“Passion is an emotion applied to a very strong feeling about a person or thing. Passion is an intense emotion, compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something. The term is also often applied to a lively or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, or activity or love. Passion can be expressed as a feeling of unusual excitement, enthusiasm or compelling emotion towards a subject, idea, person, or object. A person is said to have a passion for something when he has a strong positive affinity for it. A love for something and a passion for something are often used synonymously.” - Wikipedia
Today I was working with a client and we started talking about passions. As someone who loves clarity and structure, he wanted some way to be able to determine what he is passionate about. It was a great opportunity to identify indicators of when a passion is present. Together, we came up with this check list that helps identify when something is a passion. He’s using it for the sake of increasing his understanding and awareness of passions. I hope you can play with it for your own discovery too.
Indicators of when something is a passion:
- It’s easy and enjoyable
- It is energizing; you can keep doing it for a long time
- It feels right and authentic
- It creates a sense of confidence
- It creates pride and a deep sense of commitment
- It connects you to your spirit and creativity
- You talk about it with enthusiasm
- It’s epic; feels big and meaningful
- It creates a positive mood, tone and environment
- It creates a sense of connection – with self and others
Use this as a check list and scan your day, your week or month. Think of what you’ve done and consider the activities, situations and people where you felt the above indicators. Hopefully this will bring some awareness of what you are passionate about. Once you know your passions, invest time and energy in amplifying them and integrating them into everything you do.