From a very young age, you must have heard public speeches from people always telling you to find your passion and pursue it. But what does it mean? How do you find your passion and how do you actually chase them.

The simple answer is time and hard work, but most people don’t realize their role in developing a passion instead of waiting like most people for something to find you, it is important you find ways to cultivate your passion every day to build a rich and fulfilling experience and the avenue to pursue it.

 

Find your passion by considering what you would do if money wasn’t a factor

Think about the things you would do if given complete freedom, whether it is helping others with a cause dear to you or traveling around the world, whether it is becoming a musician or an artist. Remember the things you wanted to become while younger under financial protection from your parent before worries of life and making money got in the way. You would be surprised that many of those things are still doable.

Take feedback from loved ones if you are not sure of what you want to do in life, they may have opinions on your passive strengths. Do not place yourself under unnecessary pressure, it takes time for one to discover one’s passion.  Continue to think about it which would eventually lead to you uncovering your passion.

 

Study what it takes to reach your passion, and consider getting professional counsel

 

It is important to carry out the necessary research on your area of interest so as to know what it entails to reach, you may know where to go, but getting there is where the difficulty lies, you could carry out research online from dozens of articles on the internet, but the old fashion guidance counselor should not be underestimated in helping to clarifying your thoughts and pointing you in the right direction.

They can help you help navigate your unique resume and skills for success, you can find one on the internet if you do not know of any in your city. If you are really serious about a career change the more research you do the better.

It is also important to take part in seminars and classes, which could help you improve on your passion as well as meet other people with similar goals.

 

Look for success stories in your field

If you want to achieve success, it does not do any harm in looking into the lives and stories of other individuals who have achieved success doing the thing you are interested in, while you would not necessarily replicate their exact path, you could learn from the mistakes they make as well as their good habit and even replicate someone of their unique traits that drove them to success.   

     

Create connections with others on a similar path

The truth is if you stay alone it would take you months or even years to achieve some things which would have only taken weeks to achieve. There is strength in numbers, so if a door opens for one it is easier for that individual to the passcode to others enabling you to benefit and develop in areas with too much effort and time exhausted. It is important to keep in touch with people of similar interests, and also find online groups and forums that offer stories, advice, and contacts.

 

Take a realistic look at the ups and downs of pursuing your passion and plan to overcome them

Do not overlook any aspect of what pursuing that passion entails, it is important you recognize the difficulties, it will not be easy if it was most people would do it, facing the realities and still wanting to go ahead in doing this is proof you are truly passionate about your interest. It is important you know the financial realities of any passion you want to pursue, if you pursue music, you would have to sell dozens of records and have enough audience to organize paid concerts to make a decent living from the profession.

If for example, you are passionate about becoming a college professor, you should note it takes a lot of time schooling to become one, you must realize that very few passions are achieved instantly, most require expert education.

Most jobs are not as glamorous as they may appear on the outside, it is important you find out from those who already take into the career about how the day-to-day is, the part of the job they enjoy and the part they do not.

 

Know that the job you are passionate about might not be lucrative enough to live as you get started:

 This is a realistic scenario, but one you need to come to terms with in order to prepare for any hard times. Whether you’re changing careers or you are just starting out, chances are good that you won’t get the best paying job right out the gate. Use your research to determine good entry points, but have another source of income readily available.

 

Start freelancing to help sustain you financially before you get hired into a full-time job.

 Whether you’re new to the labor market or making a mid-career switch, everyone wants to see someone who is “experienced.” But, of course, you need that first job to get the experience required to get the first job! This trap will never stop being maddening, but the best you can do is take things into your own hands. Your abilities are more marketable than you think, and there are a good number of ways to “self-employ” yourself to build the experience necessary to move on.

 

Advertise yourself and your abilities.

Unfortunately, very rarely are people noticed out of nowhere and sickle out, and those that do are generally well-established already. You need to be your own biggest salesman, showing off your skills and expertise before anyone else will.

While how you market yourself depends on your actual passion and skills.

 

Conclusion

It is important to note that the journey of discovering and pursuing your passion would have a lot of stumbling blocks. You would meet people along the way who would discourage you but if you are truly passionate about what you do, you would keep focus until you achieve your ultimate goal.