Finding Your Spark: It’s Powerful and Important

By Moira Kelly , President of EXPLO

Colleagues, friends, and family sometimes laugh when I use the word “sparky”. I use it a lot. I often use it to describe people I know and those I meet when it becomes clear to me that they are filled with passion, energy, and purpose. These are the people I like to be around. I feel brighter, more optimistic, and more energized just by being near them. They seem happier than average and it seems to me like they are leading interesting and fulfilling lives.

That’s because they often are.

My experience with sparky people is grounded in research that confirms identifying your "spark" leads to tremendous benefits in areas like confidence, achievement, and overall well being.

But what exactly is a "spark"? You likely know it when you see it in others – and yourself. The late Dr. Peter Benson described it as "a passion that metaphorically sets fire in a … person's life, changing their motivation, engagement, and performance in positive ways." Maybe it's creative writing, community service, hiking, being a serial entrepreneur, coding, cooking, solving logic problems, drawing, or playing guitar. Whatever it is, that intense interest captivates a person's curiosity and determination like nothing else.

Benson focused his work on young people and found the impacts of finding your spark are wide-ranging. Benson's research shows that students who have developed a passion have higher self-esteem, better coping abilities, stronger academic performance, and a deeper sense of purpose. As they become adults, they experience greater life satisfaction and career success.

Similarly, Dr. William Damon of Stanford, one of the world’s leading researchers on human development, found teenagers with an identified passion are more optimistic, have higher self-worth, and are less prone to anxiety or substance issues. They demonstrate advanced achievement in their passion compared to peers with equal skills. (So, even if you’re talented, just going through the motions holds you back as compared to someone who loves what they are doing.) It is no surprise that when people are pursuing their passion their college and career performance is elevated.

Sadly, helping students find their spark is not something most schools prioritize, nor is it something that parents or caregivers necessarily know how to do. We’ve been focusing on this work for almost 50 years at EXPLO and we’re not surprised that Benson’s research has shown that exposure to a wide variety of experiences is important to finding your spark. It’s like an archaeological dig and it’s not unusual that you have to do a fair bit of excavation before you find your treasure.

For young people, the summer months can be an extraordinary time to go in search of experiences that will help them find their spark. If a student already has a notion of what lights them up, perhaps it’s time to dig deeper to see if this interest might be turned into a passion. Unfortunately, far too often, students spend their summers doing things they or their parents believe will enhance their chances of getting into a competitive college – squeezing in yet another AP course, shuffling through an internship in an area for which they have little interest, or conducting some kind of shadowy research project because the latest craze says that’s what’s necessary for competitive college admissions. Seldom are these the kinds of things that will distinguish you in the application process. But finding what lights you up whether through a job, a summer program, or volunteering can be one of the most consequential things a student can do with a summer.

No matter your role - parent, educator, mentor, or the student themselves - recognizing the power of finding one's spark is crucial. Both the anecdotal stories and hard data confirm that when young people identify and nurture their passion, they gain a potent mix of motivation, resilience, and joy that propels them forward. By supporting this journey of self-discovery, we're equipping the next generation with the drive to thrive in all areas of life. An investment in sparking their fire today can set kids up for a lifetime of meaningful achievements tomorrow.