Making a Fresh Start

For a lot of people around this time of year, the new year, it is a time to start fresh. A time to leave the past in the rearview mirror and set our sights on what lies ahead. It’s a time for resolutions and setting personal goals and for setting professional goals. And, sometimes for many of us, it’s also a time to try to find our passion, a time to find our why.

Why? Because having a passion is something that can give our lives meaning, purpose, and motivation. It can make us excited about getting up in the morning and going after our dreams. But, unfortunately, finding our passion is not always easy. In fact, it can seem to be downright difficult! You may say to yourself?

“What are my dreams?”

“I haven’t talked about my dreams in so long, I’m not sure what they are?”

“I don’t have any dreams?”

So how do we go about finding our passion with ease? Below are four tips that can help you on your journey to self-realization.

Find Your Why

As a transition life coach, people often ask, what do you mean by follow my passion? This kind of question “how to find my passion” seems a simple one. The question “How you find your passion” has to do with your own perceived notions about what your passions are.

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Introduction

Do you ever feel like something is missing from your life? Do you want to experience more joy and fulfillment? Are you looking for a way to make a living doing something that brings meaning and purpose into your life? If so, it might be time to follow your passion. But what is your Passion? Exactly what does that mean?

Finding our true passions can be difficult, but with the right mindset and strategy, anyone can identify what truly matters most in their lives. In this article, we’ll go over four tips on how to find your passion: getting rid of preconceived notions; exploring things that spark curiosity; taking some time for yourself; and remembering that passions change over time. By following these steps, anyone can unlock the power of finding their own unique passion.

1. Get rid of any preconceived notions you have about what your passion should be.
2. What are you curious about? What do you read about, write about, talk about with your friends or colleagues? What do you get totally absorbed in and lose track of time, at work, at home, or at play? What are your hobbies?
3. Take time for yourself – explore and experiment. Use exercise, Meditation and prayer to ask the internal question, what makes me happiest, listing 10 things.

And finally, don’t forget that your passion can change over time!

Getting Past Pre-Conceived Notions about Passion

It is vital that we rid ourselves of any preconceived notions we may have about what our passion should be. Many of us enter our search for a passion with rigid ideas about what it “should” look like. We may feel that finding our passion means finding something to do professionally, or finding something that everyone else seems to think is important – so much of what we consider “acceptable” is influenced by our family, friends and the media. It is embedded in our subconscious mind. These are the “should do” things.

I won’t go into the long list of explanations about this, as we are probably all familiar with the idea that others have influenced our decisions. Or rather, we have allowed others to influence our decision making which have lead to the current results. This is why we are interested in this topic in the first place.

The Truth About Finding Your Passion

But the truth is, finding your passion may not feel like an easy task. We all know that it means finding something that’s meaningful and fulfilling for you, regardless of whether it’s seen as important or not. So if you’ve gotten into this way of thinking, it’s time to let go and open yourself up to the possibility that finding your passion could mean finding something completely unexpected.

Even if you have the opportunity, you may not be able to identify what is meaningful in your life. I mean, there are a lot of meaningful things in our lives. our children, our parents, our love of camping in nature. But, how do we interpret things like that into a career change, for example? I don’t want to watch kids or teach children. I don’t want to work with older folks. So, how do I find the “right” passion to follow? What is right for me?

Did you know a Transformation Coach can help you find your passion? Learn more here

Maybe Self Improvement Coaching is more appropriate

Flow Is a Sign of Passion

Here’s the trick. Write down 10 things that you could totally lose track of time while you’re doing them. Be sure to add enough detail to give each meaning and context. It could be playing the guitar or writing in your diary. Here’s an example, “I totally lose track of time when I’m reading a good mystery novel on my sofa.” Now you try it.

Once you have identified your 10 things you like to do that leave you feeling a kind of flow or rhythm. But, if you’re still having trouble, ask yourself, a few questions.

What am I really curious about?

Take a look at all the things that have interested you over the years – books, classes, conversations, hobbies – and really focus in on what has consistently sparked your curiosity. What about when you were younger, even as an adolescent or pre-teen. People are often “talked out” of their passion when they are children by a simple comment of an adult. What there something that interested you, but nobody took notice? Or you were criticized or put down for your efforts or ideas? Put those in our list of 10 things. You may also ask yourself these questions:

What do I find myself drawn to?

Take some time for yourself – explore and experiment. Take a break from the everyday hustle and bustle of life and really get in touch with what makes you feel alive. Use this time to exercise, meditate and pray – ask the question internally: what makes me happiest? Make sure to list at least 10 things that make you happy. We will focus in on those activities as they can lead us to find your true passion.

What are things I don’t want

When it comes to finding our passion, we often start by thinking about what we want to do. But sometimes the best way to find our true calling is to first identify the things that we don’t want—things that make us unhappy or leave us feeling unfulfilled. By taking a step back and focusing on what isn’t working in our lives or what hasn’t worked in the past, we can gain clarity on what will bring us joy and fulfillment.

One of the most important steps in finding your passion is recognizing what you don’t want out of life. This helps narrow down the list of potential paths so you can focus your energy on finding something that truly makes you happy at this point in your life. Write down all the activities, jobs, or lifestyles that have made you feel drained or unsatisfied in the past. Do not focus on them or get lost in the stories around them. Just take a moment, deep breath and the exhale and let them go – they are not your path! It may take some trial-and-error before finding something that excites and energizes you daily but it’s worth it when you finally uncover an activity or career path that brings purpose into your life. Additionally, ask yourself questions like “What am I avoiding? What drains me? Where does my energy go when I’m distracted from my goals?”

A Richer Me Yoga with Dr. Christina Blanchard-Horan , join her weekdays at 6:45 am ET on Facebook for a free brief live yoga session.