The path leading to your desires is not always clear. How do we even find our passion? Even if the passion is identified, the road may be full of twists, turns, and obstacles. How do we keep going? How do we persevere?
The phrase “follow your passion” is like the goal of “being happy.” It is an intangible that has no clear guideline for how to achieve it. It is the “how” that challenges most of us when we think about the intangibles of life. We want to love what we do. We want peace, joy, contentment, love, and success – and we want it now. But, becoming anything is a process. It takes adherence to techniques, to the development of skills, to retraining the mind. Some would say that our consciousness needs to change.
Because of life’s stresses, we may not remember what it feels like to have passion. Neverending obligations and responsibilities form the content of our days. We have an idea of what we would like to do, but take no steps toward implementing it. Is it because we have become fearful of trying new things? Is it because we can’t foresee instant results? That’s what a j-o-b brings. We are conditioned to get a paycheck every two weeks. When pursuing our passions, we might not see “success” for years, especially if “success” is defined as money, recognition, or status.
“Following your passion” is generally associated with making money. Numerous self-help books tell us that we should be able to make money by doing something about which we are passionate. This focus on compensation may blind us to what is inherently joyful. We will constantly think, “How will I make money from this?” instead of “I love doing this so much, I want to do it as often and as much as I can.”
To identify our passions, it may help to remember our childhoods. When I was in high school, I held almost every student government position. I volunteered in various areas of community service. It was a natural progression for me to choose to work in a congressional office as a college intern. This turned into a full time job that I totally loved. At no point prior to that employment did I think, “My perfect job would be to work in Congress” or “I am passionate about politics.”
I organically evolved into that position as a result of participating in activities that I totally enjoyed. My interests led me to endeavors that ultimately led to a paid position. My beloved first job exposed me to new passions, which encouraged me to venture into new and uncertain environments.
