So many people wander this earth in search of finding their passion. Yet, they often have no idea what their passion is, except that it is not what they are doing now.
Status quo states, “make the most of your situation. It’s rare that anyone loves their job.”
Bullshit.
Your life doesn’t have to be mediocre just because others allow theirs to be. You don’t have to settle on whatever provides job security, nor what others have told you to do.
But, I don’t know what I SHOULD or WANT to do…?
Neither does anyone else. I don’t have my own map for the rest of my life. That’s what makes it exciting!
It does take work. You can’t wait to discover your passions by living life the same 9-to-5, dinner and a movie days. Get out there and start searching – every day.
But, I’m afraid… I’m afraid of failing, or getting stuck somewhere
You need to begin testing and pushing yourself. You can’t hold yourself back from fear. Fear is the reason that so many claim to be content with living mediocre lives, as they struggle to hold their job security. That’s why you hear, “make the best out of the current situation.”
Failure isn’t the only option.
It is a risk, but the benefits are immense. At the worst, failure is manageable. Likely, it will be a great learning experience. Either way, life has a way of working itself out the next day, and your life will not end because you took a chance to chase your dreams.
Okay fine, I’ll make a move… But how?
You need to get experience in every way possible. Dr. David A. Kolb created four styles of learning: Observing, Reflecting, Research, and Doing.
Observing: It is unquestionable that others live your dream life every day. They have your target job or career path. Capitalize on their work and experience. Become meticulous in how you learn from watching others.
Reflecting: Thinking about your observations and actions is beneficial to reinforcing your learnings. Reflecting on others’ actions can be just as useful. Blogging has become my healthiest habit for mind, spirit, and emotion. It allows you to realize you have vast understanding of different topics. At the same time, the information is further ingrained.
Research: The internet provides a tremendous amount of information available at our fingerprints every day. A lot of research is free or low-cost. After investing over $1,200 last year in online courses, I realized how effective paid self-education is. The financial investment made me more mindful of getting the most out of those courses, and as such, it worked out well for me.
Doing: Finally, taking charge and trying whatever it is you want to do is the most effective, yet most terrifying method. It takes courage to move forward and start to do something that you aren’t completely safe doing. You can spend time observing, reflecting, or researching and you will learn. However, application is necessary to execute.
[Tweet “”Courage is not the absence of fear, but currently seeing fear and proceeding anyway.” -J. Assange”]
Now, it’s time to Get In The Game
Figure out a path that may interest you. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It can be anything about the specific hobby, job, field, or industry that attracts you. You need a place to start on this roadmap, but expect it to change every step of the way. I recommend you take a blank piece of paper and start listing things that you find interest in. If you have a long list, start to narrow it down to your top 5, 3, and 1. You have a long life to explore them all some day.
Now, you will begin with your first target interest.
1 | Observing: Ask to shadow others with the experience you want, or need, for a day at work. Ask to meet over coffee or lunch. Watch videos of others doing the same things (YouTube has just about everything these days!). Watch documentaries. Be careful to watch relevant movies (don’t forget it is Hollywood behind it!). Keep thinking outside the box about how you might be able to see others doing what you want to do. Best of all, find a mentor who will dedicate time to help you find your way.
2 | Reflecting: The best method I have found is to write down at least one most important fact you learned after each experience. The reflection experience can be after working on a project, listening to a podcast, an interpersonal interaction or sitting through a lecture. At the end of each session, reflect on it. You likely learned more than you realized.
3 | Researching: I am a huge fan of research, as I’ve explained. For me, it becomes a hobby. I enjoy researching. Articles, books, online courses, podcasts, videos, and a multitude of other channels conveniently delivers precise information. One of my favorite methods is newsletters. I subscribe to almost twenty. The variety of sources deliver great content: Tim Ferriss, Life-Long Learner, The Next Web, zenhabits, Instant MBA, UnCollege, Fizzle, Dylan Tweney, Noah Kagan, Tropical MBA, CrunchBase, StartupDigest, Hack the System, Location 180, AppSumo, and Entrepreneur.com. A tremendous amount! Maybe I can’t read it all, but I have a ton of quality options for what I could read!
4 | Doing: Now the most important method is engaging whatever it is you wish to explore. There is no better or quicker way to learn something than to start doing it. You can read for hours, listen to dozens of lectures and podcasts, and talk with every person you can find. That’s all great! If you don’t TRY something and expend your energy into it, you will never completely understand it. Find an internship or a job, offer to work for free, or start your own project or business. Whatever you do, you need to try it before you dedicate your life to it.
Now – Take Action!
Meet with who you think can help you. Build your bookshelf. Subscribe to a few newsletters. Map out your project plan.
Get to work!