Chase Your Passion with Purpose

I’m sure you’ve heard of the saying “chase your passion and you’ll never work a day in your life.” For the lucky few, they were able to do this straight out of college. For many of us however, we may have had to stumble a bit in life before we figured out what that was. If you’re not there yet or haven’t even figured out what your passion in life is, don’t worry. We’re here to help you figure out your passion and how to pursue it!

1. Is there something you already love doing? 

A hobby? Or maybe a talent you had as a child which you abandoned growing up? Be it painting, cooking, exercising, or taking care of animals, you can make a living from almost anything. 

If there’s something you already spend a lot of time on outside your work hours, then you already have an inkling on what your passion is. You just need to figure out how to make your passion your profession.

2. Do you like learning about something? 

Is there something that sparks your interest and sends you into a rabbit hole of research? Do you find yourself watching hours and hours’ worth of documentaries about a particular topic, devouring books about it, or perking up whenever you hear it being brought up in a conversation?

Look at where you spend your time, even if you’re just mindlessly scrolling through the Internet. You might think that you’re just idly watching craft videos but actually, you’re picking up valuable skills along the way and developing a strong passion for it.

3. Brainstorm

If you still don’t have any idea what your passion is, ask those closest to you – your friends, family, or your partner. The people who you always talk to and interact with the most will have an unfiltered glimpse into your life, so they’ll most likely know what interests you and what drives you as a person. Write down all their ideas. Don’t veto ideas just yet. Just let the ideas flow. You can build from these later on.

4. Keep your day job 

If you do find your passion and purpose, don’t quit your day job just yet. Especially now that we’re still in the middle of a pandemic, job security is more important than ever. It’s best to have a backup plan while you’re testing the waters.

Follow your passion but keep it as a side hustle for now. Give yourself a feasible deadline for this experiment, say, six months. If you feel like the benefits from your side hustle outweigh those of your main job, then go ahead and file your resignation. But make sure you have some savings before doing so!

Not everybody has the opportunity to chase after their passion and make it their main source of livelihood. If you’re fortunate enough to make your passion your career, remember why you did so in the first place. It won’t always be easy, and there will definitely be bumps along the way. But as they say, your purpose will always dictate your journey. Remember your why: why did you want to chase after your passion? Why are you doing this? Why is this worth it? Your why helps keep you centered when the going gets tough. Good luck!