Finding your passion
Here’s the secret: finding your passion isn’t about looking — it’s about doing and discovering. Let’s think about what passion is and how to find it.
What is passion?
It’s a feeling. Think of it as a drive, fuelling you to do something. It’s what pushes you to keep going.
You might already have one.
Stringing words together for your school yearbook, snapping pics of your friends’ outfits, or always reminding your family to say no to plastic bags and straws. Think of what excites you, interests you, and motivates you.
What does passion look like?
You can’t see passion but you can feel it. You can see its effects. That person with more energy than anyone else? Passion. The rain-or-shine drive to wake up every day to just do it? Passion.
If you’re already gravitating towards something, you might already be on the right track.
Iona Jost
Marcus Rashford
Nikki Lilly
Six ways to figure out your passion
Don’t worry – finding your passion isn’t an overly complicated process.
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1
Reflect!
Dig deep. What sparks joy?
Is there an overarching theme to what you like to do? Can you combine them into one route? Does the thought of building your knowledge and skills in this area make you feel good.
These are questions that can help you narrow down your areas of interest.
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2
How do you spend your time?
Reading about climate change and how fast fashion is killing the environment? Helping people by listening to their problems? These are more than just hobbies — they’re hints about where your real interests may lie.
These are some important questions to think about, and don’t forget to put those thoughts into action.
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3
Take a personality test
Not the kind that tells you what kind of cheese you are, but the kind that finds out about your motivations and what you’re like. They can be really insightful in deep diving and exploring your values, interests and personality.
They are good indicators of your passions and strengths. Once you understand these, you’ll have a better idea of where your interests are.
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4
What do you always make time for?
What do you look forward to after school or on weekends? Guitar classes or playing football with your friends? Think of all the stuff you do because you LIKE doing it, not because someone asked.
These are qualities that you can build into what you want to do. We even have a helpful apprenticeships and graduate jobs search that could help you decide on your direction.
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5
Get out of your comfort zone
If you don’t try, you won’t know whether you like it or not. Experiment — the world is your oyster.
Trying new things opens the door to new opportunities. New people. It uncovers your strengths (and weaknesses), which allows you to move from point A to B.
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6
Talk to people
Is there someone in your life — a family member, a teacher or even a coach — someone you admire? Reach out to them.
Find out more about what they do and how they got started. Learn from their mistakes and gain valuable insights when making decisions about your future.
Long-term vs. short-term goals
What you love today might not be the same thing you love next year, and separating what you want right now vs five years from now is useful.
Where do you want to be today? What about tomorrow, next week, next month?
Close your eyes and feel what moves you. It’s a small step to finding where you ultimately want to be and a good compass to where you should head.
In ten years, you might want to be somewhere else. But you’ll sleep a lot better knowing you followed that voice inside.
And once you’ve found your passion?
If you know what you’re passionate about, think about what you can do to achieve your goal.
This means putting plans into action. Speaking to people who can guide you on your next steps and making time to work on your passion.
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