If You Find Your Passion, Will You Be Happy?

I remember thinking that if I could just find my passion, that thing that I was born to do, I would be happy. It excited me to think that there was something out there that I was meant to do; that fit my interests, my skills and would bring me joy. It also terrified me too. What if I go through life and never find it?

If we take a look at the definition of Passion, however, it is not a thing. It is a feeling. The Merriam-Webster definition of passion is,

• a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something
• a strong feeling (such as anger) that causes you to act in a dangerous way
• a strong sexual or romantic feeling for someone

My desire to find my passion was rooted in my belief that, “finding my passion,” would make me feel a certain way.  I was investing in the idea that if I found it, I would be happy.

What if what I DO doesn’t bring happiness but what I think and feel about what I do is what makes me feel happy?

When I was searching for my passion, what I was really looking for was something outside myself to trigger positive, passionate and loving thoughts and emotions within me. What if I could learn to trigger those thoughts and emotions by myself, independent of what was going on outside of me?  That means that potentially I could DO anything and be happy, as long as my thoughts and emotions about it were positive, passionate and loving.  So it’s not what I DO, but how I think and feel about what I do that brings happiness.

How to be happy now?

To learn more about what thoughts may be keeping you from being happy now, ask yourself the following questions;

1. When you find your passion what thoughts and emotions do you think you will you feel?

2. When you find your passion what thoughts and emotions do you think others will feel about you?

Let’s say for example that you answered happy, excited, valued, respected, proud, and admired. Those are the clues you can now use to uncover the thoughts that may be keeping you from finding happiness now.  Somewhere within you, there is a belief that you are not of value, respected, or admired, and you’re looking for external stimuli to trigger those feelings to feel better.

Your job today is to affirm through action that you are valued, respected and admired by others and more importantly by you.  The key here is action

You could take action by,

1. Finding an example in your life where you are or have been valued, respected, and admired.
2. Finding value, be respectful and admire someone else
3. Doing something that you consider of value today
4. Doing something that you consider worthy of respect today
5. Doing something that is admirable today

Stop waiting for something outside of yourself to make you happy. Be happy now by taking actions to elicit the feelings within you, in this moment.  Happiness is an inside job.