Your purpose and passion? A guide to figuring it out
Have you been wondering what your purpose and passion are? What is the difference, and how do you figure it out?
Covid has been an inspiring time for many because we have had to slow down and look at our life. Many of us are at a place where we feel we need to rediscover ourselves, reinvent, and rebrand ourselves.
Once you start on this journey of discovering, you will find you have to answer some questions you have never asked yourself before. What is My purpose and passion, and my Goals in life?
This is a very self-evaluation and self-awareness process. There is a lot on the internet about this subject. Maybe it’s because it is a hard question and many people are looking for an answer.
As I tried to research and discover this, I came across the below questions as a guide on figuring out my purpose and passion, and below are my answers.
- What, in your life as it is now, makes you happy?
My answer: spending time with family and friends, Writing, going out dancing, creating relationships with people.
- Why do you get out of bed in the morning?
My answer: Earn money to support and invest for my family, make money to enjoy the things good things in life, holidays, and traveling.
- Have you had any life-changing moments that provided a lightning bolt of clarity?
Some changes happened at work and I realized that I was not prepared for major life changes. I needed to change if I was to have what I dreamed of.
- What would you like to see change in the world?
My answer: I would like to share my knowledge, lessons and also be part of the big goal of ensuring everybody can access quality health services at affordable rates and convenience.
The above questions tie-up with the Ikigai model. From my study and research on this topic, I came across Ikigai a Japanese concept that means “a reason for being” if this doesn’t summarize the whole topic I don’t know what else will. ikigai is centered on four interconnecting circles:
Passion: What do you love doing and are good at it?
Passion is what you love and are good at doing. This to most of us is the hobby which we love and have become good at because we probably spend some or a lot of time doing it.
If you don’t already know what you are good at, think back to your childhood. what did you like doing? This may be what you like to do even now but you don’t do it because you have not put time and effort into it. if you started doing it now you probably are surprisingly good at it.
For example; I always liked to write, when am feeling low. I like putting it down on paper even if nobody ever read it, sometimes I didn’t even want anybody to read it but after I wrote it down I felt better. this made me think maybe I should start writing again.
If you are only doing what you like, it may make you feel satisfied but useless. That’s why there are many struggling artists, who are struggling because they need to do other things to survive. That means you can’t be happy doing just what you like but you have to add other factors to what you like.
Exercise: Write down all the activities you think you like doing. when are you happiest, what are you doing.
Profession: What are you good at and get paid for it?
We go to school to train so that we can get jobs that pay us.
Profession refers to the career that you are in. You get extensive training and acquiring special skills and experience to become eligible for a job or employment.
You spend a lot of time perfecting it every day because it is your JOB. Many people are experts in their jobs but that does not mean they love it. After all to be an expert you just need to put in the time.
“To be an expert you need to have trained for 1000 hours” These are skills you are good at like Sales, Insurance, marketing and customer services.
Once you are paid for what you are trained at, it becomes your profession. but if you are not doing something you like, you will eventually feel an emptiness.
Exercise: Write down what you are good at, your skills. Write down what you have been trained on.
Vocation: What can you get paid for and makes a difference in the world?
Vocation is a Latin word meaning your “calling”; It is an occupation or the employment of an individual that is pursued is more for its benefits to others or the society at large rather than for its monetary benefits.
Most of us think vocation only refers to people in jobs like a nurse, pastors, and such occupations. Most of our jobs help people in a way because most businesses exist to solve a problem for people.
The level of benefit to the community is relative and subjective. however, most people will hold in higher regard humanitarian occupations.
For example, I think Insurance’s purpose is to give people peace of mind when unfortunate even happens.
What if you get paid for something you are good at and it is important to the world, but you don’t like it or are not even good at it. This will probably make you feel uncertain of yourself because people would not understand you are doing something for society but you don’t like it.
Exercise: how does what you like and are good at help people?
Mission: What the world needs and do you like doing it?
Imagine if you like what you do and it changes people’s lives and makes a difference in the world. wouldn’t this be wonderful? This balance is hard to come by but if you put the effort into figuring it out you will be able to get it.
Conclusion on Purpose and Passion
With the ikgai model, you can discover your purpose and passion. For example: How can I make money from writing, baking, dancing, and photography with the skills. I have acquired in my career in insurance, sales, customer services, and marketing and make a difference in the world?
Below is the statement of my life purpose:
Writing blogs about insurance, investment, and life experiences to share knowledge with people over 30 years who want to improve their personal growth.
