“Passion” – How to Find it Through Today’s Skewed Meaning

This is not going to be a post filled with fluff and redundant nonsense about passion. It’s more or less going to be the real truth I’ve learned over the past year about what it really means.

Through podcasts, research, and experience, I came to a realization that I wish I learned sooner.

It’s almost a trend these days. To “live out your passion.” I get sick even saying the word because it’s so played out and diluted. 

Last year it is ALL I proclaimed, because I thought I found my ONE TRUE passion. I became a personal trainer and all of the sudden, the Instagram-fitness-influencer-hype had me preaching about passion as if I was a self-help guru. 

Thanks to college, Instagram “influencers,” professors, and media, we’re all rushed to figure out our ‘passion’ without any guidance of how to find it or what it even means in the first place.

PASSION – Today’s Misleading Description

The Google definition of “PASSION” is

“An intense desire or enthusiasm for something.”

Google

Let’s break it down.

The word “passion” in my own words, is the thing(s) that when you talk about it, you realize you forgot to blink for 15 minutes straight, and you’ve been non stop blabbing with no hesitation or stuttering. You can go on, and on, and on, and you find yourself getting pumped up and excited as you speak. For example, when I speak about fitness, coffee, holistic medicine, or this blog, I actually have to try and calm myself down because I can’t shut up.

I PREVIOUSLY saw “passion” as this ONE. SINGLE. THING. that you just organically end up pursuing for the rest of your life. As if it was some hidden talent within us that if we don’t find it in time, we’ll end up hating our lives forever. (College definitely had to do with these thoughts.) I had no clue how to find it, I didn’t know where to look, and I felt as if I was running out of time. Aside from pushups and squats, I didn’t really love anything!?!

“I’m Not Passionate About Anything Though …”

A lot of you might be saying “okay that’s great, but what if I don’t feel that way about anything? What if I don’t have a passion?”

My answer to that is, you have not exposed yourself to the world enough. Go ahead and write down what you do in a month. I’m sure it’s the same 5 things, right? If you feel lost, as if you don’t love anything, and all you care about is food and sleep- 1. I’ve been there and 2. You have plenty of passions, I promise. 

Grab a notebook and get thinking! Really focus your energy to pull out what you enjoy. Take away the idea of career, jobs, and money, and dream without boundaries. When you have a desire worth fighting for, you will do whatever it takes to reach that destination. Do you enjoy travel? Do you want to see the world? Write it down! Go on and list at least 10, then pick out the top 3. You will have no direction as long as you have no destination or dream.

Here are my 6 Rules

Get to know Yourself

Whether you type, or write- for the next few months I dare you to explore your thoughts everyday. Put your thoughts somewhere that you can literally read them. What aggravated you that day? What made you happy? What made you upset? Explore your emotions, reactions, and thought patterns. Did you wake up joyful, angry, miserable, grateful? What are you going through at the moment, and how do you plan to try and get through it? Make a plan of action for your life! Dig yourself out of the hole you might be stuck in. If you have trouble writing or typing, talk to someone- therapist, family member, partner, friend. I don’t care – but you need to get out of YOUR head and learn about YOURSELF. 

Stop Labeling – Get Out of That BOX

I have a ton of anger towards myself for this one. For years, I would say I suck at something, before ever trying it. I would immediately hold myself back from trying something new. I could go on for hours about how many things I missed out on because I labeled myself as a certain person. I thought I was a certain type of person who did certain types of things. People think of you as a distinct “type”, and you allow their opinions shape you into this person you’re not. If its not other people, its yourself. The person you were in High School is not the person you are today.

I always said I wasn’t a painter. I would say “I wish I was artistic, I can’t paint for the life of me. The only thing I’m good at is lifting weight.” Lianna, just because you weren’t good in art class when you were 11, doesn’t mean you suck at painting – you IDIOT.” I’ve now picked up on painting and I spend more time in Michaels Arts and Crafts than my own home. 

Open yourself up to anything, and everything. Dancing, gymnastics, A BLOG, fitness (try all different styles of exercise), drawing, making music, the list is endless. No matter what age you are, it is never too late to explore something new. You never know what you might fall in love with. You may pick up on a hobby, and it may change your life completely. Get yourself out of that boring, tasteless, colorless box, and gain new experiences. You are not who you (or other people) have labeled yourself as. 

Learn .. then Learn Some More 

Read a book, listen to a podcast (If it wasn’t for Jay Shetty’s podcast about ‘finding your passion’ I literally would not be writing this right now,) watch a ted talk, talk to mentors, store owners, anyone with more knowledge than you.

When I found myself falling in love with holistic supplements, I would go to an herbalist shop with no intent of buying anything, rather I would pick at the owner’s brains and ask questions about everything. When I first started my fitness journey, I spent everyday on BodyBuilding.com, learning everything there is to know about strength training. Learn any way you can!

If you’re stuck in school learning about crap you don’t care for, spend your free time expanding your mind about what sparks your interest. Buy books, and if you hate reading, head over to Youtube!

There is so much information at our fingertips through technology. Yet we use it for all the wrong reasons! Take advantage of this growing era of social media and use it as a learning platform. There are no excuses. Use steps 1 and 2, to discover what excites you. Use this step to learn all there is to know about it.

Once you Discover your Passion.. Dive Deep into it

After I uncovered my hidden passions, I dove deeper, and created a plan of action for each one.

For example…. Do you like music? Listen to one new song everyday. Do you enjoy baking? Bake dessert once a week for your family – even if it sucks! Do you love sleeping? Study all there is to know about sleep. Do you love helping people? Volunteer, start a blog, do something to positively impact someone else’s life.

Dive deeper into the things you enjoy. Learn more, research more, take part in them.

Regardless if they only become a hobby, you are still pursuing something that gives you more meaning to your life. You are taking part in something that excites you, and makes you happier. It’s a domino effect – you take part in something you love, you might become a more positive, more confident person through the process.

It will only bring good into your life. You never know, it could become a full-time career or business! You have no idea what it could lead to, so why not dive into it?

Stop Holding Yourself back from LIFE because you’re SCARED and LAZY

F E A R

Have you ever wanted to try something, but you were fearful of embarrassment, or failure, and you allowed that fear to hold you back? I know I have!

What I’m about to say is as C L I C H É as it could be. But of course I’m going to say it anyway. If you are interested in something, but your fear of failing holds you back, you’ve already failed.

The moments that scare you the most, when your throat gets dry, your hands get sweaty, your lips begin to tremble, and suddenly you get a rush of nervous gas.. yeah, THOSE MOMENTS are the ones that impact you the most. Those moments are the ones that will shape you into a stronger, braver, more confident you. That “safe box” that you put yourself in because you’re afraid, is better known as your comfort zone. GET OUT OF IT. LEAVE.

If you want to make any type of progress within your life, you need to do something that scares the absolute crap out of you. I’m not saying go to a haunted house. I’m talking about starting a podcast, a Youtube channel, sending an application to your dream job, something big, something that will impact your life.

L A Z I N E S S

Now, what about if you wanted to pick up on a new skill, but you had no experience. The thought of the time and work you’d have to put in to become adept made you tuck that skill to the back of your memory because you were too lazy to do what it would’ve took. I know I HAVE!

It is NEVER too late to start a new project in your life. No one is born with monumental talent. They put in the work, the practice, the determination, to get better and better every single day. Do not settle in your life because you’re not giving yourself the chance to grow and become experienced.

I bought a guitar a few months ago. My only experience playing guitar was strumming to Sweet Child O’ Mine on Expert on my Play Station 2.

At first, I thought it was crazy to start playing NOW. I had no experience at this skill that takes YEARS to learn. Despite my hesitation, I bought the guitar. It’s been about 5 months and I still suck. I can play 10 seconds of one song. But every day, I spend at least an hour trying to learn. Just because it sounds like an animal dying when I play, doesn’t mean I should stop learning though. If I truly want to become a skilled guitar player, I can’t get lazy thinking of how long it could take before I nail ONE song! Get it?

Do not hold yourself back from living your life because you’re SCARED and LAZY.

Work Your ASS OFF for the Things you Love – The TRUE Meaning of PASSION

What it TRULY means to live your passion, is to love something enough to work your ass off for it.

You stay up learning, you claw your eyes out from frustration, until you’re absolutely exhausted, just to perfect your craft. You know all of the work is worth it because you love it- because when you’ve finished your work for the night, you feel fulfilled, accomplished, and proud. THAT is passion.

To work towards your passion is to stay up for hours and deny parties just to work on it. It is something you’re willing to drain yourself doing.

When I started this blog I began with WIX, only to realize that platform wasn’t suited for me. ONE WEEK before launching, I had to teach myself the ins and outs of WordPress. Despite all of Google and Youtube highly advising beginners to stay away, I did it anyway.

I had no idea how to use this platform. I’d work on it at the Cafe, only to make a scene, cursing and yelling at my laptop. I watched every Youtube tutorial, every “How To Blog” article – my whole search history looked something like “How the F#%K do you use Word Press???” I stayed up late every night to learn the blogging language and make my site exactly what I wanted it to look like.

My love, excitement, and enthusiasm towards helping someone through my blog exceeded far beyond a need for sleep or desire to go out.

P A S S I O N

Let’s re-cap. Follow the first 3 rules to discover your passion. Learn about yourself, try new things, and learn about it every way you can. Once you’ve come up with a few things that light a spark within you, follow the next 3 rules. Dive DEEP into it. Try it out, do something that scares you, and work until your eyeballs hurt.

Working on your passion is NOT going to be fun. It’s NOT going to be easy just because your passionate about it. It’s going to be HARD and it’s going to take A LOT OF WORK! But if you’re truly passionate about it, you will be willing and EXCITED to put in what it takes. THAT’S PASSION.