Steps to Find Your Passion and Purpose
Many new and young adults are pushed out of high school and into college or the workforce. They’re expected to know what they want to do with their lives before they’ve even had a chance to live. Obviously, it can be hard to find your passion when you’re constantly on the move. However, it’s never too late to figure out your purpose in life.
Some people find what they love in childhood, but we’re not all that lucky. Notably, only around 65% of employees are satisfied, and only 20% are passionate about their job. That means over a third of the workers in the United States are unsatisfied with their jobs.
Of course, your job doesn’t need to be your passion. But you shouldn’t keep a job you hate. Figuring out your purpose in life can also help you find a career that better suits your interests and make life more enjoyable.
Keep reading to learn how you can find your passion and how to harness it.
8 Ways to Find Your Passion
Consider Your Hobbies and Interests
One of the first steps to finding your passion is to look at what you know you enjoy. Indeed, video games or reading or spending time with friends may not be it. But think about why you have these hobbies.
Consider what draws you in if you’re into fantasy books and games. Is it the characters, the magical creatures, or maybe the huge open worlds? Or do the stories help you get through difficult times? If the story elements interest you, maybe you’re a creative type. Perhaps your passion could lie in writing, drawing, or storytelling. If you develop strong emotional connections to the stories, maybe you want to share the value of art with the world. In that case, consider art therapy and mental health-related jobs, marketing, or even library science.
Many people will tell you from experience not to take your hobby and turn it into a job. Truly, this can take the fun out of it. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t do something more in that field. Your purpose doesn’t need to be profitable. The point is to find something you love and harness it to improve your life and possibly the lives of others.
Basically, you want to look for a common thread in your interests. If you find something that ties them all together, you should search for your passion there.
So, what if your hobbies are just hobbies? Don’t worry. That just means you haven’t found your niche.
Take Online Assessments
Online assessments are a wonderful tool if you’re looking for a job that fits your interests. Notably, some of these quizzes are more valuable than others. There are websites devoted to online assessments and personality tests. Some of them can provide quality results. However, there are often very limited and sometimes silly. For example, a test on these sites may only have five possible results. Try utilizing university assessments and ones from reputable sites.
Majorly, online assessments help identify job passions. In these quizzes, you can expect questions about your personality, likes and dislikes, and interests. The quiz then provides you with the result that best fits your answers. For example, it may recommend personal training if you mark that you enjoy fitness and talking to people.
Of course, even the most in-depth assessments still have limited potential. You won’t find every job in any one quiz. Thus, taking multiple tests and creating a list of your results will help you the most in your journey.
Once you have your list, again consider the common thread. Do most of the suggestions relate to creative jobs? Maybe they all have to do with helping others. Or they’re all careers that get you out of the office. Regardless, you can use the results to assess what you’re passionate about in life.
Research the Possibilities
Many positions that exist today never appear on job search sites. Often, employers create new titles for their employees to describe all of the roles they hold. Additionally, many jobs are filled internally. As a result, if you’re relying on Indeed or another website, you’re likely limiting yourself.
Instead, research the possibilities when you find a field you’re interested in. For example, try searching for lesser-known positions online. Or look at companies on LinkedIn or a similar site. You can usually find a business’s employees and their roles. You may find someone with a very unique or interesting position. Notably, you can also begin building your network as you research.
When you find someone with a unique position, don’t be afraid to reach out. Ask them how they got that position and what they do day-to-day. Indeed, most people are willing to answer questions and help out. Ultimately, you may end up with a valuable contact in the industry.
Try New Things
One of the best ways to find your purpose in life is by doing. Truly, if you stay behind a screen researching the possibilities, you’ll never move forward. You don’t need to quit your job or immediately enroll in college. But once you have a few ideas, it’s time to turn them into actions.
Get involved, attend events, talk to experts and beginners, and so on. If you’re trying something like sewing or painting, buy beginner products. Notably, you don’t want to break the bank when you’re getting started. Similarly, try a cheap or free online course through a website like Udemy. Stay on top of trends and updates through research and social media. Basically, immerse yourself in your interest. If you find your interest waning, you need to consider two things.
One, it might not be the right fit for you. That’s okay. Finding your purpose in life isn’t going to be as simple as finding a new hobby. You might like what you’re doing, but it may not be the be-all, end-all. Or, two, your expectations were set too high.
Truly, there’s wisdom in knowing when to quit and when to push harder. Sometimes we expect things to work out immediately. However, when trying to find your life’s passion, it will probably not happen in the first month or even year. So, if you find yourself discouraged, don’t just drop everything. Instead, be patient. Try changing things up.
For example, if you’re trying to get into painting, you have many options. Drop the acrylics or oils. Or try spray painting. Maybe you’re trying hyper-realism, but you’d enjoy abstract art instead.
In the end, there is no one right way to do anything. When you’re trying something out, your first attempt might be unsuccessful. Don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work out immediately.
Look Beyond Work to Find Your Passion
As we’ve mentioned, your life purpose may not be found in any career. That doesn’t mean you’re doomed to hold bad jobs. Rather, you need to turn your focus to something you’d enjoy doing. Then, you can use your salary to pursue your passion and purpose in life.
So, what else could your purpose be? To name a few, it could be your family, pets, garden, or even a hobby. Truly, your passion in life may be to make beautiful art. That doesn’t mean you ever need to sell it. So, write that book or draw that comic series. Don’t worry about finding a publisher or a buyer. You don’t need to monetize your passion.
Just as with work, trying new things is the best way to figure out your purpose.
Be Prepared to Change Things Up
As we’ve mentioned, you shouldn’t give up on things immediately if they’re not going as planned. However, that doesn’t mean to never try something new. Every step you take is one step closer to finding your purpose. Use what you learned with each hobby, job, or event and apply it to your future.
If you’ve reached the point where you know that you’re not pursuing your passion, take a moment to reflect. What did you enjoy? What did you hate? Take this information and use it on your journey.
For example, keep that list of job fields and interests you made from the assessments or your thoughts. Then, you can cross out or delete what doesn’t work. Add your new findings to the bottom of the list. As you keep going, you can hone in on your passion. Notably, you may find your list starts as a bunch of random ideas, hobbies, and jobs. In the end, it’ll be more detailed and specific.
Additionally, your passion can shift over time. Allowing yourself to grow is vital to the process. Consider what you were interested in when you were a child. Maybe you wanted to grow up to be a veterinarian or firefighter. Most likely, you don’t have the same plans today. The same can be said for your interests in your 20s and 30s.
Overall, don’t be afraid if a plan doesn’t work out. If you learned anything from your time and efforts, it was well-spent. Now, you’re one step closer to finding your true purpose.
Take Your First Big Step
At some point, it’s time to stop experimenting, and it’s time to invest fully. This step won’t look the same for everyone. It may be going to school, applying to new jobs, or buying a more expensive machine or materials. Similarly, your next step may be speaking at an event rather than just attending. For example, if your passion is comedy, it’s time to step up to the mic.
In some cases, especially for switching careers, you’ll need to prepare yourself for the change. Rather, make sure you’re ready financially to go back on the job hunt.
However, whatever your big step is, don’t push it back out of fear. If you never move forward, you’ll always have to look back and consider what could have been. Thus, you could miss out on your purpose in life.
Indeed, you never want to wonder how things could have ended up if you had just taken that step.
Manage Your Expectations
Notably, any job or hobby won’t be easy just because it’s your passion. Finding your purpose in life takes effort, and so will fulfilling it. Be prepared to put the work in to make it work. In the end, it will all be worth it.
Some factors you need to consider include time, money, and skill. Initially, you’ll need to invest in yourself to get started. This investment may mean school, training, and buying supplies. Next, your passion may take a lot of time to get started. For example, you need to spend time building and perfecting your skills. You may need experience to move up the ladder at work. Or you may need to spend a lot of time to get into a competitive position.
Additionally, be realistic. You can start working out and getting in shape at any age. However, going to the Olympics isn’t doable at a certain point.
Basically, manage your expectations and create a plan. It’s good to go into anything prepared. Use your research and develop short- and long-term goals. Then, you can track your progress through milestones. You may find that you both overestimate and underestimate what you can do.
Final Thoughts on How You Can Find Your Passion
Overall, finding your purpose in life takes time. Some people know by childhood what they want to do when they grow up. However, most of us may not know until we’re in our 50s. It’s never too late to start searching for your passion.
Do your research, invest time and money in yourself, and, most importantly, be patient. No one is an expert in one day. Truly, skills and careers take time and effort to pay off. Affordable classes and programs are available. You can find guides for just about any skill and hobby online. However, it’s up to you to take the first step.
Your purpose in life is out there. You can find your dream job or passion with a little effort.
