How Discovering Your Passions Can Improve Your Quality of Life
I've come to realize that the people who have the best quality of life are not the richest. They aren't the ones with the most free time. They aren't the ones we see on TV and in magazines. The people living life at the fullest are the ones who have discovered their passions and are living in them![easy-tweet tweet="The secret to living a more fulfilled life is found within your passion." via="no" usehashtags="no"]We are all born with passion inside of us. But, most people do not know or realize what they are passionate about. I have spoken to many people about discovering their passions. The response I receive is almost always the same. "I have no idea what I'm passionate about."You may be saying the same thing today; but I have good news! Discovering your passion is not as difficult as you may think.
Definition of Passion: An intense desire or enthusiasm for something that is done consistently.
You may still be saying, "I don't know what makes me feel this way." And you're certainly not alone in saying that. In fact, I believe that most people would answer the same way when asked about their passions. However, this leads me to another word that I want to share the definition of. The word is hobby. I believe that our hobbies can either hinder us or lead us to our passions.
Definition of Hobby: An activity done in one’s leisure time for pleasure.
The definition of hobby certainly sounds more like what we're used to; doesn't it? Here is where the problem presents itself. We live in a society where our priority is on pleasure and leisure. We live hobby based lifestyles; which is very dangerous.
The Problem with Prioritizing Leisure Time
Leisure time is addictive. We crave it. Society says we need it. Many of our leisure time hobbies have no benefit at all. Watching TV, playing video games and scrolling through social media will never add value to your life. In fact, it's actually proven that these things will cause you to live a substantially shorter life.Prioritizing leisure time for mindless hobbies is dangerous because it hinders you from exploring your true passions. But, some hobbies (not listed above) can potentially turn into your passions!
Consistency is What Separates an Individual's Hobbies from Their Passions
Have you allowed your so-called hobbies to turn into unhealthy passions? What I am implying is that watching TV and scrolling through social media has created a suppression of true passion and has actually become what we are most passionate about doing. Think about how many hours each day most people spend on these things; it's the most consistent part about most of our lives.By no means am I calling myself perfect or saying that I don't watch TV or spend time on social media at all. Yes, sometimes I still get things backwards. I catch myself putting my hobbies over my passions. However, when I fall into this, I take time to reflect and get myself back to where I am supposed to be.
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A very practical way that I have overcome this is by scheduling my leisure time. I schedule time to watch TV on Thursday nights; you'll never see me turn on a TV any other night of the week. I also schedule my social media time; I only get on Facebook on Saturday's. It's leisure time so it takes no priority.
4 Steps That Will Help You Discover Your Passions:
Your passions are already inside of you. It is up to you to avoid the hobbies that suppress passions and do things that bring them out. Here are four great questions to ask yourself:1. What am I enthusiastic about; what makes me feel alive? - This is your passion!2. What is my time consistently spent doing? - Counterproductive hobby or potential passion?3. Could one of these productive hobbies become a passion? - What can you do with it?4. What can I minimize in my life to make time for what I am enthusiastic about? - Develop a plan!I encourage you to write these four questions down on paper. Spend a substantial amount of time to answer them truthfully. The best place to do this is in solitude, away from people and technology. This includes your phone! I firmly believe that you will come back from this time with inspirations about your passions that you've never had before.Discovering your passions will improve your quality of life. Passion leads to purpose. Purpose leads to fulfillment. Fulfillment leads to increased energy, happiness and excitement. If you begin keeping your passions and hobbies in the correct order; I firmly believe your life will be forever changed!
What is one unproductive hobby that you can limit or remove from your life?