No, you shouldn’t ‘Follow Your Passion.’ I’m serious. This idea that you should find, then blindly follow, your ‘passion’ is overwhelming and ultimately unhelpful.
Finding Your Passion looms large.
Finding Your Thing is the way to go.
Here's the deal. You know that feeling you've got right now? That "Totally lost, I'm stuck, WTF am I even supposed to do with my career, can't someone just tell me what I'm supposed to be doing?!?" feeling?
Man it sucks doesn't it? I know that feeling, but what you’ve been told, this idea that you ‘just’ need to Find Your Passion’ - it’s not a reasonable goal.
GET STARTED ON FINDING *YOUR* THING IMMEDIATELY!:
I've been through two major career changes of my own and I’ve spent years helping clients figure out what their thing is. The reason I don’t say ‘follow your passion,’ is because there is too much pressure behind Passion - the idea that it has to be the end all, be all.
But finding your thing? There’s way less attached to it. From external and internal expectations.
You? You’re going to Find Your Thing - the Thing that fulfills you and gives meaning to your life not because it’s your one all consuming passion, but because it supports your interests, talents and values. It allows you to be the most you.
Maybe you have a job, but you’re unfulfilled.
Or you’re climbing the monetary ladder, but your gig isn’t in line with what you see yourself being happy doing long term.
Did you get laid off recently and decide this is the perfect opportunity to do something you actually want to do?
Maybe you are looking to switch careers but have no idea which direction to turn and everyone is telling you you need to “Follow your passion!” but you have no freaking idea what that might be.
No matter what your situation, let me guess… you feel stuck, frustrated, lost annnnd you’re freaking out to varying degrees.
Don’t fret! I'm here with good news. It doesn’t take months of going back to school, years of trial and error or even days of pulling your hair out to Find Your Thing. You just need to be prepared to dig really deep.
It all starts with looking inside, taking stock, and being honest with yourself.
This process can be overwhelming in the best way - because you will go from “I have no options/I have no idea where to start” to an overabundance of options and opportunities.
It doesn’t take years of effort, but there is also no magic wand. You have to do the work, the introspection, the deciding of just what it is that lights your fire.
Yes, you could pick something out of thin air or have someone tell you what it is you should do and you could absolutely do one of those - but it will never be as fulfilling as coming to the decisions on your own and working through why you want to do that particular thing.
Finding your thing is what creates a meaningful, fulfilling career. If ‘meaningful’ to you is helping a non-profit that cares for orphans, awesome! If fulfillment means traveling 70% of the time and letting your partner handle the homestead, fantastic! But it needs to be meaningful… to you.
Only *you* can know what's right for you and I promise the process becomes easier (and way more fun) when you ditch the concept of ‘passion’ and focus on finding your Thing.
Why? Just think about the simple following statements:
“Carol left her corporate job to follow her passion of Pet Care Marketing.”
“Carol’s thing is Pet Care Marketing.”
It’s all psychological - but it’s an important distinction.
The expectation is that her passion is so burning and all consuming that there is nothing else of meaning for Carol and that it may not even be something she’s good at - she’s just obsessed with it.
However, it being her Thing? That indicates that a) she’s good at it b) she enjoys it and c) she knows what she’s doing. It’s clearer, more concise more concrete. It’s actually MORE Carol.
And you can be more you too.
When you show up in the world as your most you, you are a better person, partner, employee, business owner, parent & community member.
Look, I understand the feeling - you just want someone to hand you a piece of paper that says you’re amazing at these 5 things, you should go be a “fill in the blank with a random career” and have a huge lightning bolt moment of YES, THAT’S IT! I JUST NEVER REALIZED IT BEFORE!
I hate to tell you but that’s not how it works.
Often what we are told we are supposed to want, or feel that logically we “need” to do in our careers veers far from what actually makes us happy, whole individuals.
Only when you take the time to be honest, dig deep and come to a genuine understanding of what makes you truly happy, will you come to an understanding of what kind career will be meaningful to you.
Again, the idea of what is ‘meaningful’ work is different for literally every person on the planet. If ‘meaningful’ to you is simply making enough money to never have to worry about ordering extra avocado - that’s great - but you have to come to that conclusion on your own.
And it’s worth it. It’s worth the work, to wake up excited about what you do. To feel genuinely fulfilled by engaging in meaningful actions. To create a career for yourself that makes you, and those around you happier people. I promise.
If you’re ready to Find Your Thing - click here to learn about alllll your options!
Yours in ‘you can do whatever you want’ goodness,
EBS
