What prevents you from doing what you love – Passion Myth #1

Who doesn’t want to live with passion? We all want to, right?

Wake up excited to do something we enjoy.  Get paid for work that feels like play.  Have the hours fly by without noticing because we’re having so much fun doing what we love.

So if that’s what we want, why aren’t more of us following our passion?

 Well it’s not because we’re lazy. Or bad or even scared. 

It’s probably because we’ve fallen for one of the popular myths about passion that’s steering us wrong.  In this series we’re going to talk about three of the most popular myths about passion and give you one practical step you can do to move through it.

Ready?  Let’s dive right in.

Myth #1:  You can’t find your passion in a test or questionnaire.

There are a lot of great assessments out there.  Psychological tests that list out the right career for you based on your “type”.  Ones that help you identify your natural strengths.  And others that can pinpoint how you’re wired to fascinate and entice the world around you.  (Believe me, I know.  I’ve taken just about every assessment out there!)

There are also a long list of questions about your childhood and the books on your nightstand that are designed to help you hone in on your long lost passion.

All of these are useful.  But they can steer you wrong.

Here’s why.

You can end up spending all your time thinking about your passion and never get around to actually living it.

It’s kind of like looking for the love of your life and spending all your time making lists of what you want and creating online dating profiles.  If you never actually go on a date and respond to the requests you receive, you’ll get stuck in a pattern of just thinking about the love of your life and never take any steps to actually meet them.

At a certain point, you have to put your pen down and step away from the tests and questionnaires.

The best way to actually find your passion is to live with passion.

“Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.” – Swami Sivananda 

So just pick one thing you’ve discovered about yourself and test it out.  If you’re passionate about art, but haven’t picked up a paintbrush since middle school, recruit a friend to do a 30-day art journalling challenge with you or take a weekend art class at your local free school.

Your turn – What’s one thing you can commit to do in the next week to live your passion? Let us know in the comments.

And if you live in San Francisco come unlock your passions with a group of amazing women, join me next Thursday for a fun and creative evening. More details here: http://pauseandshine.eventbrite.com/

Author bio:  Ije Ude is a coach for women who want to get things done with more love and less stress.  It took her almost 37 years to finally follow her passion and build a full-time coaching practice doing what she loves.  She’s on a mission to help other women avoid the mistakes she made and turn their passions into a profitable business and pleasure-filled life.  You can find her at www.soulpoweredcoaching.com and sign up for a free Soul-Powered Marketing Boost session with her!