Finding Your Passion and Purpose This Year
How will you start your new year?
As we slowly ease into the new year, we may ask ourselves what goals we want to achieve and how we can feel more fulfilled. We may have the best intentions to make a change and create vision boards to reach certain goals, but as the year progresses, we often find that we haven't done much differently than the year before.
Some may have stayed in their current jobs because it provides security and a steady income to support their families, or they may have remained in relationships that continue to make them unhappy. Many people continue to follow the “Law of Familiarity,” which suggests that if you’re around something long enough, it’s human nature to eventually take it for granted and feel like there’s no need to keep growing.
But eventually, as we get older, we may start feeling like life has passed us by and search for new meaning or our true purpose in life in order to feel more fulfilled. Then, we realise that in order to achieve true fulfilment and live with purpose, we must make a change, continue growing, and step outside our comfort zones.
How can we find our true purpose?
One of the biggest obstacles to finding our purpose is fear—fear of failure, rejection, and not feeling good enough or worthy. Fear, combined with our limiting beliefs, holds us back and prevents us from fulfilling our highest human need: self-actualisation.
To find our purpose and pursue our dreams, we must move past these fears. Once we let go of fear and start believing in our unlimited possibilities, we can gain the confidence to find our purpose. The key to letting go of fear and finding our purpose in life is by following our passion.
How do I find my passion?
To make a meaningful change in your life, start by examining what you do every day and what brings you joy. This can give you a sense of what you're passionate about and what tasks you find difficult. By identifying what you do with ease (your strengths) and what you struggle with (your weaknesses), you can better understand your passions.
After evaluating your life, identifying the things you love, and differentiating them from the things that don’t bring you joy, the next step is to take action. Incorporate more activities into your life that bring you joy. Of course, we all have to do certain tasks we don’t enjoy, but we can compensate by including more enjoyable activities in our free time. You might love going for walks in nature or reading and writing. These activities you love doing are likely tied to your passion.
Now, take those activities you love (your passions) and try to explore how you can incorporate them further into your life. For example, if you enjoy writing, you might consider writing a book on a topic that interests you. It’s easier than ever to publish a book online.
If you’re struggling to come up with an idea for how to take your passion further, keep exploring. Look at what others with similar interests are doing, or join like-minded communities or groups. Read books, watch videos, or take courses on the topics that interest you. Then, try out an idea! If it doesn’t work, try another. Keep experimenting until you find something that feels right. Set goals that align with your passion to give yourself focus. Start with small goals and continue progressing. Over time, you’ll notice your confidence grow, your fear dissipate, and you’ll discover your true purpose in life.
A Success Story
Last year, I had a client who lost her job. She was devastated and uncertain about what to do next. She asked me how to find her purpose. After exploring her strengths and qualities, she decided to take art classes, as she had always enjoyed painting. At first, she didn’t feel confident in her abilities and was unsure if she could create anything that met her expectations. But with some encouragement, she kept trying. After our sessions ended, she sent me a beautiful email with an image of her latest painting. It was stunning, and she was incredibly proud of her creation. She had found her new passion.
Since then, she’s started a new career and discovered that her true purpose is to help people in their final moments. It’s a success story I will always remember.