This is a big question! I think by now you know I’m all for following passions. Passion though is not often born fully fledged. Passion grows with exposure to that which excites.
I remember when I decided to enrol in Archaeology 100. I needed a third subject area to go with History and Ancient History to complete my degree. Thankfully I found archaeology early in my academic journey. It excited me from my first essay question. It grew into a lifelong passion. Nowadays that passion is for the archaeology of early farming across the globe and developments in human origins.
Therefore the question to ask yourself is: What excites me in life? To get to that can take an extra step. Curiosity. I was curious to explore archaeology as a discipline that led to excitement and finally passion, you need to ask yourself: What peaks my curiosity?
In a world of wall to wall content and instant answers to questions, developing curiosity can be a challenge.
A good place to start, if you’re truly stuck, is to think back to your twelve year old self. What was it you wanted to do with your life then? I’m not talking “Be a fireman.” but more what was the one thing that kept popping up? In books, on TV, on the radio or the stories and articles you were drawn to in magazines or newspapers. This can be a good place to start.
Takeaways
- Use your passion
- Finding your passion takes time
- What excites you?
- What really interests you in the world?