Finding your passion

The End of Financial Year has been and gone and it gives us an opportunity to set some goals in much the same way as New Years Day. (Such as sending my very sporadic newsletters).

But as an alternative, maybe July 1 should be a day for specifically setting career and personal development goals and coincidently, last week I picked up a book on the moon landing.
The book is all about the mindset of the people behind the moon landing. It’s a psychology book with a few strategies you can apply yourself.

So today I’m sharing a small portion of chapter one, which is nine questions from the book on helping you to identify your passion. I found it both fun and enlightening.

I feel confident stating that designers have to be passionate at their job. You only need to look at how much work they are willing to do for free to realise that. We’re suckers.

 

Nine questions to help you find your passion

Excerpt From: Richard Wiseman. “Shoot for the Moon.”

“Unfortunately, when life gets complicated and busy, people often forget what puts a spring in their step. If that sounds like you, use this technique to identify your natural passions.”

1. List three moments in your life when you felt especially excited, enthusiastic and alive.

2. Picture yourself locked in a room where you are only allowed to read books and magazines about one topic. Which topic would you choose?

3. Imagine that you are financially secure and therefore free to do whatever you like with your life. After travelling the world, buying a house or two, supporting deserving friends and family and donating to your favourite charities, what would you do with your life?

4. What did you love doing when you were a child? Are there any childhood toys or objects that you have held on to over the years? If so, why?

5. What hobbies and interests did you once enjoy but are now not part of your life?

6. Pretend to yourself that that you are in your twilight years. Look back over your life and think about how you wished you had spent the last thirty years. What regrets do you have? What do you wish you had done?

7. Imagine that you can create something new. It can be anything at all. Maybe it’s a new type of wheelbarrow, a new superhero, a new website or a new way of learning to play the guitar. What would you create?

8. Have you ever been engaged in an activity and suddenly noticed that time has whizzed by? Maybe you thought that you had been working away for thirty minutes, only to discover that a few hours have passed. What were you doing at the time?

9. Imagine being given a large board and asked to cover it in pictures that appeal to you. You are allowed to stick any photograph, drawing or image that you like on the board. What kind of pictures would you place on it?

I suggest reading the full book. The author Richard Wiseman goes on to show there’s huge amounts of evidence to suggest people who pursue their passions are happier. And, people who have more than one passion are happier even more so.

This doesn’t necessarily mean your job needs to be your passion but you do need to make time in your life to do the things that get you inspired.

I think I’ve found mine.

Russell.

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