How to Define Passion

If you are reading this article, you may feel like something is missing, as if you have nothing to enjoy and want to achieve in life. You’ve probably heard the advice “follow your passion,” but it can be difficult if you’re not even sure what you’re really passionate about. We all have struggled with this at some point in our lives. Don’t worry! Although your passion is still vague at the moment, you will surely find it. Instead of sitting around dreaming and waiting for something to happen, follow these tips to find something you truly love and live your passions!

Table of Contents

Think about activities that make you feel happy and meaningful to you ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Take a few minutes to think about all the usual activities you’ve been involved in and write them down. It can be hobbies, work or anything that brings you joy. Pay special attention to activities that you are so absorbed in doing that you lose track of time, as often this also means that you are very excited. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Chances are you’ve done something you’re passionate about, you just haven’t realized it.
Ask friends and family what you talk about a lot. If you regularly initiate certain activities, you probably have a bit of a passion for that topic. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
Consider all aspects of your profession. For example, if you enjoy coaching new employees, maybe your passion lies in the field of education or working with other people.
If you’re looking for passion in your career, think about the day-to-day tasks that interest you the most, such as giving presentations or coaching new employees. ^{[4] X Research Sources}
Think about the jobs you loved and hated the most to know which careers to pursue and which paths to avoid. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Write down the values you value ^{[6] X Research Source}

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Values are core beliefs that make you feel good and become part of your personality. As you discover your passions, choosing what aligns with the values you hold dear will make you happier and more fulfilled. Think about all the important things in your life to find activities, hobbies, or careers that align with them.

Some of the core values can be mentioned as loyalty, creativity, compassion, family or trust. ^{[7] X Research Sources}
If you’re still confused about the values you hold dear, list a few people you admire and think about what values they hold. For example, you might admire your partner’s ability to listen or appreciate a friend’s honesty. ^{[8] X Research Sources}
Consider the problems you want to solve and the people you most want to help if you’re looking for a career you’re passionate about. ^{[9] X Research Source}
It’s also helpful to think about the outcome of the career you’re looking for. For example, if you dream of becoming a writer, you may want to be recognized and share your views with others. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Examine your talents ^{[11] X Research Sources}

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If you have special talents or master certain skills, it may also be a clue to tell you about your passion. Think about what talents you have, such as photography, public speaking, or playing an instrument. Even if you feel like you have no talent, notice when people compliment you on something you don’t even consider being good at. Maybe you have a talent that you don’t realize.

Don’t forget that being passionate doesn’t mean you have to be good at it. For example, you can still be passionate about football even though you rarely get the ball into the net. As long as you’re interested in an activity, you can stay passionate about it.

Search for topics that interest you. ^{[12] X Research Source}

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While not everything that interests you will coincide perfectly, it is possible that they are linked by a deep passion that you do not realize at first. Think about the books that you often avidly read, the pastimes that you are always excited to engage in, the items that you spare no time and money to invest to see if they have any similarities. Are they all on the same topic or do they share the same repetitive concepts? If so, you can use that to guess what you’re really passionate about.

For example, if you are often absorbed in the pages of books about the planets and love to look at the moon and stars, it is possible that you are passionate about astronomy and space.

Narrow down your interests. ^{[13] X Research Source}

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After listing the things that interest you, choose the items that you feel are most important right now. You can come back to pick other items later, but the things you’re most interested in will usually be the ones you’re most passionate about.

It’s easy to be tempted to try all the things you enjoy, but pursuing too much can make you tired and stressed. You may also find that you are still not improving in certain areas because you have to split your time between so many things.
You can also narrow down your career search by looking at the work of each career you’re considering. Read about the responsibilities that career entails and envision your daily life in the future. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Rekindling childhood passion ^{[15] X Research Source}

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As you get older, you may feel your childhood dreams were absurd and stop pursuing them. Think about hobbies that you used to enjoy as a child but stopped as an adult. Maybe you used to enjoy writing stories, doodling sketches, or playing sports. Try bringing the joys of your childhood back into your present life and see if you can get the feeling you used to again.

Ask yourself what your inner child thinks of you now. Are you still doing things that you once thought were important and enjoyable?

Discover things you’ve always wanted to try ^{[16] X Research Sources}

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We all have dreams of doing something, and nothing can stop you from pursuing your dreams. Even if you’re hesitant or embarrassed at first, you’ll never realize you’re really passionate about something until you try it. Be open to new opportunities, maybe you will find something you never even thought you would like before.

List experiences or activities that interest you and find ways to get involved.
Don’t hold prejudices without pursuing interesting things just because they make you uncomfortable. If you don’t approach things with an open mind, you may miss out on getting acquainted with things you might be passionate about.
Get ready to explore new career paths. Search online for open positions and carefully read the job description to see if it matches your passion. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Chat with people in your field of interest ^{[18] X Research Sources}

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Even if you’re just a little bit into something, finding someone who can guide and advise will help you learn more. Find people who have the same interests as you and have a bit more experience than you in the field you want to pursue. Ask questions and discuss the activity so you get a good performance out of them.

As you become more involved, mentors can help you develop your passion further.
Your mentor can be anyone, such as peers, coaches, friends, even family members.

Be enthusiastic about everything you do ^{[19] X Research Source}

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It’s easy to fall into a pessimistic mood when you have to complete a task that terrifies you, but feeling pessimistic will only push you into negative thinking. Even if you have to do something you don’t enjoy, see it as an opportunity to learn. How do you know if you’ve found something you’re passionate about if you’re not enthusiastic about it?

For example, even though gardening may seem like an obligation, you may find yourself really enjoying gardening or studying native plant life.

Take the CLEAR route to find a new hobby ^{[20] X Research Source}

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The CLEAR Path is phased to help you recognize when you are developing a hobby into a deeper passion. CLEAR is the first letter of the English words Curious (curious), Learning (to learn), Enthusiasm (enthusiasm), Aware (perceive) and Recognizing . Passion begins with curiosity about something that catches your attention. If you want to continue pursuing it, you will start learning to better understand its requirements.

Once the fire of enthusiasm has been kindled, you will really want to participate in those experiences.
Eventually, you will become aware and determined to engage in that activity, such as shopping for supplies or spending more time on it.
As you continue down this path, people will begin to see your passion as so obvious.

Invest time in your hobbies ^{[21] X Research Sources}

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You may think you’re passionate about something, but you won’t feel the burning desire unless you spend time on it. Take time each week to focus on your interests and interests. As you dig deeper and become more aware of it, you will become more interested and the passion within you will grow.

Finding your passion is a great step, but it takes time to develop further.
Try to find a class or a coach related to your passion to have someone to hold you accountable.
Find ways to eliminate time-consuming activities from your schedule. For example, you can cut back on social media to make time for your passion.

Persevere through challenges and setbacks. ^{[22] X Research Source}

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There will be times when you will face obstacles in your pursuit of your passion, but don’t let them discourage you. Even if you don’t have natural talent in that area, persevere and overcome difficulties to improve and progress. Once you are passionate about something, you will have to devote time and energy to it, so don’t waste your time, and treat failures as experiences to learn and move forward.

For example, filmmaker Steven Spielberg failed three times in film college, but ended up with blockbusters like Jaws , Jurassic Park , and Saving the Second Ryan . ^{[23] X Research Sources}
Walt Disney was repeatedly criticized for lacking imagination before he founded the animation company. ^{[24] X Research Sources}
While persistence is essential, you also need to recognize when to stop pursuing something. If you’re not enjoying yourself as much as you used to, it might be time to move on to something else.

Don’t limit yourself once you love something ^{[25] X Research Source}

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It’s easy to find a safe, comfortable place, but that can prevent you from developing a passion. If there are new experiences you want to try, get out of your comfort zone and keep learning. Embrace new things more often or do things you’ve never tried before to motivate yourself. ^{[26] X Research Source}

Try changing up your daily routine so that every day you can experience something different.
Get close to the things you fear. For example, if you are passionate about drawing but are afraid to work with paint, buy a paint kit and try to create a small work to practice every day.
Even though it may seem difficult at first, you’ll be even more fulfilled and happy knowing that you’re pursuing what you love.

Advice

Developing your passion takes time, so you need to maintain focus and effort to pursue your dreams.
Reduce stress or time-consuming activities in your schedule, as it can distract you from your true passion. ^{[27] X Research Source}

Warning

Don’t put all your energy into a certain trend right away. Everything requires patience, careful planning and a lot of dedication.

Steps

Think about activities that make you feel happy and meaningful to you [1] X Research Source

Write down the values you value [6] X Research Source

Examine your talents [11] X Research Sources

Search for topics that interest you. [12] X Research Source

Narrow down your interests. [13] X Research Source

Rekindling childhood passion [15] X Research Source

Discover things you’ve always wanted to try [16] X Research Sources

Chat with people in your field of interest [18] X Research Sources

Be enthusiastic about everything you do [19] X Research Source

Take the CLEAR route to find a new hobby [20] X Research Source

Invest time in your hobbies [21] X Research Sources

Persevere through challenges and setbacks. [22] X Research Source

Don’t limit yourself once you love something [25] X Research Source