I recently wrote about incorporating the uniqueness of you into your creative or coaching business. How bringing your passions into your business not only lets you experience more joy during your day, it also gives you an authentic differentiator to your business.
Today, I thought we’d delve a bit deeper and spend time exploring how you can identify what your unique passions are.
Five years ago, I couldn’t really answer that question for myself.
Beyond reading or trying to find tiny pockets of time here or there to write, I didn’t really know what I liked doing in the little free time I felt I had. And even then, reading or writing didn’t seem worthy of being labeled passions. I’ve learned since that passions aren’t things you can line up and judge as worth/not worthy.
They’re a simple yet powerful part of what makes you you, one set of keys to the deep mystery of your soul.
To get you thinking about and identifying and making connections for yourself around what you love, I’ve developed a set of questions for you to answer. Find some time in your schedule where you can be undisturbed. Then grab a notebook and pen, sit down and look to the following for answers:
Go beyond time
What is something that when you’re doing it you tend to lose track of time? The minutes slide by unnoticed. You look up, astonished to find out the light is waning, and the afternoon is past.
Lose yourself
What is something that you do where you feel fully fascinated and energized? You feel dreamy, almost unaware of what’s going on around you, deeply absorbed in the minute by minute do-ing.
Dream past money
What is something that, if all your money needs were being met abundantly elsewhere, you’d want to do all day long for fun? Joy spills over into deep gratitude that you get to do this amazing thing.
Gaze outward
Think of someone you deeply admire who is living her life in a way that you long to be. What is it about that person that you love, love, LOVE the most? You think of her and feel a yearning to be doing that.
Look backward
Spend 5 minutes describing one of your favorite childhood birthday parties you can remember and why you loved it so much. Now answer the prompt: As a child, I remember having fun…
Once you’ve done this, take a few minutes and step back. Reread your answers to the questions and look for anything that emerges as a potential common thread among your responses. Start there.
And remember, you might find something that appears in a neat package, an activity that many recognize as a ‘passion’ – something like baking, or hiking. However, as is often the case, the connection might also look like something more nuanced, something you don’t recognize as something to be passionate about – like reading spiritual books or talking to other people about culture and norms.
Know that every connection is vital, and whatever emerges from this exercise will be gold.
The scribbled notes in your journal are shiny filaments, each one singularly luminous. Taken together they’re woven into the brilliant tapestry of you.
I’d love to hear what emerged for you from these exercises. Post a comment or hit reply and tell me what you discovered.