1. Ask your friends and family what they see you doing in 10 years. You might be surprised at what they point out. If you see a pattern in the responses you get, it may provide a clue to something you have been overlooking — or a clue as to what you are doing wrong.
If everyone agrees you “should” be doing one thing, figure out why — have you been pursuing something you hate to the point that everyone, including you, can only see you staying on that same track? If you’re pursuing all the wrong things, you may be so surrounded by what you don’t love that you can’t even imagine what you would love.
2. Seek out people who have a real passion for life. Look for someone with so much enthusiasm they absolutely shine with happiness and confidence. Just spending time with them will give you energy and motivation to find your own goals.
Ask them what made them discover their passion, and their responses will provide clues as to what you can do. After you hear their story, ask them what they would suggest you do as you search for your passion. And don’t be shy — if they know you well at all, ask them what they see as your special talents or interests.
3. Eliminate things that stifle your creativity or take up your time without giving you any benefit. If you’re spending all your waking hours doing something you hate, you don’t have time to dream about what you love — let alone pursue it. Some things in life (buying the groceries, doing the laundry) are necessary, but others are best left to those who have that passion.
4. Start a journal. Write for a few minutes at the beginning and end of each day. By taking time to write, you will focus your thoughts more naturally on finding your passion, and by having everything in black and white, you may be able to play “connect the thoughts.” Things are often hidden from us because we don’t step back to analyze our thoughts.
5. Find what you hate. If you have trouble brainstorming about the things you love or would like to try, sometimes it’s easier to focus on the negative. Write down anything and everything that bothers you, write out an elaborate description of your Job from Hell, and then consider the exact opposite.
6. Examine your hobbies. Maybe you can’t read or go biking for a living, but I bet you can find a creative way to use your knowledge to open a great store. A used book store where you can proudly recommend your favorite books, or a bike shop where you can counsel new bikers on what type of bike to buy and where the best trails are, might be just what you need.
7. Help someone else achieve their goals. Many people find that their true passion is helping others. If you love some of the things you do at work but hate your job, maybe you should be teaching what you know. As motivational author Zig Ziglar says, “You will get all you want in life if you help enough people get what they want.”
8. Related to #7, volunteer and try new things. Work at a food pantry; help out at a soup kitchen for Thanksgiving; volunteer at an animal shelter. The possibilities are a far wider range than you might think. If you can’t think of anything offhand that sounds like you, try visiting Volunteer.gov, where you can find less typical ways of helping, like translating a website for a national park. This will give you a chance to try new things, and just the simple fact that you’re making a difference may be exactly what you’re looking for.
9. Read self-help books on how to find your passion. For starters, try Barbara Sher’s I Could Do Anything if I Only Knew What it Was: How to Discover What You Really Want.
This is really just a basic list of ideas to get you started on your quest to find your passion. Once you really focus on the journey, it will begin to come naturally to you to think of ideas all the time. Brainstorm new ideas to stretch your imagination on your morning commute; watch some new TV channels like the Travel Channel or the Science Channel to broaden your horizon. What other ways have you found to discover new passions?
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