How to Figure Out What Your Passion Is

Less than 50 percent of Americans are happy with their jobs, according to a 2005 study by The Conference Board Consumer Research Center, a global research company. One of the main causes of this statistic is the fact that many people are not in touch with their true passions when it comes to work and even general hobbies. There are a few ways that you can figure out what your own passion is in life.

Instructions

1. Dedicate one or two days a week to explore your passions. You must be willing to open your mind to new experiences and people. Keep a journal of your discoveries.

2. Consider the classes that you excelled in or were excited about when you were in high school or college, like art or home economics. At the time you may have blown these classes off as silly, but you may have overlooked your calling.

3. Pick up a course syllabus from your local community college and browse the various courses available. Circle all of the classes that sound interesting to you. Call the school and ask if you can sit in on one or more of these classes to see if it is something you would be interested in. Inquire about the cost to take the full course if it is something you find interesting.

4. Visit an online community or event bulletin board for your area, like the ones at MeetUp.com and Craigslist.org, or browse the community events or classified section of your local newspaper to find hobbies, events and classes that you might be interested in. If you have a strong interest in a hobby and are skilled, this could turn into a business idea.

5. Explore the various online communities and groups on sites like Yahoo.com, Facebook.com, and LinkedIn.com. Join ones that sound appealing to you and make a commitment to read the postings regularly (ideally on your dedicated "passion-search" day that you established in step one). Participate in the discussions when you feel comfortable, and ask plenty of questions of people who are experienced in that field.

6. Ask family members, friends and associates if they are passionate about their lives and work. If so, ask them how they were able to discover this passion to get inspiration for finding your own.

Tips & Warnings

• One important question to ask yourself that will help you discover your passion is, "What would you do even if you weren't paid for your efforts?"

References

• The Conference Board: U.S. Job Satisfaction Keeps Falling

Resources

• More Tips for Getting in Touch With Your Passion in Life
• Amazon.com: Finding Your Passion