Still Looking For Your Passion?

Somewhere along the way, you were told to find your passion. The one thing you were made for. And you have been waiting for it, watching other people seem to have theirs, and quietly wondering what it means that you do not. This talk looks at why that idea puts so much pressure on people, and why waiting to feel certain before you begin can keep you waiting for years. It offers a lighter, more forgiving way to find out what you truly enjoy, one small step at a time. There is one simple practice at the end that you can start today and keep adding to over the coming months. Suitable for anyone who feels a little lost about what they want, at any stage of life.

Transcript

Somewhere along the way, You were told that you should find your passion. That one thing. The thing you were made for. The work that would not feel like work. And you have been waiting for it. Watching other people seem to have it and wondering when yours will show up. And as the years have gone by, A quieter worry has crept in. What if I do not have one? Or what if I have multiple? I believed the story for a long time. When I was younger, I was sure that one day I would stumble on that one thing I loved and I would get paid for it and life would fall into place like it does in movies. But it did not happen. Not in my 20s. Not in my 30s. And it was frustrating. I started to think something was terribly wrong with me. That maybe I just did not have what it took. That brought an immense amount of self-doubt and quite a lot of uneasiness. Here is what I understand now about why that story is so heavy and important. It asks you to find just one thing, Just one. And it asks you to find it before you even start. As if passion is a buried object already there, Waiting to be dug up. And if you have not found it by a certain age, You must not be digging hard enough. But that is not how most people come to love what they do. For most of us. Passion is not found. And then followed. Instead, It grows. Slowly. Out of something that was only interesting at first. So if you're waiting to feel certain before you begin something. You may be waiting for something that only shows up after you have started. I know the irony. I have learned that you do not need a single passion. You need something only to be ingested in. Interest is much smaller than passion. It is Kwaito. It does not need to be lifelong. It does not need to be life-changing. It just needs to make you a little curious. Think of the game. We played as children. Remember the one which was called Warmer Colder Warmer? You do not need to know where the thing is hidden. You only need to know which direction is warmer and take a step toward that way. And then check again. That is all following your interest is. It's not a map, Just warmer or colder. And there is a huge freedom in this. You are allowed to be interested in several things. You are allowed to love some of them for a while and then move on. That is not a lack of focus. That is how you find out what you really enjoy. You also find out what you do not enjoy. And that is just as useful. For a long time. I thought I loved hiking and adventure. I thought that that was who I was. Over the years, I have learned that I do enjoy being outdoors. And seeing new places. But given the choice, What I truly love is being at home. I would never have known that if I had not tried. The other thing first. So here's a simple practice for this. Start your own warmer list. Teeka Beach. Write down anything that has made you a little curious of late. Anything at all. A topic you read about twice, A conversation that went on longer than you expected, Something you watched someone else do and thought, Hey, That seems interesting. It does not have to be massive. It does not even have to be useful. It does not even need to make you money. It only has to be warmer than the rest of your week. And then go ahead and pick one thing from that list. Just one. And give it one small step this week. Read one article. Watch one video. Talk to somebody about that topic of interest. Try it out. Afterwards, Ask yourself one thing. Did it feel warmer or colder? And write the answer next to it. But that is the whole practice. If it was warmer, Give it another small step next week. If it was colder, Cross it off without any guilt and try the next one. Keep the list going. Add to it, Whenever something catches your attention. Over a few months, You will notice that a few things keep coming up warm. That is where to look more closely. You're not looking for one thing. You are just following the warmth. And there is nothing wrong with you if you haven't discovered one passion. You were just looking for something big. When the clues were small. You do not have to find a passion before you begin. Most people find it by beginning. So start your warmer list. Choose one thing. Take one small step and ask, Warmer or colder? And then lean into the answer that comes up for you.