Taking Action
Learn everything you can about your passion. If you want to really be passionate, then you have to be determined to learn everything there is to know about your passion and to continue to gain knowledge and know that there is always more to learn. Read all of the books, articles, and material that you can, take classes, read interviews, and do whatever you can to really feel like you have an understanding of what it means to succeed in your passion. Remember that your job is never done. There is always more to read, more to learn, and more to do. If you feel like you really know everything there is to know about your field, then you risk getting complacent. Subscribe to journals or relevant literature in your field so you are always getting the most up-to-date information about your passion.
Get advice and insight from other people in your field. Though you can learn a lot from reading or watching videos, there’s something to be said for getting more hands-on information from people who know their stuff. Whether you’re talking to an expert in your field or another person who shares your passion, you can always get more advice, insight, and a fresh perspective from the people around you. Don’t ever think you have all of the answers and always make an effort to hear others out. If you don’t know anyone in your field, ask other people if they can introduce you to people who can help you or email people to see if you can come in for an informational interview or just ask a few questions. You’ll find that most people are happy to share their insight, especially if it’s about something they care a lot about. Talking to more people in your field can also help open up your mind to the idea that there’s more than one way of doing things when it comes to your passion. This can help you approach your passion with a more nuanced perspective.
Set goals and meet them. If you want to really be passionate, then you have to have a plan. Though you may think of passion as this crazy, wild, unbridled thing that can’t be curbed, if you’re really serious about carrying it through, then you should have a plan for how to succeed in realizing your dreams and furthering your passion. Create a series of little goals that lead up to a larger goal so you feel motivated to succeed along the way. Having a plan when it comes to your passion can help you articulate your dreams and give you a more concrete vision of what you need to do to make them happen. Plus, if you’ve written out all of your little goals, then you’ll feel more motivated to reach them and more driven to make things happen. If you only have a vague idea about how to be passionate, then it’ll be harder to proceed.
Have a daily routine that helps you follow your passion. If you really want to succeed at your passion, then you should have a routine that helps you do that. Of course, they say that passionate people wake up early, but many night owls do their best work in the evenings, so this may not apply to you. Find a routine that makes it possible for you to pursue your passion and to make the most of your time and abilities, and stick to it. Make a daily schedule for yourself. This will make it more likely that you’ll stick to a routine. For example, if you want to be a writer, set aside time to read and to write every single day, no matter how busy you are. Of course, it can’t all be hard work. You may have to plug in some “fun time” into your schedule too. Taking a break to relax from pursuing your passion can actually revitalize you and give you more energy to pursue your dreams. If you have a friend who is pursuing similar goals, you can schedule time to work together, if your passion isn’t a solo pursuit. This can help motivate you and make you feel accountable when the time comes to stick to your routine.
Take a stand. If you really love and care about something, then you can’t just keep it to yourself. If you recognize an injustice in the world, then you should make an effort to stand up against it, and to let the world at large see why this cause is important. Whether this means protesting, picketing a business you don’t agree with, respectfully telling your boss why a new company policy is not environmentally friendly, or boycotting something you don’t agree with, it’s important to stand up for what you’re passionate about if you really want to see it through. Sure, it may not always be easy to stand up for what you believe in or to go against popular opinion, but if you really do care about your cause, then you can’t just follow the path of least resistance all the time. You should be proud of yourself for going against what’s popular or right. Remind yourself that your cause or passion is bigger than you are and that you have to be willing to take a stand if you really do care.
Share your passion with others. If you really care about something, then it’s likely that you won’t be able to stop talking about it. Though you don’t want to be the person who only talks about the thing he loves most in the world, you also want to be able to share how much you love your passion with the people around you. Whether you’re an English teacher who loves literature or a doctor who really cares about his patients, there’s no shame in letting your passion shine through or in telling other people you know about how much you love what you do. Plus, sharing your passion with others can help you get a new perspective on the thing that you love. Maybe you’ll get another insight into how you can do what you do even better. Sharing your enthusiasm with others can also remind you of how much you love whatever you do. Keeping it all to yourself can make your pursuit feel lonely or unrewarding. Sharing it with others can help you see why it’s important.
Learn from your mistakes. Another key part of being a passionate person is being able to learn from your mistakes and using them to make you better at pursuing what you love. You don’t want to be the person who makes the same mistake again and again and who takes no steps to do better the next time around. Whenever you make a mistake, ask yourself what you could have done differently and how you can use that experience to succeed the next time around. Don’t feel like you’ve completely wasted your time just because you failed. No failure is completely worth it and you can use it to help you the next time around. No experience should be discounted, and the effort you put into failing one time can actually benefit you the next time around. If you’re given constructive criticism, make sure to use it as much as you can. Don’t be too proud to think that you have no room for improvement. Make sure to take the time to regroup after every failure or mistake and to stop and ask yourself what you can do differently the next time around. If you blindly move toward your next venture after failing without stopping to ask yourself how to prevent the same thing from happening again, then you’re not likely to have different results the next time around.
Continue to work hard in the face of rejection. If you really care about your passion, then you won’t let a few—or a few hundred—rejections stop you from doing what you really care about. People who truly care about their passions know that rejection is just part of the game and they learn to push past it and to continue to do what they love. If you expect to succeed after the first few tries, then you’ll have a hard time really making the most of your passion. You can be the type of person who wallpapers your room with rejection letters as motivation or the kind who just shrugs and throws them away. The most important thing is not to let them define you.
Developing the Qualities of a Passionate Person
Be excited. If you really want to be passionate, then you have to be the kind of person who gets excited about whatever he or she is doing. Don’t be embarrassed to talk about how much you love whatever it is you’re doing, to get all misty-eyed, to look forward to what lies ahead, and just to own whatever it is you’re doing. If you’re really passionate, then you have to get excited about what you’re more than the average person. When people ask about what you’re doing, you shouldn’t try to downplay it; there’s no need to hide your excitement or how much you care. If you’re more concerned about looking cool than sharing what you care about, then you’ll never be truly passionate. It can help to hang out with other people who are equally passionate about the same cause, or who are just passionate people who like talking about the things that make them tick. This can make you feel more comfortable about sharing your own feelings.
Be positive. People who are passionate tend to have an optimistic nature and believe that they can do whatever they want if they work hard enough. Though you will have setbacks, it’s important not to let them get you down and to focus on all of the good things you have to look forward to. Avoid whining or complaining too much and focus on talking about the things you’re excited about instead. Try to have a smile on your face, to radiate positive energy, and to focus on your achievements instead of your setbacks. If you catch yourself making a particularly negative comment, then try to counter it with at least two positive ones. Surely there must be something you can be happy about! Spending time with other positive people can help you be more positive in your own life. If everyone around you is a Negative Nancy, then yeah, you’re much more likely to be down about everything. Make a gratitude list by writing down all of the things you are thankful for. This can help you see all of the things you have to be happy about.
Be brave. Being brave doesn’t mean fighting off enemies or dodging bullets; it means being willing to go out on a limb to fight for what you believe in. It means stepping into uncharted territory and not knowing what you’ll find out there. It means taking risks and going out on a limb even if you’re not sure if you’ll succeed. It means putting yourself out there and opening yourself up to criticism, even if you have a feeling it will hurt. Truly passionate people are known for their bravery. Being brave also means being willing to challenge the status quo and to point out when you think a common way of doing things isn’t right after all. It means challenging authority when you think it’s necessary and making an effort to fight for your beliefs. Being brave also means being willing to fail. You’ll never get anywhere if you play it safe. This can mean something as simple as interviewing for a position that sounds exciting but out of your comfort zone. EXPERT TIP Adrian Klaphaak, CPCC Adrian Klaphaak, CPCC Career Coach Adrian Klaphaak is a career coach and founder of A Path That Fits, a mindfulness-based boutique career and life coaching company in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is also an accredited Co-Active Professional Coach (CPCC). Klaphaak has used his training with the Coaches Training Institute, Hakomi Somatic Psychology, and Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) to help thousands of people build successful careers and live more purposeful lives. Adrian Klaphaak, CPCC Adrian Klaphaak, CPCC Career Coach It's okay to be afraid. Adrian Klaphaak, the founder of A Path That Fits, says: "Knowing what you're passionate about doesn't eliminate fear, but there is a confidence that you build as you discover your gifts. Still, it's always scary to step into the unknown, whether you're making a big change or a small one. You might be concerned about finances, or what other people will think, or whether you have what it takes. You have to work through those doubts and fears and keep taking steps forward to pursue your passion."
Be focused. People who are passionate don’t get distracted by too many side projects that have nothing to with achieving their goals. They approach their passions and life with a laser-like focus and are able to be selective about the projects they commit to so they don’t overextend themselves and lose time they could have spent on something they care about. They know how to block out the hate, the noise, the doubt, and the questions that can keep them from moving forward. Though passionate people still know how to relax and have fun, they won’t get sidetracked for too long from doing what they planned to do. For example, if you’re really passionate about volunteering, then you won’t get persuaded into going on a trip to the beach with your friends instead of volunteering at an animal shelter, as you promised to do. Passionate people realize how hard they have to work to accomplish what they have to accomplish and they don’t tend to procrastinate or forget the big picture for very long. That said, if they do get distracted, they don’t lose sleep over it and help themselves get back on track.
Be motivated to improve yourself. Passionate people know that there’s always room for improvement. They work hard to learn new things, gain new experiences, and to be the best versions of themselves that they can possibly be. They know that this takes time and they are prepared to recognize their own flaws and to work to address them; they’re okay with admitting that they’re not perfect and that they have room for growth. People who are complacent are happy with being exactly the way they are. Passionate people are always asking themselves how they can be better. Passionate people are also comfortable owning up to making a mistake. They’re comfortable admitting that they aren’t perfect.
Be curious. People who are truly passionate, whether it’s about a single cause or just about their everyday lives, are curious about the world around them. They ask lots of questions to gain more knowledge and are comfortable admitting when they don’t know the answer to a question. They try new things, try to get multiple perspectives on any given issue, and they’re motivated enough to do research on their own so they can learn even more. Passionate people feel like they can never stop learning, whether they’re twenty-five or seventy-five. They continue to try to get a better sense of the world, while they’re comfortable admitting that they’ll never have all of the answers. Passionate people recognize the value of having many meaningful connections so they can be exposed to many different opinions about how the world works. They aren’t satisfied with getting just one answer to anything.
Going Above and Beyond
Become a mentor. One way to really go above and beyond in your passion is to become a mentor to other people who are just starting out in your field. Once you feel like you’ve really cut your teeth and have enough experience to share it with others, then you can take some people who share your passion under your wing, whether they are younger siblings, junior employees, or even people who ask you questions online. This can help you take on more of a leadership role and to further your passion by spreading the joy to others. Once you feel established enough in your passion, you will feel a real joy in being able to help other people succeed in your field. You can think of it as sharing the love. You don’t want to be one of those people who is so obsessed with his passion that he doesn’t want to help other people succeed in it because he thinks that there are too many actors/writers/bloggers in the world already. If you know someone who is coming up in your field, you may even want to offer to help that person.
Share your passion over social media. Another way to go above and beyond in your passion is to share how much you care with a wider audience over social media. As long as your messages aren’t too annoying or repetitive, sharing your interests, posting your essay, blogs, videos, or other relevant information to show how much you care, or just writing an occasional message to get the word out can get more people involved in your cause. Just be ready for the fact that not everyone will care or agree with your message. That’s part of having a passion, though, right? Make sure people feel like you’re trying to send a good message instead of self-promoting too much or doing things just to get attention.
Make sacrifices. If you’re really passionate about something and want to devote yourself to it, then you will have to make some sacrifices along the way. Though you may not want to become monomaniacal (like Ahab and his whale) and give up absolutely everything for whatever it is you love, you should be prepared to give up some other things that you may love in order to really put your passion into practice. Here are some of the things that you may have to sacrifice: Your social time. If you really want to succeed in your passion, then you may have to give up some of that time you love spending with your family, your friends, or your significant other. Your sleep. Many people who live and breathe for their passions aren’t known for getting ten hours of shuteye a night. Your free time. You may love lounging around, watching TV, or throwing a Frisbee to your dog, or reading magazines, but you’ll have to give some of that up.
Learn to find a balance in your life. Though it’s important to make sacrifices if you really want to pursue your passion, you also have to be able to find a healthy balance that lets you live your life without too much stress or heartache. If you’re serious about following your passion but have other obligations, such as to your job, your friends, your family, or to your health, then you have to find a way to make time for your passion without completely giving up all of the other things that do matter to you. It may help to make a schedule to let yourself have time to both pursue your passion and make time for your family and other important things in your life. This can help you transition between activities a bit more smoothly. Of course, you can give everything else up and devote all of your time to your passion. But chances are that you’ll need a bit of a break or a change in scenery from time to time, or you may feel completely drained and exhausted when it comes to doing what you care about most.
Live in the present as much as you can. If you really want to be passionate, then one thing you have to work on is living in the present moment and enjoying what you’re doing. Though it’s likely you have plenty of goals and a vision of the future that you want to have, if you really want to be passionate, then you have to work on giving in to the moment and really enjoying all of the effort you’re putting into your passion right when you’re working on it. For example, if you’re working on a novel, your main goal may be to get it ready to send to an agent, who will hopefully sign you and then try to take it to the publishers when it’s ready. However, if you spend too much time stressing over the next steps, you may not be able to enjoy how much you love writing in the moment. Plus, if you’re too worked up about the future while you’re pursuing your passion, you won’t be able to do as good of a job as you would do on it if you gave it your all in the moment.
Be proud of yourself for caring. At the end of the day, the most important thing is that you’re really proud of the work that you do, whether you’re an Oscar-winning actress or someone who works her butt off to show up to every casting call. Most people out there don’t really have anything that they’re passionate about and you’ve gone the distance with caring about something that means the world to you, whether it’s a cause, an art form, or something else that gives your life meaning. Trying is more than half the battle. Even if you may not be the best-selling writer, President, or top activist that you want to be, you should be proud of yourself for continuing to put yourself out there no matter what. Most people quit after failing a few times, and you’ve made it clear that you’re determined not to let anyone stand in your way.
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