Looking for Your Passion? How to Become Like Leonardo da Vinci

“Nothing can be loved or hated unless it is first understood.”

― Leonardo da Vinci

If you’re like others, you have no idea what your passion is. You might have had a few temporary passions that usually lasted no longer than a month. But eventually those interests died and you returned back to your question board.

As for others, they have no idea what their passion is and scatter for possible ideas that could lead them to their “destiny.”

Either way, everyone usually question what their passion is so it could lead them to their ultimate dream job. However, they struggle to answer this question because discovering their passion is like solving a rubix cube in their brain.

Whether they have no clue on what they enjoy or have too many things they like to do, most people have a hard time locating their main passion. Which brings up the question:

“How do I discover my passion?”

It starts off by asking yourself some pretty genetic questions, otherwise known as the “sandbox” method. Find a place where you can be alone and ask yourself the following questions:

1. What were your biggest dreams to achieve as a child?

Think back to a simpler time where nothing seemed impossible. Don’t think of the obstacles that might stand in your way or how big your dreams are. Think back on those dreams and remember why you wanted to achieve them. Or else, by using the mind you have now, you’ll continuously remember every negative comment someone said to you, why you can’t do something, and why life seems pointless.

2. What can you talk about for hours?

If you can talk about something for hours, then it’ll easy to work on it as a career. Your interests are what sparks any journey you want to continue on. Part of having a passion is the fact you love talking about it. And yes, I’m also referring to people who love talking about sports. They, too, can find a career in that whether it be through blogging, vlogging, or podcast.

In a sense, you act as your own teacher whenever you talk to someone about your passion. And even if you’re only interested in insects, board games or animals, take those interests into major consideration. Find ways to develop a career with the knowledge you have.

And even if you don’t have the knowledge you need in your subject, constantly read everything about it. Make yourself a boss over that genre so others will want to follow and hear what you have to say about it.

3. What are you curious about?

Curiosity makes your journey to continue digging into any subject fascinating. It’s what makes the learning process exciting to embrace and the desire to improve yourself.

Think back to a time you dug into something you were incredibly interested in. Do you remember why it made you excited? Do you remember how tasteful it felt to dig deeper into it and discover new things?

4. What can you do for hours and hours without even noticing time flying by?

If you can’t imagine yourself doing anything you enjoy for an extended period of time without overwhelming yourself, consider picking a new hobby. It might seem like I’m referring to dropping your passion whenever you get overwhelmed by it, but that’s totally not what I’m talking about. Humans have a ton of things they get themselves semi-interested in, but only do so for external reasons.

Take tennis for example. The only time I actually feel motivated to play tennis is whenever my friend wants to play. Without her bringing me along to make me realize how fun tennis is, I wouldn’t bother playing the game at all. I might feel great while playing tennis, but it’s not something I want to make a career out of.

I enjoy coding and video production, but I can’t see myself doing it from morning until night. Eventually I will burn myself out and come to hate it. However, when it relates to writing, I can continue for endless hours before restimg. And the only reason I rest is because my eyes are strained after staring at the computer screen all day.

5. What sets your heart at ease when doing it?

After a hard day at work or in general, what activity sets you at ease? Is it drawing? Playing video games? Reading? Exercising? Whatever it is, look for ways to master that interest.

If you enjoy video games, look into video game development. If you enjoy watching movies, consider ways to develop your own films.

These 5 questions will help a majority of people who want to find their passion. But there’ll always be that small percentage of people who’ll still have a difficult time sticking to only one passion. If you’re part of that small percentage, something you may be thinking is:

“What if I have a lot of things I like? What if I can’t decide which one is for me?”

Did I just read your mind? Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about you. I have the same problem myself. I just don’t have one passion. I love drawing, reading, and writing. Obviously I don’t think I’m capable of sticking to only one passion to have a fulfilling lifestyle. So I fully embrace them all and build a mountain of experience together with them.

Leonardo da Vinci had the same problem himself. Unable to cope with only one skill, he became known as a polymath, which is another way of saying he was addicted to doing TOO many things. He was a painter, sculptor, mathematician, architect, inventor, engineer, and writer. And to make it crazier, that was only naming a FEW of his passions.

He was perhaps one of the most diversely talented people who ever lived. You nor I might never reach his polymath level, but we can still apply the same method he did to keep his life together.

To make one point clear, Leonardo da Vinci didn’t suddenly became a master over a dozen skills. No, quite the opposite. Starting at the age of 14, Leonardo attended a workshop, where he was apprenticed to the artist known as Verocchio.

There, he exposed himself to several other people who attended the workshop, who were well knowledgeable in chemistry, mechanics, and other technical skills Leonardo invested his time in. This was what opened the door for him to dabble into those interests and play around with them.

How does this relate to you?

You may not have a workshop (besides michaelgregoryii of course) that exposes you to a variety of experts in the passions you enjoy. But you don’t necessarily need that.

Unlike Leonardo’s era, we live in an age where we’re surrounded by an abundance of information. You can simply Google whatever interests you and you’ll find millions of results about it. Within minutes, you can discover experts who’ll provide you with the information you want.

I may not be a master in any of my passions, but I’m a master when it comes to combining them all to my best interest. I read to keep my mind sharp on current events, human psychology, and how the mind behaves. I continue drawing to add new features to my website and personal projects. And I continue writing because it’s freaking awesome.

You may not have the same passions as I do, but you still might have a series of passions you enjoy altogether. Don’t consider that as a burden. Think of it as a gift that promises you many new experiences in the future.

Leonardo da Vinci was never burdened by his dozen passions because he found a way to make them all work for him. He developed an interest to work on them daily because he had a natural curiosity to dig further into each of them.

As an artist, Leonardo combined his interests to draw the human anatomy. He made a series of skeletal drawings as he explored the human body like a piece of art. His observational interest to science led him to write many scientific theories in his journals.

With several categories under your disposal, you can conjure up ways to combine them together and create something amazing. Leonardo’s interest in engineering led his imaginations to create musical instruments, hydraulic pumps, and steam cannons. His fascination in flight produced many drawings to test the theory of flight.

Become the Leonardo da Vinci of your life and create something the world has never seen before.