
Don’t look for your passion, look for your potential. People like Mozart who showed their talent at a very young age are rare so trying to find a talent that shows itself immediately and sets you apart from everyone else is not only unrealistic but an unfair expectation. I grew up with this erroneous idea that you were either born with certain abilities or you were not. This led me to abandon anything that I wasn’t good at right away. The truth is that most really talented people put in a lot of work and therefore developed their talent over time. A better approach is to follow your curiosity and try several things without any expectation. I believe we all have a gift to give the world. Some find it at a young age, but others, like me, later in life.
It is also important to be aware of your motivation. I grew up believing that I needed to do something impressive or demonstrate some talent for people to like, love or even just accept me. It took a long time for me to recognise that just being me was enough to be loved and appreciated. It was this need for approval and external confirmation that led me to pursue various career paths for the wrong reasons. I was an aspiring musician, fashion model and tried my hand at acting. None of these were driven by real passion. Even though I love music, back then I was dreaming of wealth, fame and beautiful girls. Even when I tried to write my first book, although I had enjoyed writing from an early age, my motivation for writing the book was to write a best seller that would lead to money and recognition. The difference with writing is that I kept writing whether anyone read my work or not. For more than ten years I have been writing a blog and I recently finished my first novel for the sheer pleasure of writing.
I discovered my current career as a coach through a combination of coaching high school basketball as well as many years of reading personal development books and working on myself through courses, retreats and workshops. I also continue to write. In fact, I am re-writing my first book and continue to work on a second coaching related book. I am working on my novel with an editor and I will get it published even if I have to self publish. This time it’s not for fame or money. I am very happy with my current level of abundance and I have no desire to be famous. Instead, I am writing for the same reason as I write this blog. I feel that writing and coaching are my gifts to share with others. I am also very passionate about both of these endeavours but I am also passionate about playing basketball, it’s just not a career choice.
Although I spend a lot of time writing about happiness, I recognise that developing a sense of purpose is one of the best ways to find authentic happiness. You can define your purpose by discovering the gifts you have to give the world. Just like finding love, discovering your gift or purpose is not something you look for and then stumble across one day. Be curious, live life and explore. Pursue the things that are interesting and enjoyable and work to overcome challenges and inner resistance. Passion will come from your attitude toward life and when you continue to practice all of these things you will have unlocked your potential. Happiness will be the natural result of giving your gifts to the world.
Comments