Look at all the happy people around you. What's common between them? For one, they do not cry about their jobs. They may not take home fat pay checks, but they are also not looking around for greener pastures. Most of them work long hours, but you are amazed by the almost boundless energy they still have left over at the end of the day. The secret is not in the jobs; not all happy people hold jobs where they get paid to travel the world. These people are happy because they are following their passions.
This year, resolve to go where your heart leads you, not where society deems is right for you. Promise to yourself that you will follow your passion even if it means you risk falling short of society's expectations from you. Let passion guide you to your own personal bliss.
Here's how you can find your passion.
1. Listen to your heart.
Does your heart sing when you take up the brush after spending a day crunching numbers at your accountancy practice? Is there a spring in your steps at the mere thought of spending time at the local animal shelter? Do you live your life only for those weekends when you can head out into the wilderness and explore offbeat trails? Do you moonlight as a copywriter but wish you could string words and weave magic into them for the rest of your life? It is time you reconsidered your choice of a career. The society may hail you as a successful accountant, engineer, or an architect, but your heart knows you are unhappy at whatever you are doing now.
2. Follow your heroes.
Be absolutely honest with yourself and ask "who are my "real" heroes?". The man who left a job that paid him a six-figure salary to open his bakery business or that frail, ailing woman who donated her life's savings to a cancer charity and now dedicates her time and energy volunteering at the facility? Or do you admire that man, a scion of a business family, who instead of lording over a business empire has chosen to make his living teaching in a primary school? Do you want to follow in the footsteps of your heroes? If you feel inspired by what your heroes do, then you have found your passion.
3. Do what you "effortlessly" excel in.
The wise men say that enthusiasm marks the difference between success and failure. They are right. We are usually good in what we put our heart and soul into. Are you a naturally gifted writer? Do you mimic others to perfection? Do you have a gift of the gab and can rouse others to action with your words? Do your recipes make people ditch their diets?
If you are effortlessly good at some task and are eager to hone your skills at this, then it is likely you have found your passion. Explore ways in which you can make your passion pay, so you can be at it for the rest of your life.
4. Try living your passion for free.
If you have narrowed down on the jobs you think you are passionate about, try doing each, one at a time, for free. Take time off from work to volunteer at your favorite charity. If possible, quit your day job and take up some part-time work to work on the idea you have for a novel. Skip a few parties to stay home during the weekends and paint. Try living every "passion" on the list. Do it for free. If you can do without accolades, rewards, promotion, recognition, and pay check, you know where your heart lies.
5. Now try not doing it.
When you have lived your passion for a while, try not doing it for some time. How does it feel? Did your heart break at the mere mention of the idea? Yes! Consider for a moment that you will never ever go back to doing what you love most. Does it hurt? Yes! So is this the work that you want to do for the rest of your life? Yes! Congratulations! Your heart has led you to your life's calling.
It takes a strong mind to break through the illusions of success and achievement to recognize that true happiness lies in living a life of passion. But it takes a stronger mind to trounce societal conventions and follow the heart. Don't settle for what life thrusts down your throat. Let your passion guide you. Be an inspiration to others who are languishing in their jobs and letting their lives pass them by without "living" it.
Find and follow your passion. Make sure you follow through on the resolution. You owe it to yourself.
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