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How do you discover and live your passion?
How do you discover and live your passion?
This is the seventh article in a ten-part series based on Craig
Nathanson's trademark "Ten P" model for vocational happiness.
By Craig Nathanson The Vocational Coach™
This is a question we all want to answer...
...especially in mid-life where everything is suddenly up for
questioning. Especially after age 40, when you get this nagging
feeling that what you do isn't really fulfilling and meaningful
anymore. Especially when your support structure continues to be
more concerned with the mundane aspects of life than with
happiness and fulfillment.
How do you discover your passion in your work?
Another tough question. For me, it was in the middle of teaching
a workshop years ago while I was still working in corporate
America. I got this sudden awareness that my life had to change.
It was in the middle of ANOTHER Powerpoint presentation. I felt
dizzy, light-headed. My boss thought perhaps I was getting sick
and we should reschedule. I remember thinking to myself; I was
sick all right, sick of this job and what I must do now is
reschedule my life!
Start by writing down what gets you the most excited about life.
Is it riding your bike on Sunday mornings, spending time alone
with your books, or doing the budget back at the office on
Thursday afternoons? The answer is different for each of us.
Think deeply and write down what excites you most.
Start to imagine
Start to imagine what your life would be like if you spent the
majority of your day actually doing what you love; what a
concept! Most people are unable to do this because they
immediately jump to the conclusion that they couldn't support
themselves and their families doing what they love. Sadly, they
wait until they retire. Then something happens and they die.
Then it IS too late.
Hang around others who love what you love
The next best step is to meet and hang around people who love
what you love. Discussing it with these like-minded people will
give you ideas. If you love books, start attending book fairs
and libraries; meet with publishers, authors and editors and
visit book stores. Meet and observe others who spend their days
with books. If you love to work with numbers, start to meet and
hang around with similar people. Subscribe to financial
publications, talk to accountants, controllers, people who work
with money and spreadsheets all day. Learn what they do, how
they do it and why they do it.
You will get new ideas!
Build a life roadmap
Determine what is most important to you in your life. Figure out
what you need to do each and every day to align your actions
with what is most important. Establish key goals 3-5 years from
now that align with what is most important to you. Make sure
they align with your passions, too.
What is vocational passion?
Imagine it's Sunday night and you can't get to sleep. You toss
and turn all night pondering your work. You wake up and glance
at the clock and notice it's still only 2:00 am and then 4:00 am
and finally 5:00 am. You can't stand it anymore. You jump out of
bed thinking about all the work you must accomplish on Monday.
The difference is that, when your work is also your vocational
passion, you'll love every minute of it.
Your work takes your breath away
Just recently I gave a talk to a large group about how to
discover and follow your passion. As I was waiting off-stage and
being introduced, I noticed my usual pre-talk feelings overwhelm
me. I felt dizzy, a little light-headed, and my body felt a rush
of breath. Although I am in great shape for my age (almost 50) I
worried that I was having a stroke and would die shortly into my
talk. Then I thought to myself, "I hope it doesn't happen until
the end of my talk or at least the funny parts". Then my
thoughts were interrupted as I heard, "And here is Craig
Nathanson, The Vocational Coach".
Within seconds, thoughts of an
impending heart attack or stroke left me and as I saw my
audience I suddenly, once again, felt my purpose in the world.
This inner experience happens EVERY time I speak and just before
meeting with my clients, and I have come to realize that this is
the rush of vocational passion. Then I am sure once again that
somehow, someway, I have figured out a way to continue living an
authentic life doing what I love.
Do you toss and turn on Sunday night, excited about Monday
morning?
Do you jump out of bed on Monday morning and race to work? Is
Monday your best day of the week and Friday the worst because
you have to wait until the following Monday to resume your
life's work? Believe it or not, this really IS possible!
How do you live your vocational passion?
Sounds simple and yet this is the most challenging thing you
will ever do; take action. Despite all the people who tell you
you're crazy; you'll starve; you're selfish; you'll become
homeless; you do it anyway. You start to take action with the
INTENTION of figuring out a way to make this work.
Even if you start at Harry's Hoff Brau
After leaving a senior management position in corporate America
over four years ago, it was always an interesting experience
telling people what I did. To the usual party question, "So what
do you do?" I would simply say, "I work with people over forty
to help them discover and do what they love!" The look in their
eyes always said something between, "You fool!" and "I am
jealous!"
My first talk was supposed to be in front of a big crowd as part
of a job fair at Harry's Hoff Brau in San Jose California. As I
entered the room about five minutes before my talk, I wondered
if I was in the wrong room -- it was empty. Around 6 pm when my
talk was about to start, a sweet elderly woman in her late 80's
wandered in and asked if the show was about to begin. She was
recently widowed after 50 years of marriage and she was still
carrying around a lot of sadness. She thought this free show
might cheer her up.
I sat down next to her and just listened to her talk about her
life. Although I didn't give my planned speech, when she hugged
me and told me I had cheered her up, I thought to myself that it
had been a perfect first show!
What matters most is that you START!
Following your vocational passion, especially after forty, is a
lonely experience at first. Soon, however, you will become so
involved in doing what you love that you will start to wonder
why it took you so long to get started. One day recently I went
to pick up my seven year-old from school. As I waited for him, a
woman drove up and asked, ''Are you the guy in the paper
recently who helps people discover and do what they love?" With
a little embarrassment, I said, "Well yes I am." She said, "I
noticed you the other day before the article came up and I
thought to myself, 'There is a man with bounce in his step.'" I
picked up my son and as we drove away, I thought to myself,
"That's what happens when you live an authentic life--you get
that bounce in your step!"
Can you get the bounce back in your step?
I think you can. First imagine what you want and what you are
passionate about. Write it down. Talk about it with others. Take
one small action and ignore the opinions of others while you are
starting out. Measure your progress. Your bounce will surely
come back and others will notice.
And with each step you take, I'll be cheering you on from the
sidelines.
About the author:
Craig Nathanson is the author of P Is For Perfect: Your Perfect
Vocational Day and a coaching expert who works with people over
forty. Craig's systematic approach, the trademark "Ten P" model,
helps people break free and move toward the work they love.
Visit Craig's online community at www.thevocationalcoach.com
where you can sign up for a class, private coaching or group
coaching. Or you can read other stories of mid-life change a
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