The True Meaning of Passion Is Not What You Think
Discovering what you’re truly passionate about is vital for a fulfilling life.
Ask most people what they want in life, and they’ll usually give some variation of this answer: to be happy.
A lot of us spend most of our lives chasing after what we think will make us happy and avoiding what brings us pain or suffering. Which is understandable. None of us really want to suffer, do we?
But as good as it can feel in the moment to chase after pleasure and run away from pain, it doesn’t bring us lasting happiness. Every moment of enjoyment ultimately passes. Every vacation ends; every fun event comes and goes. Even big “wins” (like, say, winning the lottery) only make us happy for a short time before we go back to our baseline level of happiness — a phenomenon known as hedonic adaptation.
Life isn’t a never-ending stream of joyful moments; it’s full of ups and downs, celebrations and sorrows, wins and losses. So how do we find a happiness and satisfaction that lasts even through the low moments?
What will make us happier is to find something we care about — more than we care about pain and suffering — that will give our lives meaning.
