How to Find Your Passion

Paras Jump

If you could do one thing to transform your life, I would highly recommend it be to find something you’re passionate about, and do it for a living.

Now, this isn’t as easy as it sounds, but it’s well worth the effort. If you dread going to your job, or find yourself constantly lacking motivation, or find what you’re doing dull and repetitive, you need to start looking for a new job. Staying in your current job will not only continue to make you unhappy, but you are not realizing your full potential in life.

Imagine this instead: you get up early, jumping out of bed, excited to go to work. You might put in more hours than the average person, but it doesn’t seem difficult to you, because your work hours just zoom right by. You are often in that state of mind often referred to as “flow,” where you can lose track of the world and time, losing yourself in the task at hand. Work is not work as many people refer to it, but something that is fun and interesting and exciting. It’s not a “job” but a passion.

If you’ve got a job you dislike, or even hate, this will sound like a pipe dream to you. And if you never put in the effort to find what you’re passionate about, you’re right: such a thing will never be possible. But dare to dream, dare to imagine the possibilities, and dare to actually search for what you love, and it is not only a possibility, but a probability.

How can you find what you’re passionate about? Here are some suggestions:

  • Is there something you already love doing? Do you have a hobby, or something you loved doing as a child, but never considered it as a possibility? Whether it’s reading comic books, collecting something, making something, creating or building, there is probably a way you could do it for a living. Open a comic book shop, or create a comic book site online. If there’s already something you love doing, you’re ahead of the game. Now you just need to research the possibilities of making money from it.
  • What do you spend hours reading about? For myself, when I get passionate about something, I’ll read about it for hours on end. I’ll buy books and magazines. I’ll spend days on the Internet finding out more. There may be a few possibilities here for you … and all of them are possible career paths. Don’t close your mind to these topics. Look into them.
  • Brainstorm. Nothing comes to mind right away? Well, get out a sheet of paper, and start writing down ideas. Anything that comes to mind, write it down. Look around your house, on your computer, on your bookshelf, for inspirations, and just write them down. There are no bad ideas at this stage. Write everything down, and evaluate them later.
  • Ask around, and surf for possibilities. Ask other people for ideas. See what others have discovered as their passions. Look all over the Internet for ideas. The more possibilities you find, the more likely your chances of finding your true passion.
  • Don’t quit your job just yet. If you find your calling, your passion, don’t just turn in your resignation tomorrow. It’s best to stay in your job while you’re researching the possibilities. If you can do your passion as a side job, and build up the income for a few months or a year, that’s even better. It gives you a chance to build up some savings (and if you’re going into business for yourself, you’ll need that cash reserve), while practicing the skills you need. See below for more.
  • Give it a try first. It’s best to actually test your new idea before jumping into it as a career. Do it as a hobby or side job at first, so that you can see if it’s really your true calling. You may be passionate about it for a few days, but where the rubber meets the road is whether you’re passionate about it for at least a few months. If you pass this test, you have probably found it.
  • Do as much research as possible. Know as much about your passion as possible. If this has been a passion for awhile, you may have already been doing this. At any rate, do even more research. Read every website possible on the topic, and buy the best books available. Find other people, either in your area or on the Internet, who do what you want to do for a living, and quiz them about the profession. How much do they make? What training and education did they need? What skills are necessary? How did they get their start? What recommendations do they have. Often you’ll find that people are more than willing to give advice.
  • Practice, and practice, and practice some more. Don’t go into it with amateur skill level. If you want to make money — to be a professional — you need to have professional skills. Get very good at your future career and you will make money at it. Practice for hours on end. If it’s something you love, the practice should be something you want to do.
  • Never quit trying. Can’t find your passion at first? Give up after a few days and you’re sure to fail. Keep trying, for months on end if necessary, and you’ll find it eventually. Thought you found your passion but you got tired of it? No problem! Start over again and find a new passion. There may be more than one passion in your lifetime, so explore all the possibilities. Found your passion but haven’t been successful making a living at it? Don’t give up. Keep trying, and try again, until you succeed. Success doesn’t come easy, so giving up early is a sure way to fail. Keep trying, and you’ll get there.

What I’ve outlined here is a lot of work … but it will be the best investment you’ve ever made. Follow your passion, and you will be truly happy and incredibly fulfilled. I wish you the wildest successes of your wildest dreams!

Leo Babauta is a writer, a marathoner, an early riser, a vegan, and a father of six. He blogs regularly about achieving goals through daily habits on Zen Habits, and covers such topics as productivity, GTD, simplifying, frugality, parenting, happiness, motivation, exercise, eating healthy and more.

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  • Rozling

    I think in the second paragraph there should be more emphasis on the ‘if you dread going to your job’ than there is currently – otherwise it gives off the feeling that everyone hates their job!

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  • http://ideamatt.blogspot.com/ Matthew Cornell

    Very nice – thank you. I’d add:

    o Ask people who know you (they might have insights that have slipped under your radar).
    o Take a trip to the library, wander the stacks, and see what gets you excited!

    I also recommend: Is Your Genius at Work?: 4 Key Questions to Ask Before Your Next Career Move

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  • Deborah Westgate

    would like to receive your information, blog, etc. Thank you

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  • http://startlivingfortoday.com Dale Vaughn

    I would add try something new, outside your comfort zone – new experiences sometimes ignite new passion or remind you of a long forgotten one.

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  • http://www.everythingcounts.com Eveerything Counts

    Self-assessment and self-awareness are very important. They can help us identify our passions and provide a driving force.

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  • http://creativity.trainings.ee Harald

    Passion can be found when you commit yourself to serving others, something bigger than ourselves.

    Ask yourself “How can I serve others?” and see what ideas come out.

  • http://www.passionsearchonline.com Jessy

    I would add try something new, outside your comfort zone – new experiences sometimes ignite new passion or remind you of a long forgotten one.

  • http://www.belmontartwork.com Joe Belmont

    Very good advice! Joe

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  • Lam

    I can’t find the way to get passion…i don’t know what i like.Everything with me just exist a very little time…..Please help me…

  • Rina

    My husband does not have any type of passion. Whenever I ask him what would he be interested in or excited about doing the answer is nothing. I tried to search through best careers for 2009 and college majors’ list, we went through the lists of different professions. He tested using the book “Do What You Are” but does not like the results the book suggested. Recently, he did get excited about this employment opportunity where he would be the “manager”. Apparently, he wants to manage people, the status of it, does not matter what profession. He also wants to make more than 100K a year and does not like the jobs where it pays less. Unfortunately, he does not have the skills or qualifications for the management job (long story). He is unemployed now and this could be a great opportunity for him to find his passion. Please help!!!

  • http://www.jayse.us jayse

    Rina your husband is lucky. The people with tons of passions have it hard to choose – way too many distractions. If the only thing that gets him excited is 100k and a management position then his path is incredibly clear! Tell him to go freaking full force ahead – 1 minute manager, How to Make Friends and Influence people, Don’t Fire them, Fire them up – etc. – all books he should check out. The path will be fast – small management jobs – leading to bigger ones – leading to regional manager jobs etc. I was on that path – it’s not hard at all – I just have too many other passions I’m pursuing instead. (also successful, thankfully!)

    Hope that helps!

    // jayse

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  • http://www.OptimisticJourney.com Jarrod@ Optimistic Journey

    These are some great tips! Even till this day I’ve probably put 25% of my passions to work for me. This gives me more ways to execute the other 75% of my passions. Great post! Keep up the great work, I’m reading on and on!

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  • http://www.pauldyer.com Dr Paul Dyer

    I actually think that looking for our “passion” is not the best way to start in order to find it. I believe that the better place to begin is to our life’s purpose. When we come to understand what we’re being asked to do (our Calling), and we pursue this purpose wholeheartedly, passion will result. Passion is an important part of our internal navigation system. This system let’s us know when we’re own the right track, but ironically, when we aim for passion, we generally miss it. Aim for finding our purpose, then pursue it full out, and will find a great deal of passion.

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  • http://findingyourpassion.com.au Finding Your Passion

    Great tips! I would also add the tip to see if there's a way you can adjust your current job to include more of what you are passionate about!

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  • David

    This is obviously a great idea for anyone if you can do it. But this article focusses on finding that passion etc, but doesn’t mention the purely practical matters that most people face if they want to change their careers mid-stream.

    If you have been working in an area for a while, even if you hate it, you’ll have built up experience and progressed a certain distance in that career. If you choose to ditch that and take up your “passion”, you’ll almost certainly be starting from scratch on lower pay – sometimes *much* lower because often things that people are “passionate” about are things lots of people are passionate about, and competition will push down earning potential.

    So it’s not just about trying, but being prepared to make sacrifices in your finances and living conditions. And if you have people who are relying on you, like a family, they will have to make sacrifices too.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Amethyst-Mahoney/100002432013298 Amethyst Mahoney

      Wow, that’s the kind of attitude that continues to keep people stuck. Seems more like you’re looking for reasons why you can’t than why you have to. The article already mentioned obstacles, and not to quit your day job right away, so either you aren’t ready to focus on the positive, or you just didn’t read.

      I turned my passion into my own business, and at first I helped people start their own businesses, too. But without having a clear vision of their passions and purpose in life, once they hit obstacles, not everyone could see a way through it (or around, or under it). Now I start with helping people find their passions, and then we go from there. I like this better, too, as not everyone wants to be a full-time entrepreneur.

  • http://YAHOO.COM Sagar

    Nicely & simple
    Is there any specific process through which we can find what is our passion

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  • Genhone Lin

    Great article, I just translated it into Chinese and pass along to my friends at home to read. I have indlued the link to the orginal and the author’s name. I hope this is fine with the author.

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  • Rizka Maharani

    thank you for your idea that good enough !

  • Anonymous

    I had a job that I was passionate about and was the only thing I ever wanted to do since I was a child. Now it’s a dying industry (music sales/record companies), I’ve been let go and I’m stuck. It was not only my job, but my only real hobby. Work just to work is just torture and no way to go through life.

  • http://twitter.com/KingskiddD1 Deeone

    Leo, I really enjoyed this article. I have been blogging for about 2 months, give or take, and have found that I am really passionate about writing. This should come to no surprise to me, since my mother was a great writer as well. I start early in the morning around 6 a.m. and go until the evening, usually till around 6 or 7 p.m.. Even after pulling myself away from the computer, I find that I still want to continue writing, researching, and networking. I haven’t yet looked into the making money part of it, I figured if I can do this for 4 – 6 months, while building a solid following; I’ll be able to reach my goal of making this a career, after all. Right now, with life proceeding on and not really waiting for me to get a grip on the blogging, I think sometimes that it’s a complete waste of time. Then out of nowhere, I come across an inspiring message like this one that soon tells me that I have what it takes and to keep pushing on. Thanks, for such an awesome post. It was a great read that flowed and filled me with a bit more focus and determination. :)

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  • Rob Thomas

    After reading this article, I thought I would share a couple of thoughts. I am about to turn 50 in a couple of months and finally “pursuing my passion” (for want of a better phrase) . I spent years looking for it and then at the beginning of 2009, after being disenchanted with my life and losing almost everything I had, reduced my worldly possessions to a backpack and took off to tour Asia for a year.

    Sometimes you need to create a space in time to dream up exactly what kind of life you want to live without the constant pressure of the daily grind. I found that I could live in Asia for a fraction of the cost of living in Los Angeles and buy myself time to think of a new direction in life. My journey was remarkable in so many ways. There were lessons learned, many amazing people who showed incredible kindness and love, and sites that seemed to spark my once stifled imagination into new realms of creativity.

    At some point, I decided that I wasn’t going to spend one more day accepting my lot in life, doing something that didn’t make me happy, or living without a dream. I knew I wanted to create a life I loved, but at that point had no idea of what that looked like. One day I completed a little exercise that I had attempted without results many times before. I wrote down all things I was good at, all things i would do if I couldn’t fail and all the things that made me happy. This evolved, leading to a business idea and life plan that was aligned to who I was and wanted to be at my very core – finding my truth!

    Thanks for reading.

    Rob Thomas
    Founder of Bondi Buddha
    http://www.bondibuddha.com
    “Find Your Truth”

    • George

      Hi, thats an amazing story and you are a person of real courage to do what you did. Well done and I hope you have found true happiness. I am 47 and stuck in a similar position that you were in. I have got a break of a couple of months leave of absence from my job so I am using this to see if I can find my life purpose. That how I came across your story. 

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  • Anonymous

    I had the job that was my passion, my hobby, my life and the only job I wanted ever since I was a young child (working for a music company).  That job is now gone and I’m at at total loss about what to do workwise.  I dread going through the motions for the rest of my working career as my singular passion is no longer an option as a career.  What do you do when your passion is no longer an option?

    • http://twitter.com/jdc777 Jessica C

      Listen, I wish I had your problems. Honestly. You know what your passion is. I don’t. I’m a million times more screwed than you.

      All you need to do is ADAPT and persist. All you need to do is not to give up on your passion. You got laid off from the job. So what? Does that mean that people don’t enjoy music anymore? People will enjoy music as long as people exist. Get another job in the music field. Or start your own company in the music field. And adapt. Yes, there’s piracy but look at iTunes. Look where the industry is going and jump in at the forefront. It amazes me you whine about this after being laid off from ONE job and you’re all but ready to give up on your ultimate passion.

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  • Anonymous

    I’m a big proponent of work being fun, playful, engaging and meaningful and you can’t get these aspects if you’re not passionate about your work because passion brings energy.
    Often our clues to what we should be doing lie in our quirks, the stuff we’ve learned to play down or avoid because we try to fit in. Also think about what you fear doing and the role models and people that inspire as they are often mirrors being reflected back to us.

    • Sean Clark

      “Often our clues to what we should be doing lie in our quirks, the stuff
      we’ve learned to play down or avoid because we try to fit in” – very observant indeed. This is something I’d never considered but is absolutely spot on!

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  • http://twitter.com/Kevin_Velasco Kevin Velasco

    Discovering a passion has been one of the key reasons why I have a location-independent lifestyle, have averaged earning over $50/hr over 6 years as a professional poker player, and have traveled the world a fair amount by age 25. I don’t say this to brag, but just to show what is a possible reward for making the time, commitment, and sacrifice for pursuing your passion

    My motto is, “There’s more to life: pursue your passion and let the chips fall into place”

    Kevin Velasco
    Lifestyle Service Agent
    http://www.kevinvelasco.com

    • Compucomer

      If I could play poker well, I would do the same, however, not everyone has a skill or natural talent where they can make a living, especially with children in the mix. 

      • Kevin Velasco

        Compucomer,
        I could not always play poker well. I was one of the worst players ever when i started. Becoming a skilled player did not come naturally. Please, do not give your power away to that belief :) All of my passions were once weaknesses that I turned into strengths by utilizing proper practicing and immersion strategies. You’ll have a better understanding when I finish writing about Passion, Immersion, Mindset, and The Universe. Cheers!

        • Ange1grace

          i actually just discovered how much i love poker. and it is defintely something i am planning to attempt to do., i know a couple of people who do it for a living and thats what i want. they travel stay in nice hotels, and have fun, work when they want, i have always thought that it was unrealistic, but i know it will take time. some nights i win and some i lose but i know the more i do it the better i will be and honestly that is one of my goals, i think that is something that would make me happy, its just i suck at poker of course i’ve only been playing for a few months maybe one say Kevin i will run into you :)

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  • silent wish

    Thank you, that’s something I really needed to hear, been lackluster for some time now…I guess getting the ball rolling is the primary target…too much too often, getting too ahead of myself and ending up at where I first started….
    Appreciate that you have recognized passion needs to be bound with a touch of practicality…not a blind dive into the pool…I’ll do my homework on what really gets me going….thanks leo!  

  • http://www.facebook.com/alit.arimbawa Alit Arimbawa

    Smangat….find our passion!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Darcy-Metz/668730331 Darcy Metz

    An interesting idea, I always hear about people following there passions. What if you have none? – I know I don’t have any one thing in particular that gets me excited or fired up. I have no hobbies and only a basic interest in most things. I mean really, I love rock concerts in indoor venues, but there is no way to make a living doing that from where I live as I am lucky to see one a year! I like to watch movies, I like comedians, HBO programs, sometimes fishing, sometimes camping, sometimes gardening, drinking craft beers, yadda, yadda, yadda. So I like doing allot of different things some of the time. 

    The only thing thing I have a passion for is my family, but then again who doesn’t? The reason I stay at my current job is to provide financially for my family. I accepted an electrical apprenticeship where I work only so I could be home everyday to see my wife and newborn son everyday (I was working in a camp job previously) and eventually earn a higher wage with better hours and long term job security. The trade itself is interesting and learning new things is good, but I’ve never had any inkling of a passion for it, if I did I would have entered the trade at a younger age. For me, work is something I do so I can have a comfortable life with my family. Work is something I do so I can take vacations with my family and actually afford to go places. Quitting my job and being passionate about my family will get me nothing but a divorce and bankruptcy! (Meant to be funny). I’ve looked deep inside for a good portion of my 38 years and I have accepted what I’ve found. I like who I am, I have become a better person as the years go by, but I am one who follows, not leads. I am more comfortable in a job with a high wage, great benefits and an enviable pension than throwing all that away on a whim or a pipe dream. As well written and informative your article is, I see that you have confirmed what I’ve known about myself all along, and I am ok with that.

  • http://twitter.com/bobcohen0 bob cohen

    hi,
     i heard about this guy, he calls himself “zen tale”
    anyone heard of him? or of his making?

    thx

  • http://www.personal-success-factors.com/ Steve Borgman

    It’s also important to remember that we don’t have to necessarily just pursue one perfect passion in our career, or in the course of our lifetime.  And we can find passions to integrate into our current career.  It’s great to have a portfolio of passions, and then find ways to feed those into both our careers and our personal lives.

  • alnessang

    Good luck to those of you who seem to have found your passion in life and have managed to make a living out of it. To be honest, I find the whole “find your passion” thing to be full of idealistic fluff most of the time. My “passion” is playing guitar; but at age 38, with a wife and baby, there’s no way I’m going to pursue a living doing that. There’s ZERO stability there. That WAS my dream from age 14 to around my early 20s, but I just didn’t pursue it hard enough in my youth. I guess I didn’t want it as badly as I thought I did, but that’s okay…I realized that the lifestyle of the touring musician is not for me. The result: working a series of HORRIBLY lame, unrewarding, low-paying jobs, which is where I find myself to this day.