Having Trouble Finding Your Passion? You’re Not Alone.

For some time now the experts have been telling people once they align their profession with their passion, then success, happiness and living up to their full potential will follow. Seems easy enough, doesn’t it?

I thought I would give this a try. Who doesn’t want to live up to their full potential and experience professional success and happiness? While I wasn’t unhappy in my job, I didn’t feel like I could say I felt passionate about my work. The way I understood it, once I had found my passion I would jump out of bed in the morning excited to go to work! I would put in more hours because time would fly by. It would not be work; it would be fun and interesting. Not a ‘job’ but a passion. This sounded exciting.

 I was ready to map out my plan when I realized I wasn’t quite sure what I was passionate about. After some thought I was no longer sure I knew what ‘find your passion’ meant!  The advice seemed so simple yet nowhere could I find the guide to help me find my personal passion. While I am normally a very positive person this was starting to become quite depressing.

I ran across some advice; think back to my childhood, list the things I had really enjoyed. I loved to read, ride my bike, and lay in the grass watching the clouds blow by.  I could see myself jumping out of bed every day to do these things though I could not see how doing these things would bring in a paycheck.

Since I had no passion that I was willing to quit my job for, it was time for a new approach.  I would figure out what I liked most in my current job and plan to do more of it.  It turns out I liked to solve problems while working with people, data, and systems.

This was a good start though I wanted to know why I liked these things; I was interested in seeking out more of the same. Using Clifton StrengthsFinder, I identified my top five strengths: achiever, responsibility, learner, focus, and positivity.

I learned that it was in the tasks that I had previously been successful in that I found the most enjoyment. I was most successful in these tasks because I had the core strengths to support those activities. I can’t tell you how glad I was to see my fifth strength and verifiably have my positivity back!

In three steps I was able to identify and increase my passion.

1)   Identified my core strengths

2)   Identified the things I already enjoyed in my job

3)   Identified opportunities to both relate and exercise my strengths in my daily work

I wouldn’t say that I jump out of bed excited to go to work nor do I work long hours because I am having so much fun. I can say that I enjoy my job and find passion in my work.  I have sought out positions that allow me to do more of what I am good at.

I had passion all along; I simply did not know how to tap into it. When I am not solving problems at work, I use my library card, ride my bike and as often as possible, lie in the grass and watch the clouds blow by.