Have you ever wanted to live life on your own terms?

Have you thought about going after what you truly feel called to do, but not done it?

You’re not alone.

We’re all in the same boat. We’re here for a reason. And what excites you is trying to pull you in the right direction.

But so often we resist.

We’re scared, worried, and most of all, overwhelmed.

Going after something meaningful takes courage. The fear will never go away. And the uncertainty will always be there. Those are not bad things.

They’re good, because they mean you’re on the right track. When you’re both excited and scared, you’re doing well.

What is Passion Anyway?

The term passion has been thrown around a lot lately.

To me it simply means doing something you enjoy right now. It doesn’t mean you have to be 110% passionate about whatever you’re doing, all the time. It simply means that there is a certain amount of excitement in your life.

If you’d like to use another term for passion, by all means do so. The word itself has no meaning. What’s important is what the word is pointing to, which is the feeling of joy.

For the sake of this article, I’ll stick with the word passion.

Why Should You Find Your Passion?

When you find and follow your passion, things change.

When you let go of living a “logical” life, you free yourself up to let life unfold.

You let go of trying to control every little detail, because in reality, you’ve never been in control. Trying to mold the external world to your liking doesn’t work, which is why it leaves you exhausted.

Finding your passion makes life easier, but it will also make it harder. Going after something meaningful is scary. It takes time. But it is also well worth it. I started on this path over five years ago. I stumbled, failed, and gave up many times.

Today, I get paid to do what I love.

I can do what I want, when I want and from where I want. It still amazes me to this day.

The 3 Pillars to Finding Your Profitable Passion

Finding your passion is tough. When you try to find a profitable passion, it becomes even harder.

Almost everyone has money issues. What I mean is that we view money negatively, and when you bring that into the passion equation, everything breaks down.

This is not an article about dealing with your beliefs about money, but it is something you should pay attention to on this path. There are three main pillars I work with when I help people find their profitable passion.

1. Excitement

The first one is excitement. What do you feel excited about doing?

What do you feel passionate about?

Don’t try to overanalyze or think too much about the future. No one can predict the future. There’s no use in trying to control it.

Focus on what your feelings are telling you, and go from there.

2. Skills

The next step is to look at your skills. What are you good at?

Think broadly. If you’ve worked in an office as a secretary for 10 years, you may think you have no skills.

But think about what you were really good at. Were you a Jedi at organizing things? Were you amazingly productive?

Then dive deeper into those. There’s so much for you to discover, if you just let yourself play with this. If you’re currently in school or just out of college, look at your life experiences. What have been the common themes?

3. Demand

And finally, in order to create a profitable business around your passion, there has to be demand.

Look at what’s already out there. If you’re into productivity, there are a lot of things you could do. You could help businesses become more productive.

You could help regular people simplify their life. It all depends on where excitement, skill and demand intersect. And remember, if you don’t have any skills, get some.

Leave the excuses behind.

The Mistake People Make

Right about now most of my clients get overwhelmed.

They feel like they could never do this.

The reason they feel overwhelmed is because they’re trying to figure it out. Stop doing that. Let the future be uncertain. The only thing you have to do is take the next step, which is to figure out what you’re excited about.

If you don’t know, then it doesn’t matter what you do. Figuring out what you don’t want to do is as useful as figuring out what you want to do.

Follow the excitement.

Follow your heart.

And remember to breathe. This is not an easy journey.

The Anti-Quick Fix Mindset

Don’t try to force clarity.

Let life unfold in whatever way it does.

You can only do what you can do. I’ve learned this the hard way.

I’ve always wanted to make things happen now, but it seems the universe doesn’t quite bend to my will, yet. I’ve had to adapt. I’ve had to learn to be more open. To accept how things are. And deal with them.

If you’re just starting out on this journey, let the struggle be okay. Embrace your fears, worries and all the wanting to figure things out.

All the wanting to get it perfect.

What Now?

You’ll never get it perfect.

And you’ll never get rid of the fear. Not until you start.

If you want to find your passion and build a business around it, your next step is simple: move forward. If you haven’t found your passion, start following your excitement.

If you know what you’re passionate about, find a way to blend it with your skills and market demand.

In short, take the next step, wherever you are.

Excuses will pop up. Fears will try to hold you down. But you have to be relentless.

You have to keep going.

You can live a life on your own terms. But you have to be willing to take the first step.

Featured photo credit:  young woman sitting on a rock on a hill and taking pictures with a camera via Shutterstock