Another article to find my passion? It seems that everything has already been said and written in this field, right??
I know: looking for your passion seems to be overrated, overexploited, it has become a fad and those of us who are involved in this Personal development with the urge to change, to find your element, your passion, your vocation and other synonyms of this word so cool nowadays.
Have we really abused the famous "element" so much? Perhaps it is about changing the name or defining what it really is to find your passion, but down to earth, giving a practical approach to the matter above all..
I always tell my story of how I studied a career for which I had no vocation. I chose it mainly for two reasons: first, because at 18 I had no idea what I wanted to study nor had I had enough support; second, because I was deeply afraid of being unemployed.
Logically I chose badly, like many of the people who curiously chose my same career: Advertising and public relations. I know many coaches or professionals dedicated to personal development who studied this career.
And the sad truth is that more than 40% of workers in Europe are unhappy with their work and would be willing to change, according to the latest studies. Or as the motivator and founder of liveyourlegend the recently deceased Scott Dinsmore argues, 80% of the population hates the work they do.
So when I hear for the umpteenth time the slogan of "seek your passion" or the famous Steve Jobs speech at Stanford in which he urges young people to follow their passion in life, I cannot help but agree. But obviously we cannot use this discourse taken out of context.
The first question we should ask ourselves is: Am I really good at what I'm passionate about? Am I talented enough? Is there any way I can make a living from it?
I mean get down to earth, get more realistic and start testing. Because it is not about simply knowing what I am passionate about, but about seeing if that passion can become a professional career, something that sustains me.
And the specialists in the field of professional reinvention already say it: testing, testing this new activity is the key. It is not enough to know what I want to do, it is important to get to it and see if I am good at it, if I enjoy it, if I do not surrender to the first difficulty, if I can continue to grow.
Finding your passion is also not a guarantee that you will succeed and you will achieve success in your life. First of all, because in the world of motivation the word success has been abused a lot. Second, because success can mean totally different things for each person..
Would you rather earn a lot of money and have stability in your life or earn what is fair and have a life full of uncertainty, as happens to many of us when we start a vocational entrepreneurship project?
But what happens when you don't know what that passion is, as it happened to me when I was about to enter university? And what if you ask yourself that question not at 18, but at 30, 40 or 50? Are all the doors closed?
Actually this is up to you. It depends on each one of us. Am I willing to give up a comfortable job even if it frustrates and demotivates me, or completely change my career path if I find myself unemployed? Do I dare to question my life, my tastes, my way of living? Will I settle for having less income or having to sell my house, my car, etc. to be able to invest in this project I dream of?
If at the current moment of your life, you are as old as you are, you are considering a change of course: well because you have no choice but to adapt to the changing world in which we live, in which the words "crisis" and "Stop" are repeated ad nauseam; or because despite having a stable job, you feel that you would like to do something else, something that gives meaning and momentum to your life, because you have the feeling that you can add value to others, express yourself through your art or your talent ... or simply because you are living a stage of personal or professional "crisis" and you are looking for answers, I want to share with you an article-exercise from the hand of one of the best motivators who maintains that 80% of the population hates their work.
This is a compilation of questions from Scott Dinsmore, an American blogger, coach and motivator who recently left us, at only 33 years old, in a mountain accident.
I did not know this author and when I heard the news of his unexpected death, I went to take a look at his blog. I found the Holy Grail in finding and living from your passion, just what I talk about through my blog and my profession as a career coach!!
In the following days I did not stop compulsively reading all the legacy that this wise young man has left us. The fact is that all its content is in English, with which I have decided to translate and be inspired by some of its works, such as its 27 questions to discover your passion.
They may not be worth all of them, but the safest thing is that among those 27 questions there are some that do resonate with you, if you are in a moment of seeking a vocation in your life or want to change jobs or even undertake.
I wish I had found this blog 5 years ago, when I started a change in every way in my life, and I was wondering what I could do!
Just a little warning before you start: what you have in your hands is a real tool, a very powerful practical exercise that can help you clarify what your passion in life is. For this reason, I recommend that you read it with a paper and pencil nearby, to answer in a sincere way the 27 + 1 questions posed in this little test.
# 1 What makes you happiest in your daily life? What is it that you find exciting?
# 2 What things do you usually do that make you feel invincible?
# 3 What are others usually grateful for?
# 4 What are you incredibly good at? What are your natural gifts?
# 5 Who do you admire? Who are your mentors? Who inspires you? And above all, why?
# 6 When was the last time you did a job that far exceeded what was expected of you? What job was it and why did you work so hard to finish it?
# 7 When was the last time you felt what is called flow, enjoying what you were doing, without being aware of time? What were you doing?
# 8 Imagine that you have won 100 million in a lottery. 3 months have passed since then. What are you going to spend your money on tomorrow?
# 9 What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?
# 10 If you could have or do anything imaginable, what would it be?
# 11 What issues do you normally argue about or what issues do you defend when talking to other people? What beliefs and values do these themes represent to you??
# 12 What worries you most about the current situation in the world? If you had unlimited resources, what would you change?
# 13 What worries you most about future generations, whether you have children or not?
# 14 How do you like to help people? What is the most typical way that you help others?
# 15 What is your favorite section in a bookstore? What magazine would you buy at a newsstand?
# 16 Do you ever remember not having slept all night, because you were so excited about something you were going to work on the next day? What was it about?
# 17 If you had complete confidence that your art or creativity could be your life support, how would you live?
# 18 Of all the current roles in your job, which of them would you be willing to perform altruistically? And if it wasn't any of your current roles, can you think of a job that you wouldn't mind doing for free??
# 19 If you were able to attend your own funeral, what would you like to hear your loved ones say about you?
# 20 What things do you want to be remembered for? What mark do you want to leave on the world?
# 21 Try to remember if a friend has ever told you that you would be good in a certain field or profession, because you are especially good at something. If you don't remember, ask 5 friends what they think you're really good at.
# 22 What theme does you have an innate curiosity??
# 23 If you have a free hour to surf the internet, what topics do you like to research?
# 24 When you were 5 or 10 years old, what did you want to do? What did it mean to you to dedicate yourself to that profession? What values were behind?
# 25 If you could write a book to help improve the world, knowing it would be a worldwide success, what would it be titled? What would the book talk about?
# 26 What are your dream professions? What other people's jobs do you envy or wish you had?
# 27 Name 3 to 5 professions that encompass your deepest beliefs and values.
# 28 What revolution would you have liked to lead? Why? So that?
If you've made it all the way, this exercise may be what you need right now. In reality, there is nothing more exciting than asking questions, questioning life, wondering what is important to each one.
I sincerely believe that in order to have a coherent and rich life, it is important to dedicate ourselves to something that makes sense to us, but I recognize that on a personal level I have had to give up a comfortable and stable life. In the end, as I often repeat, everything in life is a matter of priorities.
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