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Thanks to Wes Wyatt.

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THE SHORT BUT POWERFUL GUIDE TO FINDING YOUR PASSION
By Leo Babauta
ZenHabits
November, 2009

http://zenhabits.net/2009/11/the-short-but-powerful-guide-to-finding-your-pa
ssion/

Following your passion can be a tough thing. But figuring out what that
passion is can be even more elusive.

Iım lucky -- Iıve found my passion, and Iım living it. I can testify that
itıs the most wonderful thing, to be able to make a living doing what you
love.

And so, in this little guide, Iıd like to help you get started figuring out
what youıd love doing. This turns out to be one of the most common problems
of many Zen Habits readers -- including many who recently responded to me on
Twitter.

This will be the thing that will get you motivated to get out of bed in the
morning, to cry out, ³Iım alive! Iım feeling this, baby!². And to scare your
family members or anyone who happens to be in yelling distance as you do
this.

This guide wonıt be comprehensive, and it wonıt find your passion for you.
But it will help you in your journey to find it.

Hereıs how.

1. What are you good at? Unless youıre just starting out in life, you have
some skills or talent, shown some kind of aptitude. Even if you are just
starting out, you might have shown some talent when you were young, even as
young as elementary school. Have you always been a good writer, speaker,
drawer, organizer, builder, teacher, friend? Have you been good at ideas,
connecting people, gardening, selling? Give this some thought. Take at least
30 minutes, going over this question -- often we forget about things weıve
done well. Think back, as far as you can, to jobs, projects, hobbies. This
could be your passion. Or you may have several things. Start a list of
potential candidates.

2. What excites you? It may be something at work -- a little part of your
job that gets you excited. It could be something you do outside of work -- a
hobby, a side job, something you do as a volunteer or a parent or a spouse
or a friend. It could be something you havenıt done in awhile. Again, think
about this for 30 minutes, or 15 at the least. If you donıt, youıre probably
shortchanging yourself. Add any answers to your list.

3. What do you read about? What have you spent hours reading about online?
What magazines do you look forward to reading? What blogs do you follow?
What section of the bookstore do you usually peruse? There may be many
topics here -- add them to the list.

4. What have you secretly dreamed of? You might have some ridiculous dream
job youıve always wanted to do -- to be a novelist, an artist, a designer,
an architect, a doctor, an entrepreneur, a programmer. But some fear, some
self-doubt, has held you back, has led you to dismiss this idea. Maybe there
are several. Add them to the list -- no matter how unrealistic.

5. Learn, ask, take notes. OK, you have a list. Pick one thing from the list
that excites you most. This is your first candidate. Now read up on it, talk
to people whoıve been successful in the field (through their blogs, if they
have them, or email). Make a list of notes of things you need to learn, need
to improve on, skills you want to master, people to talk to. Study up on it,
but donıt make yourself wait too long before diving into the next step.

6. Experiment, try. Hereıs where the learning really takes place. If you
havenıt been already, start to do the thing youıve chosen. Maybe you already
are, in which case you might be able to skip to the next step or choose a
second candidate to try out. But if you havenıt been, start now -- just do
it. It can be in the privacy of your own home, but as quickly as possible,
make it public however you can. This motivates you to improve, it gets you
feedback, and your reputation will improve as you do. Pay attention to how
you feel doing it -- is it something you look forward to, that gets you
excited, that you love to share?

7. Narrow things down. I recommend that you pick 3-5 things from your list,
if itıs longer than that, and do steps 5 & 6 with them. This could take
month, or perhaps youıve already learned about and tried them all out. So
now hereıs what you need to ask yourself: which gets you the most excited?
Which of these can produce something that people will pay for or get excited
about? Which can you see yourself doing for years (even if itıs not a
traditional career path)? Pick one, or two at the most, and focus on that.
Youıre going to do the next three steps with it: banish your fears, find the
time, and make it into a career if possible. If it doesnıt work out, you can
try the next thing on your list -- thereıs no shame in giving something a
shot and failing, because itıll teach you valuable lessons that will help
you to be successful in the next attempt.

8. Banish your fears. This is the biggest obstacle for most people --
self-doubt and fear of failure. Youıre going to face it and banish it.
First, acknowledge it rather than ignoring or denying it. Second, write it
down, to externalize it. Third, feel it, and be OK with having it. Fourth,
ask yourself, ³Whatıs the worst that can happen?² Usually itıs not
catastrophic. Fifth, prepare yourself for doing it anyway, and then do it.
Take small steps, as tiny as possible, and forget about what might happen --
focus on what actually is happening, right now. And then celebrate your
success, no matter how small.

9. Find the time. Donıt have the time to pursue this passion? Make the time,
dammit! If this is a priority, youıll make the time -- rearrange your life
until you have the time. This might mean waking earlier, or doing it after
work or during lunch, or on weekends. It will probably mean canceling some
commitments, simplifying your work routing or doing a lot of work in advance
(like youıre going on a vacation). Do what it takes.

10. How to make a living doing it. This doesnıt happen overnight. You need
to do something, get good at it, be passionate about it. This could take
months or years, but if youıre having fun, thatıs whatıs most important.
When you get to the point where someone would pay you for it, then youıre
golden -- there are many ways to make a living at that point, including
doing freelance or consulting work, making information products such as
ebooks, writing a blog and selling advertising. In fact, I recommend you do
a blog if youıre not already -- itıll help solidify your thinking, build a
reputation, find people who are interested in what you do, demonstrate your
knowledge and passion.

I told you this wouldnıt be easy. Itıll require a lot of reflection and
soul-searching, at first, then a lot of courage and learning and
experimentation, and finally a lot of commitment.

But itıs all worth it -- every second, every ounce of courage and effort.
Because in the end, youıll have something that will transform your life in
so many ways, will give you that reason to jump out of bed, will make you
happy no matter how much you make.

I hope you follow this guide and find success, because I wish on you nothing
less than finding your true passion.

..............

RELATED QUOTES:

³The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.² --
Arnold Toynbee

³Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.²
-- Confucius

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Published by David Sunfellow
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