Find True Passion in Work

It is pretty safe to say that a majority of people are not doing what makes them happy the most. There are a number of factors that influence what people end up doing in their careers, a lot of which are due to the external environment surrounding a person. This is quite true on a personal level as well. If you are trying to find your passion not only in work but in life as well, there are several steps you can take.

1. Assess where you are.  Stop and take a look at your life. Do you like what you see? If not, what are you not liking about your situation? You may find that you are unsatisfied with the job you have and know that you could be doing so much better somewhere else. However, for whatever reason, you feel stuck in the situation you are in. Here is a news flash, you are not stuck, no matter how bad you think it is there is always a way out.

2. Where do you want to be? After you have assessed your situation think about where you want to be. Take some time to think. It may help a lot to write down your thoughts. What were you dreaming about being when you were growing up?  Think about the times you feel most creative and productive, now think about doing these things on a professional level. 

3. Now that you know what you want, what are you going to do to get there? It is very helpful speaking to a trusted mentor about what’s going on with you. In this situation they may be able to help guide you in the right direction. 

4. Do not be afraid of your dreams. Every successful person will tell you that although the road to success may not have been easy, it was well worth it, but you cannot be afraid. You cannot be afraid of the hard work that may be in store for you, and you cannot be afraid of failure. 

5. Yes, you heard right, do not be afraid to fail. There are so many lessons learned from failure if you pay close attention. Learning from failure can help you grow on both a personal and professional level. There is a lot of power if handled adequately. However, if you fail and do not look for the lessons behind each situation you may find yourself in trouble. 

6. Now that you are over the notion of failure, set personal and professional goals. You will not be able to translate your dreams into reality if you do not set goals. These are instrumental on attaining success. People who set goals are more likely to achieve their aspirations than those who do not.

7. Phrase your personal and professional goals in an action-oriented manner. For example, if your goal is to receive your PhD in chemistry, step one would include looking for schools with this major. Step two: find out what the application process is like. Step three: meet all application requirements … and so on. 

8. Finally, ask yourself an important question. Are you living your life in way that you will leave a positive legacy behind?