Finding Your Passion

Passion rarely shows up fully formed. You don’t usually recognize it the moment you encounter it. More often, it develops over time as you stay with an activity, become more immersed, and start to notice how it affects your energy and engagement.

I read this article about purpose. It struck me how closely the ideas map to finding passion, which can lead to finding purpose as well. And as the author shares, “This is the most important work we’ll do.”

So how do you actually go about finding your passion?

To answer that, I want to move beyond the article and share a design-thinking framework that I’ve found useful. What makes it powerful is the way it works together as a system, not simply individual components. There are no shortcuts here. This work takes effort. And while many of us know we should reflect more deeply on what we care about, few of us are ever taught how to do that in a structured, practical way.

I’ve spent most of my career in recruiting, helping people think through their first or next career move. Over the years, I’ve suggested pieces of this framework countless times. Eventually, I decided to go deeper and get certified in a design-thinking approach to life design. I now use this framework to help people identify, test and build toward their passions.

As a starting point, here’s how design thinking takes the article’s tips a step further:

Identify Your Values (In life design terms: building a compass)

The article suggests a few ways to uncover values, including an assessment and a classic exercise from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (an incredible book). If you want to go deeper, I recommend a book by my friend and mentor John Blumberg, who will help you understand your values. I’ve used a Life and Work View exercise* that helps people connect who they are, what they believe and what they’re doing (called coherency). The goal isn’t just naming values, but understanding how they show up (or don’t) in daily life.

Tuning Fork Moments  (In life design terms: wayfinding)

This concept from the article really resonates with me. Pay attention to moments when time seems to stand still and you feel energized (or drained). What are you doing? Who are you with? What environment are you in? What tools or technologies are you using? These moments can come from work, volunteering, hobbies, school or personal life. They don’t always look “career-appropriate” at first. Often, the insight comes from breaking the experience into components and asking why they felt engaging (or draining). I suggest journaling* to capture these moments and details.

Get on the Playing Field  (In life design terms: prototyping)

Once you have an idea, the article suggests incorporating it into your life, even in small ways. Designers call this prototyping*, which means trying things out. Because passion rarely starts as passion, small experiments — a conversation, a project, shadowing someone — are often a helpful and informative next step. Too often, people either keep ideas stuck in their head or go all-in too quickly without knowing if they’ll actually enjoy the work. Prototyping gives you real data and insight to decide whether to move forward or not.

Turn to Other Mapmakers  (In life design terms: radical collaboration) 

“Find the wise person.” This is excellent advice too. People are usually willing to help, especially when approached with curiosity rather than expectation. Designers don’t work alone, and neither should you. Sharing your thinking with others and listening openly to their perspectives can surface blind spots and possibilities you wouldn’t uncover on your own.

These steps, this framework can help you build toward your passion. Help you recognize it. And see how it affects your energy and engagement. You’re on the right path. Keep going.

One final thought: you likely have more than one passion in your life. And your passion doesn’t have to be your job. I hope it is. But it can also come from volunteering, parenting, mentoring, serving on a board, community involvement, and so many other things. It doesn’t have to be an either/or choice. Often, the most fulfilling lives weave passion across multiple areas.

Which brings us back to where we started: “This is the most important work we’ll do.”

*These exercises are used in a workshop I lead as part of my coaching practice