The Fallacy of Finding Your Passion
I’m not familiar with how occupations are viewed in other countries, but in the United States, one of the most common words connected to what you do in life is “passion”. Sayings are tossed around such as, “do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”. Another one of my favorites is, “find something that gives you a reason to wake up”. Yet, anytime I see a statistic about job satisfaction amongst Americans, upwards of 75% of survey participants are unhappy with their current work. This stands as a stark contrast to what our culture preaches. Are the majority of people passion-less? Did it just get extinguished as life got harder? I’m here to tell you that if you’re not feeling that way towards your current job, that problem lies not within you, but in the way you’re viewing the problem itself.
Let’s start off with what passion is. Since we only use the most revered sources at The Plenitude Law, the Dictionary.com definition of passion is, “Any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.”. At first this can sound like it’s a good motivation. After all, our emotions govern the majority of our decisions every day. But most of us don’t stay in the same emotional state every day. The phrase “do what makes you happy” gets tossed around a lot. Sounds good on the surface, but happiness isn’t a continual state of being. All-you-can-eat pizza makes you happy initially, but it is often a regrettable decision by the end of your feast. What you are passionate about one day might be a fleeting thought the next. That’s especially true if you follow Dictionary.com’s alternative definition for passion, “ a strong sexual desire; lust.”. Yikes.
Now, I’m sure many of you think that I’m telling you not to do what makes you happy, or to give up on your dreams. I’m not saying that at all. Based on the statistics, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that most of you already aren’t pursuing your passions. And that’s ok. You have to survive somehow. I highly doubt that many landscapers are passionate about well-trimmed lawns. However, I bet they have homes to go back to. Work whatever job you need to in order to support yourself. But, also make sure you have time to figure out your next move. It may seem like a lot to ask. The life of a 21st century person resembles a pinball being bounced from points A to Z. However, you absolutely owe it to yourself to make plans for your future and figure out what kind of work would give you the life that you want. If you don’t, your entire life could pass you by and you’ll find yourself wondering what could have been when it’s too late.
Definitely consider your passion when creating your goals. If it coincides with something that can make you money, that’s fantastic! If it’s something that you could do in conjunction with your next move, that’s great too. I know what some of you are asking, though? What if I don’t have a passion? Is there something wrong with me? Will I ever find a passion? Take a deep breath. It’s going to be ok. I didn’t have a passion either. I made efforts at countless different ventures, and half-assed them using a lack of passion to excuse my failures. How many of those do you think worked out? All those failures weighed me down, dragging me down to rock bottom. At that point, I was willing to try anything. And in that moment of despair, someone very important to me suggested that I start coaching people. I didn’t know what I how I could possibly help others improve themselves. I couldn’t even get my own life together, let alone help others. But when I began my career, I noticed something very quickly. I found out that I had a passion for helping others.
That’s the ironic thing about life. I had to fail so many times in order to get where I am. Each successive misstep was actually a step towards my own passion. What does that mean for you? If you’re not happy about where you’re at in life, do something about it. Nothing is going to appear out of thin air and change your life for you. You’re already familiar with the results that your current routine is giving you. Your passion isn’t coming to knock on your door after your 687th shift. Try something. Do your research and then act. Even if it’s not the most exciting thing in the world, it’s still movement away from your old life and the beginning of you new one. And then, when you least expect it, your passion will find you. I promise. I’m Tom McGrath with The Plenitude Law, telling you to have a great day and make it count!