Do you remember when you used to wake up excited about going to work?
Do you NOW usually drag yourself out of bed, rather than hitting the ground running?
Are you no longer “juiced” by what you do?
Do you feel SOoo tired at the end of the day?
If so, you are not alone. I’ve been there and so have many of my clients. When we drive ourselves for extended periods of time, we often lose our passion. That’s why I created the Rediscover Your Passion and Find the Career/Business of Your Dreams coaching program.
We all have unique gifts and talents to share with the world. Yet sometimes we lose touch with them or never have been given the opportunity or taken the time to reflect on what truly makes our soul sing. Here’s a short exercise to get started.
Draw a chart with 2 columns; in the one column Write down all the things that you are good at or things that come easily and naturally to you. It could be athletics, mathematics, writing … In the second column, write down things you enjoy doing. Could be “being in nature”; teaching others; using my body; playing piano … If you’re having a challenge with this, think back to what you enjoyed doing as a child.
Now look at both lists and circle the items that are similar, or are on both lists. Then review the circled items. Close your eyes, go inside and get in touch with the feeling each one evokes inside you. Does it excite you? OR Does it have little or no effect on you? Rate each item on a scale from 1 to 10 related to the level of passion you have around it – 1 being – “no interest at all” and 10 being – “red hot”. From this exercise, identify your top 3 to 5 passions. They may be: writing; contributing to a cause greater than myself; editing film.
Just because we’re good at something, doesn’t mean it is our passion or will fulfill us when we work in that area. I’m sure you know someone who was good at math, went on to study mathematics, taught it at school or university and over time was miserable and not at all happy teaching math everyday. So what we’re good at can provide clues to our passions but are not necessarily connected with them. Things we enjoy doing are normally better clues to what may be our passions. Passions are often a blend of what you love and what you’re good at. As well, passions may change throughout our lives.
To further explore your passions, here are some more questions to reflect and journal on.
- What would I like to do if I had all the time and money in the world?
- What are my hobbies?
- What is one thing I did as a child that I really enjoyed?
- When have I/do I get lost in what I’m doing (i.e. lose track of time)?
Did you discover anything new? I’d love to hear your comments and insights. Feel free to share the post with others.
Love your exercise to discover passions! So important to embrace them in order to love what you do. Thanks for posting.
Hi Kellie, Happy you enjoyed the exercise to discover you passions. This is indeed so important for all of us, as doing work we love is integral to a happy, healthy and fulfilled life!
Great questions to ponder Pam! I love the distinction you shared: “So what we’re good at can provide clues to our passions but are not necessarily connected with them.” So true! Discovering that sweet spot of what we’re good at AND enjoy 😉 Wouldn’t it be great if that was part of everyday curriculum at schools ( maybe it already is ) and kids could be supported to choose a career that matches their talents and their passions?
joyful blessings, Tina
Hi Tina, Thanks for your positive feedback. It certainly would be great if this was part of everyday curriculum in schools. So far I haven’t seen it. Last year I offered my group coaching program “Discover Your Passion and Find the Career of Your Dreams” to 16 to 18 year old women in my community, and they found it really helpful in identifying their passions and core values and deciding which path to take for college and university. I’m thinking of making the program more available to other young people. I welcome your thoughts on this.
I love this approach! It’s a beautiful combination of pragmatic and internal. I love my work but I did this exercise and found a few new things I would like to try. #1? Watercolor painting in nature. Thank you for the insight! xo
Hi Melissa, Happy that you got some insight and a new thing you’d like to try. Enjoy!
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Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. Warm Regards, Pam
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Hello, You certainly may quote my articles or better yet refer people to the links. It would great if you let me know when you posted them. Thanks, Pam
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Hello, Thanks for sharing your positive feedback. Happy you found the content helpful. Feel free to sign up for my “Transition Journey Quiz and Tips” and receive my bi-weekly blog in your inbox. All the best, Pam