15 May 8 thought provoking questions to help you find your passion
Passion is energy.
No, passion is positive energy.
And positive energy is what motivates, inspires and drives us toward positive behaviours that bring abour real and meaningful happiness.
So passion is pretty important for happiness; which is why we're sharing this article with you today …
by Warren Berger from FastCoDesign
In a previous post, I shared questions that can help in overcoming fear of failure. But sometimes, there’s an even more basic problem that can stop us from pursuing bold challenges and ambitious goals: not knowing which challenges or goals to pursue. These days, you're urged to “follow your passions” and “lean in”–but what if you’re not sure where your particular passion lies? What if you don’t know which way to lean?
This can be an issue not only for those starting out in a career, but also for some who are established, even highly-successful, yet unfulfilled. It’s easy to find oneself on a path determined by others, or by circumstance (i.e., the job offer or project that comes along unexpectedly and is too good to turn down, then becomes a career).
IT’S EASY TO FIND ONESELF ON A PATH DETERMINED BY OTHERS.
Whether you’re starting out or considering a possible change in direction, asking yourself the right questions is critical. The following eight–shared by a noteworthy lineup of entrepreneurs, innovators, consultants, and creative thinkers–can help you figure out where your heart lies and what you really ought to be doing.
WHAT IS YOUR TENNIS BALL?
This question, derived from a terrific commencement speech given at MIT last year by Dropbox founder Drew Houston, is a good place to start because it cuts to the chase. As Houston explained, “The most successful people are obsessed with solving an important problem, something that matters to them. They remind me of a dog chasing a tennis ball.” To increase your chances of happiness and success, Houston said, you must “find your tennis ball–the thing that pulls you.”
Sometimes, we may not be aware of what truly engages us until we examine our own activities and behaviors from a detached, inquisitive perspective. “You almost have to ask yourself, What do I find myself doing?,” explains the author and happiness guru Gretchen Rubin. “What you spend time doing can also tell you what you should do. Because sometimes the things we do without thinking really are things we naturally enjoy or are good at.”
So pay attention to what pulls you. For instance, “when you’re in a bookstore,” says author Carol Adrienne, “what section of the store are you drawn to?” That will not only tell you what books you love–it may point to where your tennis ball can be found.
For a slightly different spin on the "tennis ball" concept, ask: What am I doing when I feel most beautiful? This is about identifying not only what draws you in, but also what makes you shine. Jacqueline Novogratz, founder of The Acumen Fund, told me that in her globe-spanning travels she often asks people this question, sometimes in unlikely settings. She once posed the question to women living in a slum in Bombay. At first, “one woman said, ‘There’s nothing in our lives that’s beautiful,’” Novogratz says. “But eventually, a woman who worked as a gardener said, ‘All winter long I slog and slog, but when those flowers push through the ground, I feel beautiful.’”
Novogratz says it’s important to think about “that time and place where you feel most alive–whether it’s when you’re solving a problem, creating, connecting with someone, traveling.” Whatever it is, Novogratz says, identify it–and if possible, find a way to do more of it. (A different version of Novogratz’s “beautiful” question is suggested by consultant Keith Yamashita of SY Partners: “Who have you been, when you’ve been at your best?”)
…keep reading the full & original article HERE