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Pratik had a great job at a top multinational bank, lived in a beautiful house, and had a lovely family.
But he always felt something was missing in his life.
He didn't wake up excited to begin each day.
He consulted a friend who was a well-known life coach. She asked him if he loved working as a banker. Pratik said he hated his desk job and dreamed about working in a field where he could travel frequently.
His friend advised him to rethink his career decision and to find his passion to be truly happy.
How to find your passion
Have you ever noticed how excited and energetic you feel when you are doing things that you love?
If you love trekking, soaking in the mountain views after hours of walking probably makes you happiest. However, if you hate shopping, you are likely to feel exhausted in just an hour of pushing a shopping cart around a mall.
Passion can change one's energy levels and the physical ability to get a task done. Finding your passion is essential for living a fulfilled life and maximizing your potential.
If you have ever wondered how to find your passion, reflect on these three questions:
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What motivates you?
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What are your values?
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If you could do anything, what would you choose to do?
Keep a journal or paper handy and jot down your thoughts. Answering these questions honestly will help you get closer to finding your passion.
Steps for finding your passion
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Identify what motivates you
If you are wondering how to know your passion, remember the first step towards the discovery is to understand your motivation.
Think back to the last week. What did you spend your time doing at work? How did you spend your time after work? (theseedpharm.com) What motivated you to spend your time and energy on those tasks and activities?
When we enjoy doing something, we are motivated to do it and often spend time and attention on it. It is important to reflect on what is motivating us to do that activity or task.
If you enjoy chatting with your friends on Zoom video calls, you will find time to do it even though you may be tired at the end of the day.
Quite often, our decisions are influenced by our social circles. We just conform to society’s norms, even if they don't make us happy.
Seeking social acceptance is fine, but it becomes a challenge when you lose sight of your passion in the process.
Remember, you don't need to do something just because others feel you 'should'. If compulsion guides your decisions, those decisions are not sustainable over the long term and will not bring out your best. You need to identify what motivates you and do more of that. This will enable you to live a more authentic life.
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Identify your values
A person’s success depends on his/her values. Values or personal beliefs play a critical role in finding your passion. They showcase what kind of person you are and what makes you happy.
However, when you are compelled to do things that aren’t in line with your values, you don’t derive any joy or satisfaction from your actions. This will invariably demotivate you and might even hurt your performance.
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What do you want to do?
Things that give you happiness are usually your passion. If you want to learn how to discover your passion, you need to focus on things you love to do.
We all are passionate about something or the other. Some people love traveling and photography, others are obsessed with technology. Some are passionate about fitness and others love to try out different cuisines.
Your passion might be a sport or painting. Whatever your passion is, it will always guide you towards success.
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Research, learn, and practice what you love to do
Once you are successful in finding your passion, the next step is to research, learn and practice what you are passionate about.
Let’s say your goal is to become a motivational speaker and to help others elevate their life.
You need to study human behavior and the reasons for their failure to understand their passion. Research, learn about issues and ways to resolve them, and then put your learning into practice.
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Don’t leave your job, but keep working on your passion
Last, but not the least, even when you need to learn how to find your passion in life, it is not advisable to leave your job. You need to introspect and discover ways to excel at your passion along with work. Once you integrate your passion into your life and are confident about making a successful career of it, only then should you leave your job to pursue your passion.
Conclusion
Finding your passion is critical to your success in life but often it isn’t easy to identify things that truly make you happy. Harappa Education’s Discovering Purpose course can help you discover your true calling. Your ikigai. Go ahead and revitalize yourself by following your passion and thrive in life!
Explore topics such as What is the Purpose of Life, Ikigai, Embrace Change, How to Set Goals & How to Learn From Failure from our Harappa Diaries section and lead towards a path of self-development.
