How to find passion in your career
A career that lights them up is closer than most people think. When I address this topic I can give specific insights and action steps to help people start down the path to creating a career they love. The ideas I discuss are based on The Occupational Adventure Guide, the system I have developed to help my clients and others take a step-by-step approach to finding passion in their work. I can offer concrete ideas and examples to help people find a career they love.
Get unrealistic!
Three of the most dream-crushing words in the English language are, “I can’t because…” For every person who feels stuck and frustrated in their career, you’ll inevitably hear a litany of reasons why they can’t create the life they really want.
“Pursuing my passion is unrealistic,” they tell themselves. After all, “they can’t because.”
There’s an epidemic of realism going around, and it’s keeping people stuck. I want to encourage everybody to drop the urge to be “realistic” this year and let their dreams take flight. In this discussion, I can share some specific ideas on how to start pursuing those dreams, even when they seem unrealistic. I discuss some of those ways in this article: http://www.passioncatalyst.com/media/reality.pdf
Top five ways we get in the way of finding a career we love
When it comes to creating a career we love, we are often our own worst enemy. In discussing this topic, I address five ways people frequently get in their own way. These include:
- Immediate gratification: People often look at what they want to do and think, “I can’t do that.” Often, what they really mean is, “I can’t right now.” With a longer time frame and a committed effort, that often changes.
- Living other people’s lives: So many people make their career decisions based on what other people expect. The only path to passion is based on an internal sense of direction.
- Not looking inside first: Trying to find passion in your career without first really understanding what lights you up is like trying to play darts with a blindfold. You might hit the bullseye, but it’s unlikely.
- Not making themselves a priority: There will always be something else demanding our attention. If we don’t set a clear boundary and prioritize ourselves, nothing will ever happen.
- Having an unfulfilling definition of success: I have worked with and spoken to so many people who have had all the material trappings of success – money, power, status, etc. – yet were completely miserable. Those things aren’t inherently bad, but they present an enormous obstacle if they lead people to compromise themselves in their pursuit.
Don’t change THE world…change YOUR world.
I hate to say it, but in the grand scope of the planet, each of us is pretty insignificant. And the likelihood that any of us are going to “change the world” is pretty close to zippo.
That’s why I say, “Don’t change THE world…change YOUR world.” Because in our own sphere of influence, each of us has the potential to make our world a better place. In this topic, I discuss five ways each of us can change our own worlds:
- Our work
- Volunteering
- Giving
- Our life decisions
- Our interactions
I can also talk about how a focus on making a positive impact can energize and inspire us. Specifically, I can discuss making a “personally meaningful difference.” Of all the bazillion ways to make a difference in the world, some of them are going to feel more compelling than others. The key is for each person to understand what kind of difference has the most energy for them, and start directing their efforts and action accordingly.
Possible interview questions
- What is a “Passion Catalyst?”
- What is your definition of passion?
- What one thing can people do to start moving towards a career they love?
- Have you always been this passionate about your work?
- How did you end up as a Passion Catalyst?
- What is the most common obstacle you see people encountering?
- You say that your work is all about energy management – could you explain what that means?
- You think it’s in our own best interest to understand and act on the difference we want to make in the world. Why do you say that?
- What difference do you want to make?
- What inspires you?
- What gives you hope?
- Based on what you’ve seen with your clients, what are three things that contribute most to success in finding career passion?
- Why don’t you believe in being realistic?
