One of the most popular questions I get asked is how I can help students find their true passion. Parents begin getting nervous that their child does not know by age 10 what they want to do with the rest of their life.
Ah, that quest we’ve been told over and over we need to take in order to live a fulfilling life.
Hang on – is passion something to be found?
We’ve all heard about this quest to find your passion. “Haven’t found it yet? Don’t worry you will soon!” says everyone in the world
There seems to be this belief that your passion is something to be found, and once you find it you can hold on to it forever and use it, however you want.
In my experience passion isn’t something to be found. Passion is a deep calling within you. You’ll know it when you feel it. It tugs at your heartstrings and shoots endorphins through your blood. It comforts you with a smile and in that moment you know you’re answering your life’s calling.
Unfortunately, this calling doesn’t just present itself. It doesn’t say “Hey! I’m here, let’s get to work!” Passion begins as a seed, likely planted early on in your life. Over time, it begins to grow and bloom before blossoming into this deep satisfaction.
This is a process that can’t be rushed or forced. For some people, this time to blossom is short – perhaps a few years or decades. For others, this could take a lifetime.
Vera Wang didn’t enter the fashion industry until after she was 40 years old. Julia Child was 50 when she wrote her first cookbook. While you may be worried that your kids don’t know their passion yet, this doesn’t mean it’s over.
We assume that once we’ve found our passion, success is just a short ride away. This makes passion so appealing that we work desperately to find it, when what we should be doing is exploring and playing — giving it the time it deserves to come to light.
Unless you’re lucky I don’t think passion just knocks on your door and says “hi!” It’s a process of trial and error, of exploration, and play.
Just like a flower needs watering, so does passion. While I do believe it’s something intrinsically rooted deep inside you, it’s still up to you to coax it out.
How? Try different things, challenge your interests, fears and activities. Take risks or talk to people you normally wouldn’t. Play, explore and experiment until you strike a chord and something resonates deep within you.
Passion manifests itself in an activity
Passion isn’t an interest or activity. Rather it manifests itself in one, in order to come to light. Too often we’re distracted by the activities in which one has succeeded in, that we’re blind to the passion underneath. Activities and interests can be used to exercise passion, yet it’s important not to confuse it as their passion.
Consider Humans of New York Creator Brandon Stanton – is his passion the activity or photography, or the art of storytelling? How you honor your passion can come in many different forms. For Stanton, it’s through photography. While he may not engage in photography for the rest of his life, his passion for story telling will remain.
If you’ve been following along, hopefully, you understand by now that passion isn’t something that can be found. Perhaps you’re hearing that for the first time and feeling frustrated. Passion is the one desire we all have in common.
Can we only have one passion?
Whenever we talk about passion we refer to it as singular, as if you can only have one. Because of this it’s not uncommon to be confused when you uncover multiple callings within yourself. You feel forced to make a decision - which one do you enjoy more?
I used to believe that passion was singular, and I had to live and breathe it 24/7. To honor my passion meant I had to focus all of my efforts and interests on that single passion. But doing one thing and one thing only can get boring and lonely, fast.
Passion as an ingredient for success
So why are we so obsessed with this idea of passion? It’s this one thing we all want, yet struggle to know how to get. You don’t have to look far – in fact just look at your friends, communities, and success heroes – to see that passion is indeed an ingredient for success.
Remember, passion can’t be found, so stop looking for it.
This column is by Ritchie Lucas, Founder of The Student Success Project and Think Factory Marketing. He can be reached at 305-788-4105 or via email at ritchie@thinkfactory.com and on Facebook and You Tube as The Student Success Project.
