Finding your passion

Do you enjoy what you do for a living?

We always try to do a lot of things every day and yet don’t always pause to ask if we are living the life that we want. It is always one thing after another and we are exhausted by the time the day is over. As the days and years go by, we are either putting up with what is going on or changing things for the better.

When we looked around, we came across people who are getting more things done with the same amount of hours. These people must be enjoying what they are doing and hence the questions is how they do it.

To enjoy what you do, you need to find the right reasons. This can be different things and vary from individual to individual. Here are some examples.

You want to develop yourself and grow as a person. “If you are passionate about your job, you are likely to take an active interest in learning every aspect. This helps you through your daily grind and sets you on the path towards success.“ – Patrice Rice, EO and founder, Patrice & Associates

 You want your family to look up to you. “As a mom who works, it’s important to be a role model for my younger daughters.“ – Keli Coughlin, executive director, The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund

You become a source of motivation to others. “Someone who genuinely loves their job will be engaged in his/her work and interested in motivating co-workers in the company’s mission and goals.“ – Mary Hladio, founder and president, Ember Carriers Leadership Group

You can serve others better. “In the service and selling industry, the combination of passion and ambition results in superior customer service. That’s when you know you can be a game changer.“ – Steve Gefter, managing director, IDDS Group

You push yourself to succeed even more. “When you love what you do, you are compelled to push against yourself. You want to be where you are challenging yourself, and you are competing with yourself in achieving your vision.“ – Amir Zonozi, chief strategy officer, Zoomph

Once you have identified the reasons, you will be asking on a plan to pinpoint you passions. Here are five ways to start.

1. Remember what you loved as a child. You enjoy when you play and think about what you loved long before you started to work.
2. Eliminate money from the equation. What would you do if money were no object?
3. Ask your friends or family members for feedback. Ask people who know you intimately when you seem the happiest and what do you do the most enthusiastically.
4. Read through a university course catalog. What would you study if you could do it all over?
5. Identify your professional hero. Whose career would you most want to emulate?

When you have an idea of what you love doing, you must commit to make the big leap to turn your passion into a viable career. Below are four suggestions to kick start the change.

1. Talk to a career counselor. Career counselors offer ideas and guidance on how to find a career that best suits those passions.
2. Leverage social media. Read blogs, join forums and connect with people who share your areas of interests on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
3. Start saving money. You will need to have the money to start on this new journey and this will be less scary if and when you do quit your job.
4. Just do it. You will not know until you give it a go.

It is never too late to find out and you have taken the bold first step if you have made the decision to do so. Good things never come easy and you will be reaping the rewards when it all happens. When everything all comes together, you have the sense of fulfillment and achievement that no one can take away from you.