Know Your Passion: 5 Identifiers of What Makes You Really Tick

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How do you know when you’ve found a passion of yours? Maybe you just feel it, or maybe it’s not always clear. Sometimes you need to dig in a little, try it out, and see if it fits. Other times you know immediately.

Here are 5 key identifiers that are true for almost any passion:



1. You can do it for a long time without getting bored

If I can remain engaged in the activity for a long time without getting bored or fatigued, then that’s a good indication to me that this is something I can turn into a passion.

Go figure, even those with ADHD have an easier time staying focused and engaged in activities that they find more stimulating and interesting (like video games or sports).

Often when we find an activity we see as enjoyable or valuable, our brains are much more willing to access the mental resources needed to improve at it. That is a huge indicator that you have a passion for something.



2. You find yourself always discovering new boundaries

Similarly, when we are engaged with an activity we are much more aware of the details and nuances of what we are doing.

Compared to those who aren’t as passionate, a passionate person can usually distinguish smaller details of what they are doing, discovering new boundaries, and finding ways to overcome those boundaries and get to the next plateau.

Passion often makes us better learners because we are driven to understand as much as we can about what interests us. And when we are presented with an obstacle, we don’t get discouraged, but motivated to improve.



3. Your passion aligns with your values

Often we do activities to fulfill some kind of subjective value: entertainment, meaning, happiness, money, better relationships, etc. – sometimes more than one at a time. These factors can all motivate our passions to different degrees.

It is important to identify the values we have in life and determine whether or not an activity satisfies that value.

If we are doing something only for money, but we value happiness more, than that activity isn’t very conducive to what we want. Passions are always conducive to our values and interests, that is a big reason we are so intrinsically motivated to do them.



4. You don’t care about what other people think

Everyone has slightly different values, so often when we pursue our values at full force we are bound to find some haters.

This is why when you pursue your passion you better have a tough skin about it and not budge so easily when others talk you down. Science fiction author Ray Bradbury shared an interesting story about a passion he had when he was 9:

“Most important decision I ever made came when I was 9. I was collecting Buck Rogers comic strips, 1929, when my 5th grade classmates made fun of me. I tore up the strips. A week later, broke into tears. “Why was I crying?” I wondered. Who died? Me, was the answer. I had torn up the future. What to do about it? Start collecting Buck Rogers all over again. Fall in love with the future. I did just that. And after that I never listened to one damnfool idiot classmate who doubted me. What did I learn? To be myself and only myself and never let others interfere with my life. Kids, do the same. Be your own self. Love what you love.”



If you truly have a deep-seated passion for something, you won’t be easily swayed by the social pressures of others.



5. You lose your sense of self while doing it

Flow is a concept in positive psychology where a person’s awareness is fully immersed in an activity.

If you find yourself so involved in what you do that you lose track of time, and even your own sense of self, then that is a good indicator that you have a strong passion for that hobby.

Passion can put us into a state where our consciousness and action seem to become one – we become what we do – fully involved in the activity, whatever it may be.

As I’ve mentioned above, passion tends to drive all of these things, and thus goes hand-in-hand with our experience of flow. Imagine what such a state would be like if you were in it during your 8-10 hour workday. Heaven!



You can have more than one passion

In truth, most of us are not driven by one sole purpose or passion – so we shouldn’t feel that we have to choose one passion over another, or that we can only have one almighty passion that defines our whole lives. Be open to discovering multiple passions.



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