How To Stop Endlessly Searching For Your Passion

Passion is a strange concept.

Some people take it for granted, while others can't imagine spending hundreds of hours on a single activity.

What's certain is that the Internet, and social networks in particular, have given us the wrong idea about passion.

They have created an amalgam between passion and success.

They make us think that success has to be instantaneous and that if we fail, it's because our passion isn't strong enough.

And that's what keeps us from taking action.

I call this the passion paradox.

The Paradox of Passion: When faced with doubting whether we're passionate or not, we choose to remain inactive and thus can’t develop a passion.

The paradox of passion is completely illogical and based on our fear of failing.

What's more, this paradox triggers a vicious circle that amplifies inaction.

The slightest difficulty makes us doubt.

We convince ourselves that our passion isn't real, or at least not strong enough to be shared.

We brood inwardly, frustrated by the inaction that consumes us.

We end up giving up, preferring to live our passion through that of others...

For me, the problem is simple: we have a false idea of what passion really is.

The Mirage of Passion

For a long time, I thought I had no passion.

I'm very curious, so I'm interested in tons of subjects.

But I've never been so passionate as to drop everything and immerse myself in body and soul in a single subject.

And yet, over time, I've developed passions that are now an integral part of my life (writing being one of them).

But I didn't wake up one morning and tell myself that this was THE passion that was going to change everything.

What you have to understand is that, for many of us, passion isn't innate.

Rather, passion is a consequence of our actions.

To combat the paradox of passion, we need to take action.

The Virtuous Circle of Action

Passion comes from action.

Without action, it's impossible to develop a real passion since it's impossible to know whether you really enjoy the activity.

Without action, you can have an interest but not a passion.

Sounds logical, but therein lies the problem.

Taking action triggers a chain reaction that can turn interest into passion.

The virtuous circle of action works as follows:

1. Discovery: Taking action allows us to test our interest
2. Repetition: The more we practice, the more we produce (for a writing enthusiast, this means, for example, the number of words written).
3. Expertise: As time goes by, our practice improves. Quantity leads to quality.
4. Motivation: Our efforts pay off, and the quality of our work generates motivation.
5. Passion: Our motivation is transformed into passion, which in turn drives us to action, starting the virtuous circle again!

The only way out of the paradox of passion is to take the plunge.

Four Steps to Discovering Your Passion

The confinement caused by the COVID pandemic had an unexpected effect.

Driven by boredom and social disconnection, many people devoted their time to an ignored passion.

From 2020 to 2022, the creator economy experienced a phenomenal boom, even leading to the "Great Resignation" observed around the world.

In the absence of barriers (such as fear of failure or social pressure), these people took action and put their passion to the test.

Basically, when you've got nothing to lose and you're bored, it's easier to take the plunge!

If you're still hesitating, here's a simple method for taking action without taking risks:

1. List your passions

The first step is simple: list all the interests that come to mind.

Don't hesitate to make a long list; the important thing is to clear your mind of any potential passions you may have.

For me, this list looks like this:

• cycling
• comics and graphic novels
• entrepreneurship
• fantasy literature
• personal development/psychology
• medieval history
• online marketing
• sciences
• media industry/creator economics
• board games

As you can see, the subjects are varied and, for the most part, unrelated.

But that doesn't matter.

The most important thing is to draw up an unfiltered list of your personal interests.

2. Choosing an interest

This step is often the reason for inaction.

Listing your passions is simple enough, but choosing one triggers our fear of missing out on another opportunity (the FOMO effect).

In reality, it's much easier to follow just one interest than to try to follow all your passions at once.

If this choice generates fear or stress, here are some questions that can help you choose:

• "If I could start my life over again, what would I do differently?"
• "If I died tomorrow, what passion would I most regret not having tried?
• "If I didn't need to earn money, what would I do with my free time?

There are no bad choices; the important thing is not to stand still but to move forward.

3. Do a 30-day trial

Now that you've chosen your passion, it's time to put it to the test.

To do this, you're going to commit to exploring this passion on a daily basis for the next 30 days.

The aim is that, by the end of this period, you'll be able to decide whether it really is a passion.

We often idealize passions without even trying them out.

For example, I've long been interested in video game design.

So, I decided to download some software to try it out for myself.

After only a few days, I realized that I hated it!

Although my interest persists, it's now easy for me to remember that this activity isn't for me.

It's important to note that the key element during these 30 days is to establish a routine.

You'll need to allocate at least one hour of full concentration a day to your chosen activity.

I recommend taking this hour in the morning, as this is when you have the most mental energy available. If you feel you have no free time, try to reduce a low-value activity, such as watching Netflix.

That way, you can wake up an hour earlier than usual to devote time to your passion.

4. Persevere or pivot

At the end of the 30 days, you'll have a good idea of whether you're really interested in your chosen activity. If you feel you like it and feel motivated, set yourself a new goal (e.g. 60 more days).

On the other hand, if you realize after the trial period that this activity doesn't suit you (for whatever reason), go back to step 2 and choose another interest that you'll practice for 30 days.

This will allow you to eliminate items from your list until you find the activity that suits you.

Be patient; finding a passion can sometimes take years.

The time you invest in your interests, even if they don't become passions, will still be beneficial in the long run.

For example, I've always had an interest in drawing. So, I decided to practice daily for several months. At the end of this period, I realized that despite my strong interest, drawing was just a hobby for me and not something I wanted to pursue professionally.

In spite of this, the trial was beneficial as I learned many techniques such as perspective, light movement, anatomy, body proportions, and so on.

Rather than seeing this as a failure, I see it as time invested in learning a new skill that will serve me well throughout my life.

Whatever passion you choose, the important thing is to try.

It's always better to face failure than to sit back and do nothing.

Take action and explore your passions.

Also published here.