Seven Steps To Find Your Passion – November 2, 2016

I admit it—I’m a sucker for a good TED Talk. I love to watch the casual, informative approach of the speakers. I’m always impressed with the topic. I love how a TED Talk sucks me in and makes me engaged in the presentation. Why is a TED Talk so impressive? It’s because the presenters speak with confidence and passion. You know they are on the stage because they fully believe in their topic and think it’s important for you to know about their topic as well.

So, based on that criteria, what would your TED Talk be about? In other words, what’s your passion? In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share these tips on how to find your passion.

1. Is there something you already love doing? Do you have a hobby, or something you loved doing as a child but never considered it as a possibility for a career? Whether it’s collecting something, making something, creating or building, there is probably a way you could do it for a living. If there’s already something you love doing, you’re ahead of the game. Now you just need to research the possibilities of making money from it.

2. What do you spend hours reading about? When I get passionate about something, I’ll read about it for hours on end. I’ll buy books and magazines. I’ll spend days on the internet finding out more. There may be a few possibilities here for you, and all of them are possible career paths. Don’t close your mind to these topics. Look into them.

3. Brainstorm. Nothing comes to mind right away? Well, get out a sheet of paper and start writing down ideas. Anything that comes to mind, write it down. Look around your house, on your computer, on your bookshelf, for inspirations, and just write them down. There are no bad ideas at this stage. Write everything down, and evaluate them later.

4. Don’t quit your job just yet. If you find your calling, your passion, don’t just turn in your resignation tomorrow. It’s best to stay in your job while you’re researching the possibilities. If you can do your passion as a side job, and build up the income for a few months or a year, that’s even better. It gives you a chance to build up some savings (and if you’re going into business for yourself, you’ll need that cash reserve), while practicing the skills you need.

5. Give it a try first. It’s best to actually test your new idea before jumping into it as a career. Do it as a hobby or side job at first, so that you can see if it’s really your true calling. You may be passionate about it for a few days, but where the rubber meets the road is whether you’re passionate about it for at least a few months. If you pass this test, you have probably found it.

6. Do as much research as possible. Know as much about your passion as possible. If this has been a passion for awhile, you may have already been doing this. At any rate, do even more research. Read every website possible on the topic, and buy the best books available. Find other people, either in your area or on the Internet, who do what you want to do for a living, and quiz them about the profession. How much do they make? What training and education did they need? What skills are necessary? How did they get their start? What recommendations do they have? Often you’ll find that people are more than willing to give advice.

7. Never quit trying. Can’t find your passion at first? Keep trying, for months on end if necessary, and you’ll find it eventually. Thought you found your passion but you got tired of it? No problem! Start over again and find a new passion. There may be more than one passion in your life, so explore all the possibilities. Found your passion but haven’t been successful making a living at it? Don’t give up. Keep trying, and try again, until you succeed. Success doesn’t come easy, so giving up early is a sure way to fail. Keep trying, and you’ll get there.

Source: Leo Babauta is a writer, a marathoner, an early riser, a vegan and a father of six. He blogs regularly about achieving goals through daily habits on Zen Habits, and covers such topics as productivity, simplifying, frugality, parenting, happiness, motivation, exercise, eating healthy and more.