How to Find Your Passion

The idea of passion gets tossed around a lot by people who talk about becoming successful and being productive. Unfortunately for anyone who doesn't think of themselves as passionate gets stuck with an empty word without any real insight on what to do next.

When you pursue something creative like myself, everyone will assume you feel passionate about it but to be fully honest I really didn't think of myself as having passion. I think the problem is that passion sounds good but is too vague.

Throwing out the word all together also doesn't solve the problem, we are still left with the problem of finding tasks that feel fulfilling. So what’s the solution?

Passion & Focus

I have realized that passion and focus are the same thing, passion is the feeling brought upon by intense focus. An artist that feels passionate about his work is just an artist that is intensely focused.

Passion will follow focus, if you feel that you lack passion in your life it is because you have not dedicated enough attention to a specific task. The more you increase your focus the more excited you will become over the small things.

If I don't feel excited about drawing it is because I'm thinking about things outside of the immediate experience of mark making. There have been many bad days that I have turned around by simply focusing deeply on the actual physical experience of drawing.

Becoming Focused

Focus can be hard to practice because it isn't something that is taught in a deliberate way. This is a huge loss of human potential because the learning process requires focus.

One way to greatly improve your ability to focus is to do breathing meditation where you focus on the sensation of breathing for a set period of time. I do 15 minutes of meditation every morning to train my brain to stay focused on a single task.

You don't have to pick up meditation to practice this, you can easily transform one of your daily habits into a practice of focus. Next time you make a cup of coffee or prepare food, try to focus deeply on the task without any distractions. Or you can also do this with music, put on some headphones and focus deeply on the sounds without letting your mind wander off.

Focus is a universal skill, the more you practice it in one area of your life the easier it will be to apply it to all the others.

Why You Cant Focus

Social media is the antithesis of a focused practice. The excitement that social media creates is based on short bursts of excitement. True focus requires long periods of practice and cell phones dont allow for that space.

The internet is amazing for spreading valuable information but we also have to be careful of how we use it. If you don't set healthy boundaries around internet use then it will slowly creep into all aspects of your life.

One easy way to fix this is to work using timers. Set a timer for 20 minutes where you only focus on your task and only check your phone after the 20 minutes is up. This practice will help you feel more passionate about your lived experience because you will gain a deeper appreciation for the things that you do.

Passion is your Right

Feeling passionate about your life is your birthright, I strongly believe that anyone can feel passionate about their life by adjusting their focus. You dont have to go on a soul searching trip or change careers to find your passion.

All you have to do is increase your focus on what you do and find joy in the challenges that you face. That is how passion is born and it is always within your control.