How to Play Big: Find Your Passion

You hear people say that when you do what you love, it doesn’t really feel like work. I believe that when you find your passion- you will want to get to work! And you will want to Play Big doing it. But how do you find your passion? How do you find the thing that you want to build a career around and do for the rest of your life? Most people work in a field of study they chose for logical reasons. Start exploring today by asking these 3 questions to help you find your passion.

Find Your Passion by asking What upsets you?

When I dedicated my career to financial literacy in 1992…it was because I was angry that we weren’t teaching kids about money in school. My passion was identified as a result of a problem that upset me. And I knew was an issue for other families as well. People who build a career from their passion take action based on something they feel strongly about. There is no steadfast rule that when you find your passion is has to be rooted in something you feel joyous about. The more important issue is that you feel positive in taking the action to remedy that which upsets you.

Think back to situations that you felt angry, disappointed or upset. If you could create a solution for the root of that upset, how would you feel? If there is nothing in your past that sparks your desire to Play Big in that area, keep this in mind for the next time you experience upset.

What do you NOT want to do?

When you find our passion, chances are it will not hit you like a “love at first sight” moment. Many people spend their lives doing work that they tolerate because they have not successfully experienced the type of work that makes them passionate (or have not figured out how to make a living doing it). Do you like broccoli? No matter your answer… you know the answer because you have tried broccoli. The same is true of teaching, business consulting, writing, building businesses and any other calling you may choose to pursue. You will not know you enjoy it or if it gives you passion until you give it a try. Eliminate the things you absolutely know you do not want to do by writing them down. Your next step to find your passion is to explore opportunities you have not eliminated to see if they give you that spark you are looking for.

What do you focus on, consume information about and think of often?

When you find your passion…you focus on it…maybe even obsess about it. You engage in the process of learning and observing about that thing. You are engaged in that area of interest proactively. What is it for you? Remembering that it doesn’t have to be all about the positive…don’t ignore the things you think about that upset you (just don’t get stuck there). Whether positive or negative, how can you create opportunity and positive impact around that thing? Can you identify others that share this interest and find ways to engage with them? These are two key steps for creating that opportunity. Be creative because the answer may not be obvious. Your niche could be a new perspective that you bring to a popular area of interest or a new way of delivering a product to customers.

The Take Away

To find your passion will require exploring and getting uncomfortable. It will require thought and introspection- deductive reasoning and thinking out side the box. Once you find your passion, it is time to Play Big by creating opportunity for yourself and others around this passion.