5 Ways to Find Your Passion and Purpose in Life

When exploring your career options, one word of advice you might hear is to "follow your passion." Inspired by the work, interests, and initiatives that make you feel fulfilled and driven can lead to a career you will enjoy and excel at. While the concept is simple, defining and learning how to discover your passion can be challenging. Knowing how to know your passion is a never-ending, sometimes life-long process. Finding the ideas, activities, and professions that fascinate you takes a lot of thoughtful self-reflection, focus, and effort. The manner in which you might blend your passions into your life varies widely from one person to the next.

You're probably the type of person who puts in long hours and is dedicated to their goals. But before you can become unstoppable, you must first understand where you're going by knowing how to discover your passion. If you're stuck, here are a few new ideas to help you figure out how to know your passion and what you actually want to do with your life. Take your time with the process of discovering your passion and remember that no matter what happens, you'll be closer to your goal.

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Begin With A Positive Frame Of Mind

If you went into a shoe store with the firm belief that "I'm not in the mood to buy shoes. There won't be anything that suits me here. It is a waste of time to be here", the collection won’t be appealing to you. You won't devote enough time or attention to it, and it will be difficult to find something you enjoy wearing.

Knowing how to discover your passion follows the same principle. If you believe that learning your passion is difficult or impossible for you, you will remain closed to opportunities. You will be ignoring the little hints, knocks, and cues that are there to guide you. How can you expect to find meaningful passion if you don't believe it exists? Choose to believe that you can live your life doing what you love. Surrounding yourself with people who are following their passions is one of the best methods to establish this positive mindset.

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Pay Attention To What Makes You Happy

Paying attention is the best method to figure out how to discover your passion. Certain ideas, activities, or hobbies are likely to excite, fascinate, or satisfy you on a daily basis. You might also notice that there are some pleasant surprises or unexpected events that turn out to be the highlights of your day. Pay attention to both seemingly positive as well as negative events that occur throughout your day. Keeping track of where and with whom your best moments of the day occur will help you answer how to find your passion and whether your passions are tied to work or other aspects of life.

For example, suppose you're a science student who enjoys reading legal papers, keeping up with the latest court rulings, watching courtroom dramas, or conversing with a relative who works in a legal firm. Paying closer attention to such interests might make you realise that a career in law is your true passion.

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Distinguish Between A Hobby And A Lucrative Passion

If you want to give your passion to society while also earning money, you'll need to be realistic about whether or not this can be turned into a career, and what you'll need to do to make it happen. Furthermore, consider whether or not you would enjoy doing those activities; for some people, a passion is simply enjoyable, and turning it into a job transforms it from a "want to do" to a "have to do".

Try spending some time with others who share your passion and have made a career out of it. That may offer you an idea of what your passion would look like if it were transformed into a profession. If you're interested in baking, for example, try spending a day with a pastry chef and observing their activity.

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Explore Other Career Paths

You can still utilize what you have learned to drive your job search if you are convinced that your passion is not what you want to pursue as a career. If you have realized that spending time with loved ones at home is something you prefer doing, you can look for professions that permit you to do it. Finding your hobbies can also help you figure out what kind of income, benefits, and other work characteristics you need to sustain your lifestyle.

Answering how to discover your passion requires taking the time to identify the things in your life that make you feel satisfied, enthusiastic, inspired, or fulfilled. Try reading job descriptions that may assist you in identifying positions that you are drawn to. Reading about a certain job or responsibility that fascinates you might lead you to other, similar positions that are greatly suited to you.

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How To Find Your Passion - Try Interest Inventories

Interest inventories examine a person's tastes and preferences, preferred hobbies, and personality traits. To learn how to know your passion, test your characteristics and compare them with those of persons who are already employed in specific occupations. Your findings could reveal that you have a lot in common with a lawyer, a researcher, or a college lecturer or a professor. Knowing this information, by taking a "how to know your passion" test can assist you in taking the next step in your employment quest. But bear in mind that taking such tests doesn’t end your employment search. Even the most comprehensive inventories are merely ideas that you should investigate further. These tests to know your passion can be completed online or with pencil and paper. Most inventories will ask you a series of questions. When you're completed, you'll be given a report outlining potential career areas for you based on your responses.

Some popular “how to know your passion” tests are-

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
• Campbell Interest and Skill Survey
• Strong Interest Inventory

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• How To Develop Your Personality
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Finding your genuine passion isn't a science. Passion is both an emotion and an action. The ultimate indicator of passion is knowing that you will stick with it for the long run and that you will feel fulfilled once you have completed it. Remember that this will take a lot of time and effort, but it will be the best investment you've ever made. If you take the time to discover how to find your passion, you will find that your days are more meaningful and that you are happier and more well-adjusted in the long run. The key to keeping your passion alive is to turn it into a habit that is driven by goals and a mission. Get clear about where you want to go and how you'll get there, and then do everything you can to get there.

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Somya is a psychologist, having a keen interest in research and academics. She is currently pursuing her PhD from IIS, Jaipur.