Passion is something I’ve blogged about a lot. It’s a valuable trait that will drive you and get you really far. What about you? What are your passions? I’m a firm believer in doing what you’re passionate about. But well, not everyone has a “keep you awake at night passion”, as David Petersen tells us. The first step to developing passion, though, is identifying what you’re passionate about – what you’re called to do. I believe that we all have passions, some are just more hidden and might have faded with time. Here are my 7 keys to identifying/discovering your passion, what you are meant to do.

People – Readers of this blog will probably know the value I place on relationships and people. We all know the saying “birds of a feather flock together”. Who do you hang out with? And what do you look for in friends? Your friends and the people you hang out with say a lot about you and what you are into.
Attention – Is there anything that’s always on your mind? That you’re always thinking about? What do you think about before you sleep, while you’re lying in bed? Identifying what that is is a huge step to discovering your passion.
Smile – What brings a smile to your face? Finding what you enjoy and what puts a smile on your face is a great place to start.
Speech – What you talk about says a lot about you, and what you’re interested in. Personally, I’m into music, and I talk a lot about it.
Invigorate – When do you feel the most alive? What makes you feel the most alive? Your passion is something that inspires you. It’s something that gives you energy. That energy is essential, and will drive you really far.
Observe – Do you notice/observe things that most others overlook? When you go to a new place, what do you observe? If you’re passionate about something, you’ll look deeper into it than most. And you’ll see/observe more than most others.
Natural – Your passion is something that you feel natural doing. Go with your intuition. If it feels wrong, it probably is. If it feels like it’s what you’re meant to do, it could very well be. To quote Phil Gerbyshak (in his comment on David Petersen’s post), “Do your guts twitch and do you get a bit nervous? If so, you’re on the right track!”

So there it is. P.A.S.S.I.O.N. My 7 “building blocks” of passion, sort of. What about you? What is your passion? And how did you identify and develop it?

And yes, I do have an affinity for acronyms. Just one of my idiosyncrasies, I guess.