Find Your Passion: An Introduction
A typical reader of the blog.
Are you feeling bored and uninspired in life?
Maybe you’re disenchanted with where you currently are.
It’s time to step outside your comfort zone, in a safe and pragmatic way!
If you’re feeling a bit bored, you may be in need of trying something new. Something different. Something that makes you feel… ALIVE!
But Jack, can’t I just live a boring life?
Sure… but you’re already here, so you may as well give this a crack! Let’s cover the benefits first…
Some of the benefits of finding your passion are:
You start to become happy with who you are as a person. You begin to like yourself.
There’s nothing worse than not being happy with who you are as a person. I’ve certainly felt inadequate over the years, and one way I’ve sought to address this is by stepping outside my comfort zone and trying something new. This could be to build my capabilities, or to address issues I was already having. In my welcome emails, I referenced my journey into improving my dating skills, and how I discovered my passion of self development. It was through this journey that I discovered a pathway to happiness as a person. If you haven’t read it, be sure to check it out!
You start to become an interesting person, and people see you this way.
Back in 2014, I decided to pick up the guitar. This was during a particularly tough time I was having enduring a destructive illness. There was a senior colleague who I… somewhat despised at work. He had an ego. I probably had one too, however we had nothing in common. One day at lunch, my friend invited him to sit with us while he waiting for his order. My friend said to him… “Jack plays the guitar”. This colleague lit up and said “WOW! How’s your ‘F’ chord”? For 10mins we ‘struck a chord’ and talked about guitars. I realised how a new activity can start to break the bounds of distance in our personal and professional lives.
It allows yourself to spend more time in a positive state.
Being in a negative state sucks. It really does. It acts as a repellent. You get less of what you want, and more of what you don’t want. When we start to find things we are passionate about, we have a go-to place. When we are down, we have something we can do to pick ourselves up and out of the rut we’re in. And when we’re in a positive state, we do more, achieve more, and become more.
Develop transferrable skills and up your career.
When we attempt new activities, we further develop our cognitive abilities. This branches over into other areas of our lives. Sometimes we find transferrable skills, things that we can utilise in our career. This serves to empower us and achieve greater things. An example is learning a new language, or developing memory skills. You may even learn golf and get invited out by the boss one day ;).
Help you to find your vision.
Finding your passion is the first step to living an empowered life. Here at From The Desk of Jack Taylor, we deep dive into your success. After finding a few things we’re passionate about, we step forward and find our vision. Our vision is what serves us at the highest level, and allows us to take to the skies for a life of empowerment, passion and fulfilment. Don’t worry, I’ll be right here every step of the way to take you through this journey! Ready? Let’s begin!
How to Find Your Passion
I’m going to keep this guide fairly lean. You don’t need fluff, you need results!
Try something, stick at it for a bit.
Back in 2011 I went snowboarding. On the beginner mountain, we had an instructor, and after going up the ski lift we quickly found ourselves sitting on our backsides with a ‘wet bum and no fish’. Directly opposite me, was my friend, who was also on his backside. Snowboarding was HARD!!! Certainly not as easy as the RedBull riders made it look!!! Right between myself and my mate, this other colleague came marching between us, right down the mountain. I said to him “Where the hell are you going?” He said “This is too hard, I’m not doing it.”
And he quit.
I was so angry, I retorted, “Mate! Look at the rest of us!! We’re all on our arses!!”.
But it was too late, he’d quit.
By the next day I could snowboard down the mountain, only falling over several times. But this isn’t about me. Clearly I’m angry. You can’t just quit 30 seconds into it. Anyway, this isn’t my problem, and this story serves as a reminder not to quit. I mean, it’s ok to quit, just not that quickly without a seriously good reason.
And this guy didn’t have one.
So yeah, pick something, and give it time.
Try something else, build your capabilities
Some people will just try anything. I certainly wasn’t one of those people. Everyone’s psychology has a threshold, which means how much change they can endure, and how much they can willingly take on. I wouldn’t say go out there and just try everything. I would say to pick a few other things and cycle through while actively progressing. For instance, you might pick something physical, something mental, something musically oriented, etc.
Follow the process and get around like minded people.
It can be hard to find people who are supportive of your new found… you! This blog is a starting point, and will attempt to serve as encouragement to allow you to achieve your goals. As I progress in building out this site, there will be more resources which will help you achieve a life of passion and fulfilment.
Don’t be hard on yourself
It will be hard. It will be tough. You’ll probably quit. And that’s ok. Just keep going and attempting to progress.
I’ll let you in on a little secret here.
Progress equals happiness.
You’ll start to discover moments of happiness as you progress, which will fuel you as you build your capabilities.
Have fun with the process
Learning something new shouldn’t be a chore. Schools have made learning a chore because they don’t adopt strategies to actually make it fun. That is not how this blog operates. So go ahead, have fun. Stuff up a few times. Enjoy the process, and at the end of it you will have some great stories to entertain your friends with… or yourself!
To get started, here is a list of ideas to help you get started. These will serve to help you find your passion! Don’t worry, I’m right here! As I attempt them I will add information around my experiences. Ready? Let’s check out the list!
The List
This is the list. My personal additions are also below. Let’s begin!
As per: https://www.developgoodhabits.com/new-skills-to-learn/
Basic home repairs
Learn how to draw
Basic car repairs
Organize and declutter your home
Play the guitar
Photography
Gardening
Learn to cook
Learn piano
Make your own furniture and decorations
Master tai chi
Perform basic dance moves
Become a reader
Change a flat tyre
Jump start a dead battery
Learn to start a fire
Survive a major crisis
Sewing, stitching, patching
Meet and attract a perfect life partner
Perform the Heimlich manoeuvre
Perform CPR
Ask the right questions
Find what interests you
Utilize critical thinking
The skill of mindful living
Be comfortable with change
Develop confidence
Think positive
Maintain Self-Awareness
Skill of Focus
Improve your research skills
Rewire your brain
Build the deliberate practice habit
Think logically
Create a personal budget
Make purchases and get cash back
Track receipts
How to repair credit
Apply for loans and credit cards
Manage your debt
How to spend, save and invest
Weighing risk and reward
Save money
Conserve utilities
Stock investing skill
Property investing skill
Invest money (the easy way)
Breathing/deep breathing skill
Swimming skill
Yoga
Get good sleep
Aromatherapy
Stay hydrated
Mental Health: Get your mind right for health
Mastering the mind-body connection
Massage therapy
Efficient walking
Eat like you respect yourself
Understand portion sizes without a need to measure
Relax effectively
Relieve stress
Maintain proper posture
Fully understand nutrition
Experiment with a paleo diet
Staying fit as you age
Stretch
Efficient and safe running
Practise self-care
Write professional emails
Write a professional resume
Write with pizazz
Learn to offer value to others
Be personable
Be able to keep your message brief
How to write an effective speech
How to speak to an audience
Conversation confidence skill
Learn to Network
Question conventional wisdom
Develop business relationships
Mastering organization
Planning: Plan your day, week, month, quarter & year
Managing employees
How to hire and manage virtual teams
Inbox zero
Business skills fundamentals
Accounting and bookkeeping basics
How to influence others
How to get the most from what you do
Art of negotiating
Stay sharp
End procrastination
Goal-setting skills
Essential business online tools skills
My Personal Add-ons
Start a blog / Youtube / Instagram
Learn how to sell
Sell something online
Attempt candlemaking
Create a photobook
Learn to touch type
Learn speed maths
Master communication
Design and print a tshirt
Master Premiere Pro
Join a library
Attend book club
Go snorkelling
Go snowboarding
Visit your national capital
Learn a card game and play with a friend
Host a poker night
Teach someone something
Get someone to teach you something
A new look
Get a 6-pack of abs
Learn to drive manual
Play a team game
Buy something you want
Go to a new restaurant
Go to a bar or nightclub
Enjoy a new drink
Make a cocktail
Go to a unique hotel
Do a tour
Visit a tourist attraction
Visit a new park
Go camping
Have a picnic
Enjoy a sunrise or sunset
Visit a Botanical garden
Visit a national park
Go hiking
Visit a local market
Go for brunch somewhere
Enjoy high tea
Write and send a postcard
Learn Salsa
Learn to knit
Find something to motivate you
Create a playlist that inspires you
Go to wine school
Post a letter to your local member of Parliament