The 21st Century world is undeniably one of conformity. There are expectations, societal ‘norms’ (what is considered normal by the majority of the population), and acting outside these ‘norms’ will render one as different – a word of which still possesses a negative connotation.
But why?
Having a point of difference – being different – is precisely what makes a person who they are.
Discovering your passion in life is something many people wait far too long to do. You’ve heard the ‘horror stories’ of mid-life crises and making drastic career changes, seen the many mature age students in classrooms at university, and watched on as people around you switch from one degree to another in a desperate attempt to find something they are genuinely interested in.
But the very fact that we view indecisiveness as a negative aspect in a person comes down to conformity.
We are expected to ‘choose’ – a career path, a place to reside, a selection of friends we devote time to in exchange for the same devotion.
We are encouraged to ‘stick it out’ and sacrifice happiness in exchange for some kind of return, be it career progression or financial benefit.
We are discouraged from following our passion, unless it fits in line with these societal ‘norms’.
But what if we instead chose to discover and pursue our passion?
Well, we’d probably have a very efficient and joyful population of world citizens.
When you decided to pursue your passion, the concept of ‘going to work’ or ‘doing work’ is completely redefined.
When you decide to pursue your passion, you let your creativity take over and achieve more than you could have imagined.
When you decide to pursue your passion, you allow yourself to be free of constraints, and truly allow yourself to find happiness.
How to Discover your Passion in Life
Surprisingly, this is the easy part. Once you’ve come to the realization of how important it is to pursue your passion in life, the rest is easy.
Ask yourself:
- What am I good at?
- Am I passionate about it? Do I enjoy doing it?
If yes, set yourself achievable goals and document your ultimate goal. Now continue to reach and re-set your goals until you find yourself reaching your ultimate goal – the one you never thought attainable, that you will come to learn IS if you take small steps to achieving your goals, instead of looking for a fast-track way to success.
If no, remember we can be talented in specific areas and perhaps initially find joy in our success, but as we are only human, our preferences can change. If you are good at something but not actually passionate about it, you are most likely continuing to do it because it brings others around you happiness, but does not make you happy. So what can you do?
Forget the pressure of others, forget the expectations, forget what you know.
Starting today, take a stand and make a CHANGE.
Discover your passion, make a plan, and put it into action.
![[Stories, pt. XI] The only guy I ever fell for in Los Angeles was an Emmy award winning producer of documentary films. At least, that’s how his LinkedIn profile reads.
Let's start with the Saturday we met on Sunset Boulevard. It sounds cliché because it was. Doing this story justice feels like a hefty task - plagued by my own bias, naturally. But when your story ends in a foreign country alone on Christmas Day having been left in the middle of the night, you earn the right to tell the tale. And tell it I did - to every air hostess who would listen on that 30 hour flight path back to Australia on 26 December 2018.
This may take a while (you've been warned). I had decided I would only date older men - a phase? Perhaps. Convinced age must have been the downfall to my previous failed relationships, I swore on a 30’s or 40’s kind of guy. Statistics show 60% of men prefer dating younger, so if nothing else, the stats were on my side.
I was introduced to Simon (names have been changed) at an inconvenient time. There are cute foods to be eating when you meet a man and then there are acai bowls. My teeth covered in a layer of purple soup, I smiled and introduced myself. I was with a friend and her beau - used here as an adjective because in LA a “boyfriend” is as good as a lifetime sentence. He happened to walk by and, caught by surprise, noticed his work colleague was sitting with us. “Hey Brian, fancy seeing you here”. I would later come to learn that the meeting was as set up as a Hindu wedding.
Later that evening I was the 4th wheel in a double date to an emo band playing at a venue in Highland Park. In a haze of vodka sodas and white wine, we stumbled into the uber and darted across town. Uninterested at first, my eyes darted around the room to a sea of eligible bachelors. It could have been the white wine or it could have been the laser beam lights that framed his face, but I caught myself lock eyes with his and for a split second, I really noticed him. “He’s won an Emmy” Brian announced the next day. “And he’s into you” he finished. After a series of first dates that apparently weren’t into me, my ego got the better of me.
To be continued...🍷🍿](http://www.worldofwanderlust.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)