There is a booming industry of personal coaches and self-help books centered around helping people find their passion. This new school of thought suggests that success in life is about finding a singular obsession and building a career around it. It is not uncommon for one to be asked these days about what they are passionate about. For many, that questioning is frightening and rightfully so.
When most of us finish high school and get into university, we do not spend much time choosing what to major in because society has guided us into what it thinks we are cut out for based on some standardized tests and the realities of times past. A few months after graduating is when most people realize they should have studied something else, or that they wasted their time in school.
If we were to go out and ask a couple of 50 year olds about what they are passionate about, most won’t be able to give you a clear answer.
That is just because, unlike what we might be tempted to believe, passion is a momentary (now) feeling rather than a permanent attraction towards something. So, meanwhile, you might be passionate about making music today, those feelings might change in the future, and you may become passionate about something else. The idea, therefore, of trying to build a career around your passion cannot be a sustainable strategy for success in life – it is, in fact, not a plan.
Based on the premise that passion is a fleeting feeling, it makes more sense then, for you to stop trying to find your passion and rather to start doing the meaningful work that is right in front of you, i.e, exploring the opportunities that come your way instead of sitting around waiting to find what you are passionate about. The notion that passion leads to success is unfounded. Instead, success leads to passion.
If you have ever learned to play a musical instrument, you would understand this better. The early stages are not much fun; you really enjoy playing the piano only when you are good at it.
So stop looking for your passion and start trying your hand at every and any opportunity that comes your way when you have the time, because the truth is – YOU STUMBLE ON YOUR PASSION.
