Introduction
If you still haven’t figured out what you should be working on, the first and most important step is to figure it out”
Naval
You may have heard this before: “Find what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” It’s a great quote, and it’s true. But how do you find what you love?
The first and most important step is to figure out what you’re passionate about. It doesn’t matter what it is. It could be something as simple as spending time with your family or cooking a new recipe. The key is to find something that makes you happy and makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning.
Once you’ve discovered what it is, the next step is to start doing more of those things. If you love spending time with your family, make time for them every day. If you love cooking, sign up for a cooking class or start cooking more meals at home.
The more you do the things you love, the happier you’ll be—and the more fulfilling your life will be.
Understand Your Strengths, Interests and Passions
The first step is understanding what you love, what your strengths are, and what you’re interested in.
Don’t think this is as simple as “what do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s not. It’s about figuring out what ignites your passion. What gets you excited and makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning? Once you know that, everything else will fall into place.
Start by making a list of your talents and interests. What comes easy to you? What are you naturally drawn to? What can you talk about for hours on end without getting bored? Once you have a good list going, try and find connections between them. Do they have any similarities? Can you see any patterns?
The more you dig, the more likely it is that you’ll start to see a theme emerging. When that happens, it’s time to explore it further and see where it takes you.
Exploring Possibilities
Now that you understand the importance of this first step, it’s time to explore your possibilities.
Don’t worry, this doesn’t have to be a daunting task. In fact, it can be a lot of fun! All you need to do is think about what you love to do. What are the things that make you happy? What are your passions?
Once you’ve identified some possibilities, it’s time to start doing some research. See if there are any career opportunities in those areas. Check out job postings and see what kinds of skills and experience employers are looking for. Talk to people who work in those fields to learn more about them. The more information you gather, the better equipped you’ll be to make an informed decision.
What Have You Loved Doing in the Past?
If you’re still trying to figure out your passion in life, the first and most important step is to look back at what you’ve loved doing in the past. What were the things you’ve enjoyed doing so much that time flew by?
For example, maybe you loved playing sports or singing in choir. Maybe you loved going on hikes or spending time with your friends. The key is to find something that made you lose track of time and brought you happiness. Once you figure that out, it’ll be easier to narrow down your focus and determine what steps to take next.
What Are You Talented At?
The next step in your quest to find out what you love is to examine where your talents lie. You don’t necessarily have to have a specific skill or be great at something, but it helps if there are certain things that come naturally to you.
For example, if you’re a natural artist or creative thinker, try exploring some creative projects like writing, music production, filmmaking or even graphic design. If you’re a natural leader, why not take on some new leadership roles such as running a project for your local youth group or organizing an event for your community?
It’s okay if you don’t know exactly what you want to do yet—this is part of the exploration process. Take some time to think about what comes naturally to you. Then start researching different options that could help you hone those skills and develop them into something more tangible.
Evaluate the Opportunities Around You
Sometimes, the thing you’re looking for is right in front of you—you just have to take the time to evaluate all the opportunities and possibilities around you.
Start by reaching out to those in your network. Your peers, mentors, colleagues, and friends are great sources of information and insight—they know you best and can offer valuable advice about your strengths, weaknesses, and passions that can help you narrow down what it is you might want to do.
Moreover, get out into the world. Attend events related to your interests, meet new people who work in fields that excite you, or volunteer in an area related to something that interests you. Doing this will give you a better understanding of how things work in practice and let you come away with a clearer idea of what makes sense for your own pursuits. Ultimately, this exploration will give you guidance about what path makes the most sense for where your life is heading.
Let Yourself Experiment and Follow Where It Leads
When it comes to discovering that special thing that inspires you, one of the best things you can do is to let yourself experiment. After all, the points of exploration are almost limitless and through the process of trial and error, you can find something that resonates deeply with you.
Taking chances is a great way to start finding out what you love. Don’t be afraid to drop options or take risks with your ideas; they’ll help you get closer to figuring out exactly what it is that speaks to you. Try out a few different activities and keep exploring until something gives you that spark of excitement and gives your life purpose.
Furthermore, don’t be afraid to look into any kind of field or discipline – there are no wrong answers here when it comes to self-discovery so don’t be held back by any preconceived notions about what you should or shouldn’t do. If something interests you, take the plunge and see where it leads!
Determining Your Professional Goals
An important step in discovering what you love is to figure out your professional goals. You can start by making a list of the topics that interest you, and writing down your “why” or your goal for pursuing those topics. Ask yourself why do these topics appeal to me? What am I trying to accomplish by exploring them further? Once you have this clarity, dive into research about the particular field and industry standards.
This will help you crystallize your vision and establish likely paths that may meet those goals. Explore online mentorship programs, internships and talks from individuals who have actualized their dreams in their own professional journey.
Another tool you may want to use is the Process of Elimination. This is a strategy used to help narrow down your options so that you can focus on opportunities that best suit your interests and goals. Start by creating two lists—one for job opportunities that interest you and another for those that don’t. This will help you narrow down your choices by determining which jobs bring you closer to achieving your goals.
Take the time to weigh out different options before deciding on a direction for yourself for the long-term. Consider what type of impact could come from your professional pursuits and hone in on where you may want to focus your energy to reap maximum benefit from it in the future.
Conclusion
The most important thing is to figure out what you love. Once you know what you’re passionate about, you can start working on your career goals. There are a lot of resources out there to help you discover your passion, so don’t be afraid to look for help. Once you know what you want to do with your life, you can start taking steps to make your dreams a reality.
