There’s one thing that I do almost every day…
Okay, well, there are several things that I do almost every single day…
But the one thing that I’m talking about here is get out of bed every morning.
You are likely reading this thinking, well, of course.
But do you get out of bed excited for the day ahead?
Some days you might, but every day? Probably not…
If you are one of those people who struggle with looking forward to each day, then one thing that could be missing from your life is passion.
Most of my readers know by now that I own and operate my own business. We are a consulting firm that offers a variety of small business support services to growing businesses worldwide.
I won’t lie—starting and running a business is by far one of the best and hardest things I have ever done. The pressure is never-ending. There is a lot to think about on a daily basis. And it’s like having 25 different bosses instead of just one.
Throughout my professional career, I have mentored several people who were interested in exploring the path of entrepreneurship. They all ask me, How do you do it?
Doing anything in life, whether it’s starting your own business or It comes down to having the right MINDSET and PASSION.
It works like this: The right mindset allows you to find passion in what you do. That passion then drives motivation. Motivation then boosts creativity. Creativity then leads to confidence. Confidence fuels a positive mindset.
How to Find Your Passion
I am a firm believer that passion and mindset are keys to success behind ANYTHING you do in life. After all, people who are passionate about their work and life are successful. But it can take time to find that passion, which is really a journey to find purpose.
I won’t lie… it can take years, especially if you have fallen off the beaten path a time or two, gotten into the wrong boat, or lost your way.
There are many events in life that can cause this, such as death, divorce, job loss, financial ruin, toxic relationships; an accident, injury or illness; you name it…
Sometimes it can take years to bounce back from life-changing events. But rather than beat yourself up about it, take the time to grieve, reflect on what you learned, and make a plan for going forward.
Visualize your perfect life, develop a plan to get there, and take ACTION.
So how do you find your passion? Start by following these steps.
1. Reflect
Reflection is a good practice. Even if you are one of the lucky ones who seem to have life “figured out”, you likely still have goals. Making time to reflect periodically is important to ensure you are still on track to reach those goals.
You can do this by taking some time to yourself, journal or simply reflect on your current state. Ask yourself:
- What am I thinking or how am I feeling lately?
- Why am I thinking these thoughts?
- What do these thoughts say about me?
- What do I think is the reason behind them?
- What do my recent thoughts, words, and actions reveal about what’s going on inside of me?
If you aren’t sure, ask someone close to you.
It’s important to remember that we are what we think. This is what is known as your “mental script”. Your mental script says a lot about who you are, whether or not you are truly happy, or why you might feel unhappy or lost. If you find that you often feel angry, frustrated, bitter, or guilty, then it’s time to take control of these thoughts, figure out why you might be feeling them, and then address them head-on.
Yes, getting rid of negative thoughts is difficult. But, this goes back to mindset. Adopting and maintaining a positive mindset requires discipline, focus, determination, reflection, a strategy, and a plan of attack.
It is difficult in the beginning, but when we leverage the power of positivity and passion to combat those negative thoughts, we expel creativity, people begin to treat us differently, and our lives begin to change.
2. Prioritize
Think about your current responsibilities. You likely have a job, or you’re a full-time student. You might have a family, or you act as the sole caregiver for a parent or a grandparent. Take a minute and think about all the responsibilities in your life, and write down the top three to five most important.
To help you narrow it down, choose the three things that are related to your health, your career, your relationships and financial responsibilities, and something you enjoy.
Now, look at your list. What is on it? What isn’t on it?
The point of this exercise is if you narrow down your list to your top three to five priorities. Why only three to five? Because anything more than that becomes unrealistic to manage. The rest is just “noise”. By getting rid of the superfluous items, responsibilities, and activities, you will be able to focus on what is most important to you, which will lead you to your passion.
3. HALT
Reflecting on your current emotional state, prioritizing—or re-prioritizing—your life, and getting one step closer to finding your passion means you need to make some decisions. This is often the most difficult step. This is because making decisions usually means change—and human beings naturally don’t like change. Change is uncomfortable, and we tend to naturally avoid it.
However, when you think about your life and your current state, if the fear of your life remaining the same is greater than change, then you know what you need to do.
When making decisions, think of HALT. Never make decisions when you are feeling:
HUNGRY
ANGRY
LONELY
TIRED
This means building an emotional connection with your inner self, reaching a level of emotional intelligence, and understanding when you are in the best frame of mind to make the best decisions.
4. Practice
The more we spend time with ourselves, the more we learn about ourselves… what we are truly feeling, and what we truly want. The beauty of it is there aren’t any rules for how we spend our time with ourselves. This could be reading, meditating, praying, going for a walk or a hike, traveling, or working with your hands. As you explore various activities, put them into practice, you will eventually find your passion.
5. Slow Down
If you take away anything from this blog, learn to slow down. If you are one of those people who is juggling more than five priorities, then you are likely in a constant state of hurry. Eliminating hurry is one of the best things you can do for yourself. It will allow you to slow down, be present, recognize the little things, focus on what truly makes you happy, and live a more meaningful life.
If you aren’t sure what truly makes you happy, then I guarantee that by learning to slow down and being present with yourself and in life, you will figure it out.
6. Be Present
This step is dependent on the step above. Learn to slow down and be present in the moment. After all, life only exists in the moment. And if you’re always thinking or worrying about the next thing on your to-do list, then you’ll miss out.
Produce Your Passion
Finding your passion won’t happen overnight. It takes time and patience. It takes a process—Being awesome isn’t necessarily a gift or talent, it’s a process—a morning routine, mid-day regroup, evening wrap-up, or even time-blocking or scheduling time for yourself.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to be perfect to be happy, awesome, or even passionate about something. We are NOT striving for perfection here. Striving for perfection is not only unrealistic, but it’s also unfair to yourself. It will only leave you feeling disappointed and discouraged when you make mistakes, which will kill your passion and motivation, putting you right back to where you started.
Remember, you are learning to find and to produce your passion, and just living an awesome life. The HOW starts with you.
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