yourself doing it, then that's not your passion IMO. If you "need" to do something, but you always do smth else instead, try to look at the things you always do instead. There is gonna be a pile of junk with them, like constant email checking, surfing the same website 100s times, and somewhere in between there is gonne be something that isn't junk at all. There is gonna be something productive, something with a lot of potential, maybe something your arent good at, but something you would love to be best at.

[dave marshall]

I recently altered my whole life and am focusing on creating the life that I would love you have, that is my purpose and what I am passionate about.

I think it is about really dreaming big enough and knowing you have the ability to create what you want.

Ezza i think you just need to let your emotions have more play in your life, we are all passionate creatures, we just need permission to let it out sometimes.

I do not beleive that we have to put up with anything we don't want, we just have no real rolemodels who have created that wonderful life.

dave

[rotorhub]

Hey EZZA,

I pondered the same question for years. One way to find out what you are passionate about is to ask yourself the following question; what do I want to be remembered for? Maybe you want to be remembered for someone who could write beautiful poems or vibrant lyrics. You could then conclude that you are passionate about writing.

Good luck in your search!

[rebelwithacause]

Great comments everypone...

I think that it is wired inside of us all, and life sometimes
kicks it out of you and you lose site of the things that
drive you and add joy to your life...

Some of the great ways that i've used over time and from the nuggets of all those 600 self help books LOL...

Are like I mentioned above...what gives you energy and makes you feel vibrant, lost in the moment, excited etc..

What did you do as a kid that you took to naturally and really loved...I know for me, I was plaing piano and taking photos and developing them in my own darkroom...

Those are still some of my top passions...

What do you dream of, or think about a lot...

Who do you see that you get juiced about...or would love to do what they do? That's always a good sign...

And of course there is the old test of what would you do with your life, if you had all the money that you ever needed....

Every year, I like to sit down and make that big 101 dreams list of all the things that you would love to accomplish this year and in the future...

And that book I probably mentioned before, the passion test by Chris and Janet Attwood...is definitely a good place to start as is "Do what you love and the money will Follow"...

Mostly, just keep paying attention, and like rotor mentions too...not only consider your passions and what you love, but what kind of legacy do you want to leave?

Best of luck and continued success...

[z1freeride]

Originally Posted by Ezza

.. and I'm looking for tips/tricks to figuring it out.

You see I am passionate about things, BUT I don't recognize that passion.
I know that I am passionate because of the way other people react, but I don't actually notice my OWN reaction when I'm doing something I really like.

So how do you figure out what you're passionate about if you don't seem to know?

I feel like I should know but I don't, and it's very frustrating. This is a block for me in changing careers - there is nothing that I'm really driven towards doing, but I hate my current job.

I feel like I know what I don't like, but I don't know what I do!

Any help appreciated.

This is just a guess.

Maybe the reason you feel that there's nothing you WANT to do is because you have an underlying belief that you think you CAN'T do any of those careers.

I've realized that when we try to establish a desire that is so far above what we are capable of doing right now, it can result in those type of beliefs (I can't, this is too hard, this is impossible). And your self-talk is true because at this moment in time you don't possess the capabilities to fulfill that desire.

For example, I enjoy designing/programming websites. I've made this outlandish goal to do some incredibly awesome websites that do a lot and have an awesome interface and make a lot of money. At the time I didn't possess the capabilities to accomplish my specific goal. As a result, I've procrastinated. Because of that, I've been beginning to think, "Maybe web design isn't my passion after all." Just because I can't accomplish some HUGE desire doesn't mean I don't enjoy making websites. I just have to work on my skills and gradually get to that point. I believe that I need to set smaller more attainable goals.

[Niki]

Originally Posted by z1freeride

This is just a guess.

Maybe the reason you feel that there's nothing you WANT to do is because you have an underlying belief that you think you CAN'T do any of those careers.

.

That is indeed a MAJOR thing to consider. I knew for me to find my passion, the most useful believe I had to conquer, is the believe that I can do anything I want, as long as I stick to it, and as long as I keep on practicing!