How do you find your passion?
Finding your passion through discovery
Is your job also your passion?
Could it be?
What if it were possible to be passionate about the 9-5 that you show up for every morning?
A 2014 Gallup poll found that more than two thirds of workers were not only disengaged in their work… they were actively disengaged. They dreaded going to work and while they were there they spent a great deal of time either off task or thinking about other things. Where do you fall in that continuum?
In her best selling book Grit; The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth tackles the concept of passion and whether or not the career that you spend most of you time in could also be something that fuels your passion.What if it gave you a reason to get out of bed in the morning with enthusiasm. What if you anticipated your week on Sunday evening with excitement? Or is a job just a necessary evil?
Maybe the problem is that we don’t really understand passion. We think that it comes upon us in a flash of light, perhaps even with angels singing in the distance, while an amazing sense of calm and focus washes over us. Or we think that we have a dream one night and awaken the next morning with a sudden sense of clarity and resolve. “Of course I’ve always wanted to be a painter (or writer or safari guide)!” we say to ourselves with conviction. And from that time forward we become a person of passion, obliterating the obstacles and slaying all dragons before us. Sounds like something out of the movies doesn’t it? And that’s just the problem. It is. That’s not been my experience or the experience of the clients I’ve worked with.
So how do you discover your passion? Think for a moment… How do you discover anything? Your favorite cuisine? The love of your life? Your dream home?
You search for it. You try different things. You cultivate it. You give it your all.
Discovering your passion and creating work around it is more like a farmer planting and growing a crop than a mystic having a vision. It’s research and development. It’s fits and starts. It’s cultivating an interest. It’s follow through and follow up. And that’s where grit comes in.
Angela Duckworth has researched grit for years and one thing, she has found is that the people who are the grittiest are also the most passionate. When you think about it, it makes sense. If you have a passion, then what it takes to pursue that passion is persistence and a dedication to the hard work involved. People with grit know that a goal is a dream with a time frame and action steps. It’s passion meets reality.
The good news is that it leaves you and me in the driver’s seat in terms of finding and following our passion. We don’t have to wait for our fairy godmother to show up and tap us with her passion wand. We can begin today, planting and cultivating those interests that seem most intriguing and engaging, knowing that we can read the signs along the way if we are on the right path.
My passion is helping you cultivate your passion and create work you can love through structure, systems and support. Want to schedule a complimentary coaching call? Let’s get started:
https://bookme.name/dreamachiever
 Kim Yarborough GO FOR IT! Dream Achiever Coaching has helped me give voice to my long-term dreams and begin to take the necessary steps to finally make them a reality. Lynne is very encouraging, and helps me see things in ways I may not have otherwise seen. Working with Lynne has given me a new confidence that I CAN achieve my dreams! http://www.civilitynation.com/ |
