Move Over Passion...Hello Curiosity!
There has been a lot of talk about about pursuing your passion, living your passion, giving everything up in pursuit of a passion. That sounds all well and good for those that have a passion yet what does that mean for those who haven’t figured that part out yet? For many of us who are struggling to identify our “passion,” this whole topic becomes pretty stressful and overwhelming, fast. So much so, we avoid “finding our passion” completely, and continue on with with our daily routines, staying in our comfort zones. Rather than struggling to zero in on that “one big thing,” I propose looking at pursuing passion in a slightly different way.
If someone asked me today, “What is your passion?” I would fumble with my words and probably come up with a less than stellar answer. If someone asked me what I am curious or passionate about get ready… the list is pretty long! I would rattle off travel, wine, animal rights, protecting our environment, the outdoors, exercise, yoga, personal growth, coaching, technology, foreign languages. You get the idea.
The pursuit of finding a passion can put pressure, dependencies, and attachment on achieving a desired outcome. For those of you that have found your passion, that’s awesome! I encourage you to still read on. For the rest of you, rather than putting pressure on yourself to commit to and hone in on a passion, how about starting with exploring your curiosities? What interests you, what activities do you feel passionate about? It could be something that you know nothing about, or perhaps you know a little about, and want to learn more. Maybe you’ve always been curious about scuba diving, motorcycles, yodeling, you name it!
Maybe exploring your curiosities leads to finding your true passion, one that you want to cultivate in all of your spare time. Or, maybe not. Your curiosities could just be curiosities, helping you further define what you are not interested in. Either way, you will learn something. Exploring your interests comes with no strings attached, it is just for fun and that’s it. How liberating is that?
What are you curious to try? Below are 4 quick steps to get you started:
Make a list. List everything that comes to mind that you want to try, learn or dream about. Don’t be shy. This list is for your eyes only and can always be edited as necessary.
Prioritize. Pick your top 1-2 interests that you want to explore now.
Research. Familiarize yourself with information online, Meetup groups, clubs, organizations, schools in your subject.
Take Action. Pick a day and time to focus on pursuing your curiosity. Make this time sacred. Find resources that require minimal investment to learn more - free seminars, gatherings, and books. Or, meditate on your curiosities and see what comes up for you. Here are a couple of resources I found especially helpful:
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero
Think about which awesome people you could meet, what you may learn, or where you may go. You’ll never know until you get out there and explore! There’s a whole world awaiting you. I’d love to hear from you, what are you curious about?
Holly works with professionals to create services-based businesses using expertise and strengths they already have. Holly is the creator of The Consultant Code, a program will have you up, running, and profitable with your services-based business in 60 days or less! Want to learn more? Drop her a note at: holly@hollyknoll.com