Passion and Purpose

There’s a saying we all probably know and it goes like this; “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” From the outside in, it seems pretty simple. Why don’t we all live this way? Well… It’s a complicated question to answer. Not many people have a hobby or profession in which they completely love every aspect of the work. It’s extremely difficult to find the one thing that brings you purpose and fulfillment. The complicated part begins with humans being able to love many things. For perspective, do you really think your “soulmate happened” to go to the same high school as you? There are many people in this world that we can build a life with, as there are many hobbies and professions that can become our passions. We are complicated beings who live in a world that is NOT so black and white.

Each individual has a “fire” inside them that burns bright or dim, but radiates different colors depending on the individual. If my fire burns blue and I’m working in a profession that radiates a red flame, then no matter how hard I try to excel in that position, it may never happen. Even worse, I may never feel fulfilled. It’s like having a class full of different student body types and the final exam is to run a marathon. Do you think the short clumsy student is going to thrive over the lengthy athletic student? Absolutely not. So how do we find our purpose or radiant that will allow us to thrive as an individual?

This diagram explains how we are able to progressively make our way to discovering our purpose and passions. As you can see in the middle is our deepest passion, which is the core we are looking to reach. Each layer surrounding the core is the other passions that lead us to finding our deepest passion. You will not discover your deepest passion unless you peel back each layer and get closer and closer to the core. For instance, as a recent graduate, I really wanted and needed to get into the gym. Fast forward a couple of years, I have found love for the gym and have achieved the success I’ve been wanting all along. I know in a few years, the gym is going to get old and I will open my mind to the next passion. Discovering the gym as a passion has allowed me to peel back one layer. Do I want to live and breathe the gym for my whole life? Do I want to make this my career? No, but I’ve completed my goal and can now focus on the next thing. With each passion we pursue for an extended period of time, we learn something new about ourselves.

I was watching a TEDX talk by Adam Leipzig, on finding your passion and purpose. The speaker broke this down with five phrases; who they were, what they did, who they did it for, what those people wanted or needed, and what they got out of it. He breaks this down in a way that explains, your purpose and passions come from external forces, which is humanity. People who found their passions and have fulfilling careers, serve a segment of people in which they benefit their life. Our sole purpose is to give in this world and without giving we will live a cold reality. People who are born to be doctors find fulfillment in saving lives and making others healthy again. People who are passionate engineers find fulfillment in adding to innovation and overcoming the limits of humanity.

After all this talk, I’m sure you're wondering if I’ve found my deepest passion and purpose. The answer is no, but I truly believe with my eagerness to find it, I will stumble across my deepest passion. Through trial and error, I will find this core within me. It starts here, publishing my thoughts and attempting to reach an audience similar to me. If I influence one person, l will feel an incredible sense of fulfillment. The most difficult part of this process is throwing yourself out to the public. What are people going to think? Am I sharing too much information? Is this my true self? I don’t know, but I can write to an audience and believe I will influence those like me. I’ll leave you with this… If you want to find your purpose and passions, you will. It’s a mindset that is up to you to pursue. Fortunately, there is no special recipe, rather it’s a frame of thought and strong perseverance. You will not be stopped until you find your fulfillment.

With love,

Gior Dior