Finding my passion: Passions & Purpose

What is a passion? Is it something that energizes you? Something you can’t stop thinking about? Something that feeds your soul? Something you can’t get enough of?

My birthday was this week (I turned 34 for those of you wondering. I have no shame in telling my age), my one time of year I “bare my soul” to my readers. J Around this time of year, or really always, I analyze my life. The topic of finding my life's passion is always at the back of my mind, thus the blog.

A select few know my inner struggle with “finding myself” or my life’s purpose. Even as a teen I struggled with this. (Can you say over-thinker? Ha.) I used to say, “I don’t know what I am, but I know what I am not”. I suppose you can analyze that in a number of ways. This past year I’ve felt that maybe I have some idea, or maybe just a “daydream” of an idea. I don’t know. Maybe I just think too much, and I need to just BE? Anyway, I stumbled across a couple of blog posts while searching for “finding your passion & finding your purpose” that I thought I’d share and write about.

The 1^st is 7 strange questionsthat help you find your purpose. I didn’t particularly like the article in its entirety; the thing that stuck out the most to me was that maybe the big question we ask is all wrong…“So when people say, “What should I do with my life?” or “What is my life purpose?” what they’re actually asking is: “What can I do with my time that is important?” He goes on to say that that is a better question because there is no big search for the answer or pressure of “finding yourself”. I thought this was a rather freeing way to look at it. When you ask yourself the question, “what can I do with my time that is important (to ME), what comes to mind? It can be anything and with that as a thought you aren’t working towards one huge, life defying goal.

The 2^nd article is called 3 unexpected ways to find your life purpose.

This article spoke almost instantly to me since I’ve been struggling to make some changes in my life. I overanalyze things, then I feel stuck. As one awesome speaker at the Mary Kay conference say, “analyze causes paralysis”. That is so true for me.

The author’s points.

1. Get more action

2. Drop from your head to your heart

3. Break up with the “one”

· Get more action; take steps to DO the things you THINK you want to do. To quote, “….clarity comes through the process of exploring”.

· Drop from Your Head to Your Heart; “Your heart is your best tool to access your true purpose and passion. Ask yourself what you love? Start taking steps to do what you love.”

· Break up with the “one; why does it have to be one thing you’re meant to do with your life?

“To lead a purposeful life, follow your passions. When we live a passion-filled life we are living on purpose, and that is the purpose of life.”

Passion + Daily Action = Purposeful Life

I could continue reading articles and thinking about my life’s purpose but coming to an answer would take much longer than 1 blog post and I’m sure it would be rather boring. I lost momentum writing this post. I had this profound thought in my head that totally left me.

So, what are your thoughts about this subject? Are you more of a finding yourself person or creating yourself? Or how do you approach LIFE?