Why You Should Always Make Time for Your Passion
When life feels like a never-ending grind between work, school, and other obligations with no room for fun in between, our mental well-being quickly declines. We must have at least one feel-good activity to look forward to on a regular basis, no matter how small. This is where the role of passion becomes crucial.
According to a study on passion and psychological well-being, “passion is defined as a strong inclination toward a self-defining activity that people like (or even love), find important, and in which they invest time and energy on a regular basis.” More often than not, these activities may not coincide with what you spend most of your time doing to make a living, so prioritizing and scheduling passionate activities is key.
Even a simple search of the word “passion” on a stock photo website returns results with images of dance, art, and music — common passions that unfortunately do not frequently intertwine with what we do for work. Life coach Susie Moore says, “Some of us are lucky enough to have jobs that allow us to live our passion — I know a few — a designer, a journalist and a medical professional. A lot of us, however, do not.” I try my best to spend less time viewing this as a frustrating obstacle and more time making the effort to keep my passions an active part of my life in some way. However, I only started taking the prioritization of my passions seriously in the past six months. I’ll share more on that in this article.
Why Is Passion Necessary for Well-Being?
Another study on passion found that “being harmoniously passionate for an activity contributes significantly to both hedonic [pleasure-seeking] and eudaimonic [purpose-seeking] well‐being.” It is human nature to seek out activities that make us feel good, as well as activities that provide us with a sense of purpose. It’s easy to imagine that a lack of both characteristics can quickly lead to feelings of hopelessness and sadness. For life to feel like it is worth living, it must feel fulfilling.
What If I Don’t Have Anything I’m Passionate About?
If you’ve never found an activity you felt excited about, then your first step is to experiment. Instead of making time for a passion itself, dedicate that time towards making discoveries. An article from The Muse used the term “rediscovering recess.” I think this captures the idea perfectly. Play around with different classes, different mediums of art, or different forms of exercise. Read books on different fields of study. Explore new places or volunteer at different organizations. This process alone helps with bettering your frame of mind and allows you to work toward something meaningful.
How Do I Make Time for What I’m Passionate About?
The first step is to recognize what it is you’re passionate about and how much time you can realistically dedicate to your passion(s) in a week. Back when I had all the time in the world, I discovered my love for dance and was dancing up to fifteen hours a week during my homeschooled high school days. Between working part-time and having a crazy university load (23 units to be exact, because I enjoy torturing myself), this is no longer feasible.
I knew that dance and writing were both things I cared about, and it’s as if I wanted to feel the satisfaction of saying that I participate in both of these activities. There’s something that adds to the depressing state of not being involved in anything outside of work and school that is only further reinforced by having nothing to say when someone asks you what you do in your spare time. It always feels better to proudly state the productive activities you’re involved in.
Scheduling Matters
Time management is your best friend. Pick up a planner and physically schedule in your passionate activities so that you have a visual reminder of the commitment you want to make.
How did I incorporate writing and dance into my schedule in the past few months? I found a good dance studio where I attend a jazz class once a week, each class just one hour. I dance with all teenagers, but I don’t mind. It is the quality of the class that I care most about, and finding the right environment with the right instruction has made a big impact on my satisfaction. I also just began supplementing my training with a monthly private dance lesson. Getting one-on-one instruction takes me back to the joy I used to get from taking dance seriously and going the extra mile to improve my technique.
With writing, I don’t stick to as strict of a schedule as I would like, but I made it a goal to shoot for writing a new article every weekend. I schedule this in my planner every Saturday or Sunday. I am a more effective writer when I write on a day where I can “breathe” and not feel overwhelmed by a jam-packed school/workday. I try to keep the thought of writing in the back of my mind during the week so that I can brainstorm topics and have one picked out by the weekend.
Having difficulty finding the time? Pay attention to how often you find yourself doing mindless activities like scrolling aimlessly on social media. If you put conscious thought into observing every minute of your time throughout the day, you probably have at least an hour or two that could be restructured to accommodate time for meaningful activities.
Be Honest With Yourself
If you have a laundry list of activities you want to pick back up, try to decide on just one or two to start with. Even if you can manage several different activities, you will be on the fast track to burn out if you don’t start off slowly and value quality over quantity. I started with dance first and after realizing the time and energy commitment was manageable, then I started working on my blog. And quite frankly, that is where I am going to stop adding on because I recognize my limits. Balance is also important, as there are some evenings where I want to shut my brain off and not do much of anything when I get home. And that is okay.
Don’t Be Afraid to Say No
I need to practice what I preach with this one, but remember that you are in charge of your life. Don’t tack on too many obligations if you can help it — whether it be leisurely activities or otherwise. Your enthusiasm will run dry if you are involved in every opportunity that ever comes your way. Consider prioritizing within your priorities. The major takeaway here is to prioritize passion, but then you need to prioritize your specific passions from there.
Managing Your Commitments
Juggling your daily work, school, or family obligations while pursuing your passions on the side is not easy, and I certainly intend not to paint it as such. However, balancing your creative or purpose-seeking drive is incredibly rewarding and has been shown to have a significant impact on your psychological well-being. Take it step by step, focus on the journey if you haven’t already established your passion, and shift your priorities to value what is most meaningful to you.
