6 Ways to Find and Cultivate Your Passion
We weren’t taught how to pursue our passions. We were taught long division and facts about the War of 1812.
If you’re trying to navigate adult life, you’ve more than likely been told to “follow your passion.” You’ll hear it when talking to professors, your auntie at the family bbq, your bestie over drinks, or even the receptionist at the dentist who’s kind enough to listen to your troubles.
“Thanks Barb. I’m passionate about eating Cheetos and watching Netflix but that’s really not gonna get me anywhere.”
And if you’re the lucky one who actually–kinda–maybe knows what you’re passionate about, how does one follow it? It’s not a magical floating orb that’s whispering ominously, “Jenny…come this way…follow me…”
“Follow your passion” is a new cliché that’s tossed around with no real advice attached to it. Having a passion and pursuing it is not a bad idea. But just telling someone nonchalantly to do so is far from helpful.
So, how do we follow our passions? What if we don’t even know what we’re passionate about?
Our passions are there. We just don’t know how to tap into them yet.
As a child, you had more freedom to explore your passions, but they weren’t often encouraged in school. You needed to stick to the curriculum. In adult life, you had more responsibilities. And paying bills and buying groceries quickly rose to the top of your to-do list. You weren’t ever taught how to find your passion.
This article is going to deep dive into how to actually find something you’re passionate about and then how to cultivate that passion.
Finding Something You’re Passionate About
There are three steps to take to discover what you are passionate about. I’ll walk you through them below.
1. Which Abilities or Passions Resonate With You? If you don’t know what you’re passionate about, consider which of the following abilities or passions you most align with. This list of passions stems from Howard Gardner’s Theory Of Multiple Intelligences.
Gardner’s theory explains that in addition to cognitive ability (think math and science), there are other types of intelligence. If you struggled with algebra but excelled in sports, this is an example of using a different type of intelligence to thrive.
Some of these passions may come natural to you. Or your experience with them has sparked their growth. Either way, some passions will resonate with you more than others.
Did any of these passions stand out to you? Do you have experience with any of these? Do you wish you were really good at one or two of them? If so, you now have some idea of what you are passionate about. It’s time to move on to step two.
*If you still feel unsure about which passions are yours, show this list to a few close friends and family members. Ask them which passions they think you would enjoy or thrive at.*
2. Brainstorm. Now you need to dive deeper into at least three passions that resonated with you. Take out a piece of paper and brainstorm about these three passions. Write down possible routes you could pursue for each passion. Get creative. Go crazy. Nothing is too dumb or impossible. Just write it down.
Are there any passions that could overlap? Maybe you love movement and teaching. You could be a personal trainer or a fitness instructor. Maybe you are interpersonal and linguistic. You could write about human behavior as an author or journalist. Combining your passions will make them more meaningful.
You may need a little research to help you with your brainstorming. Read books, listen to podcasts, volunteer, or follow content creators that discuss your passions. Do a little bit of “passion study” each day so you can learn more about yourself and your interests.
3. Dabble. Experiment with your passions. Take a course about your passion. Read books about them. Find an internship. Get certified. Start a social media account, blog, or vlog that’s all about your passions.
Cultivate Your Passion
It’s important to cultivate your passion, not follow it. It’s not a magic compass that just shows you the right way to go in life. Passion is something you nurture and grow through time and effort.
As you work to cultivate your passion, here are three things you need to do.
1. Take Care of Your Basic Needs. Let’s be real. Everything in life is hard if you’re not taking care of yourself. This is true with cultivating your passion, too. If your basic needs aren’t met, you won’t have the energy or the motivation necessary to do what you’re passionate about. You can have all the drive in the world but you still need gas.
So don’t forget to fill up your tank. Take care of your basic needs. This includes both your physical and mental health. You need to eat nutritious food, get some exercise, drink plenty of water, and get enough sleep. If you’re struggling with your mental health, try daily journaling, mediation, or working with a licensed therapist.
2. Establish Clear Goals. What are your goals around your passion? Do you want to do it for a living? Have a great hobby to do on the weekends? Find someone else who also enjoys doing it with you? Start a vlog about it?
To cultivate your passion, you need to understand your expectations for it. Take a second to brainstorm your goals to give you a sense of direction.
3. Do Your Passion Daily. You need to work on your passion every day. It doesn’t matter if you spend all day or just one hour working on it.
If you’re not motivated enough to do it everyday, then you’re likely not passionate about it. You might need to go back to the drawing board and start again. Or, you may need to reevaluate how you approach your passions.
Back to our personal trainer example we discussed above. You love movement and you love teaching, but being a personal trainer isn’t as exciting as you thought it was. That doesn’t mean you were wrong about the passions you chose. You may need to pivot and be a fitness instructor for larger classes. Now you can interact with more people. Or maybe you can focus your teaching efforts online. Build an audience and teach them fitness tips and tricks. Either way you’re still moving and you’re still teaching. You’re just doing it in a different way that better aligns with who you are.
If you don’t have enough time to work on your passion daily, then you need to better prioritize your day. Remember, you have the same amount of hours in a day as Beyoncé, Elon Musk, and Oprah. How are you spending those hours? Do you need to delete some apps on your phone? Do you need to spend less time watching tv? If you’re married with kids, do you need to ask your spouse to contribute more so you have time for your passion?
Working on your passion daily will help you gain the momentum you need to get the results you want. If you’re too inconsistent, it will be difficult to reach your goals.
Conclusion: You Can Live a Passionate Life
Doing something you’re passionate about can be the spark that gets you out of bed each morning. But, finding what you’re passionate about can be difficult. We haven’t been taught how to pursue our passions. We’ve been taught long division and facts about the War of 1812.
But with these steps, you can find and cultivate your passion. You can wake up every day happy to pursue something you love so much.
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