Do you find that your difficulty lies not in figuring out what you’re passion is, but in working out which passion to focus on?
Do you have lots and lots of ideas that you get really excited about, only to quickly get bored and move onto something else?
Are you sick and tired of being pulled in so many different directions?
And is it time to get focused?
If this sounds familiar then this post is just for you ☺
If you’ve heard of the term multi-passionate then you might already have an idea of what you’re facing here.
Multi-passionate is a term that describes people who have more than one passion in life. So if you have always felt like you’re a bit of a jack of all trades or have interests in lots of different things and not just one main passion then you could well be multi-passionate.
Why being multi-passionate can make it hard to find your passion.
I believe that being multi-passionate is actually a really great quality. It means you have lots of different skills and diverse interests. It often means you’re a creative person with lots of ideas too. When it comes to figuring out what your passion is in life – it can though get in the way slightly. Here’s why.
When you’re multi-passionate you can often feel like you ‘don’t fit in.’ You might look around you and see all of these people who have got it all figured out and just knew what they wanted to do from a very young age. And so, based on this, we can often start to judge ourselves in a negative light.
The problem with this is it can lead to inauthenticity. The worst thing a multi-passionate person can do is try to only have one passion – or to go on an endless search for the ONE THING that they should do with their life.
I believe that true happiness can only be found through the discovery of our own authenticity and our own unique-ness. So if you have always been the kind of person who has lots of interests – then great! Embrace it! Don’t try to stifle this aspect of yourself as you will only end up feeling frustrated.
How to manage your multiple interests when finding your passion
The other thing that can happen for us multi-passionate people when we are trying to figure out our passion is that we can get easily confused. When there are so many great interests and exciting ideas flying around it can be hard to think straight and get focused.
One of the main ways I was able to get around this on my own journey was to develop a strategic process to work out which of my passions was really most aligned to me and my personal values. This is something I’ve developed for my Passion Program and you can read more about that here>> Passion Program.
Something else that I realized when I was figuring out my own passion is that some interests are best left as hobbies. Just because we absolutely love something as an activity or a hobby, doesn’t mean we should turn it into a business or a new career. So know that it’s OK to keep some of your interests and passions as just that – interests and passions. Don’t feel like you have to pursue something just because you love it.
So if you’re multi-passionate and have lots of things on the go, then don’t feel bad about it. Instead choose to embrace your diversity & your creative nature. Know that this is one of your talents and skills and don’t ever feel pressured to be the kind of person who has just one passion. Sure, it might be time to get focused on one of your passions, but know that you can always have other interests or hobbies in the background to inspire you and keep you entertained.
Simple Life Strategy: How to narrow down your passions
1. STOP playing comparisons. Yes some people only have one passion and they have always known what it is – but everyone’s different.
2. Know that you’re ability to have lots of interests is a gift and something to be proud of. Instead of resisting this, embrace it!
3. Get a little more strategic with narrowing down your passions – look to see which ones align best with your personal values
4. Be OK with leaving some passions as passions. We don’t have to try and turn every interest into a new business or career path
5. Take some time to look at which passion will be a better long-term option for you to focus on (and remember to keep your other interests available as hobbies or ways to relax)
Tell me – are you multi-passionate? What are your passions? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.
And if you know someone who is definitely multi-passionate, share this article with them 🙂
Love
Zoë B
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For me passions can evolve and multiple passions can coalesce and build upon each other. I believe we each have a Truth which is our mission here on Earth in this body to serve others and the greater Divine. Sometimes that Truth is like the pearl in the oyster, taking time to develop. For me, multiple passions are not a problem, just more to discern my Truth but let unfold. Some may fall away as hobbies, others will build skills that contribute towards living your Truth. PEACE:)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Barry 🙂 Yes you’re right – multiple passions can definitely have some cross over and support each other. For many of us though it can get confusing at times…being pulled one way or the next. In my experience, focus is important if you want to really own your gifts. I love your analogy of the truth being like a pearl in the oyster – beautiful! I also completely agree with you that some hobbies should be left as just that – hobbies! And not every passion needs to content for our career path or main focus in life 🙂 Great to hear your thoughts – thank you for that. Love Zoe B
A Passionate Mind is Inquiring
Obviously there must be passion, and the question is how to revive that passion. Do not let us misunderstand each other. I mean passion in every sense, not merely sexual passion, which is a very small thing. And most of us are satisfied with that because every other passion has been destroyed-in the office, in the factory, through following a certain job, routine, learning techniques- so there is no passion left; there is no creative sense of urgency and release. Therefore sex becomes important to us, and there we get lost in petty passion which becomes an enormous problem to the narrow, virtuous mind, or else it soon becomes a habit and dies. I am using the word passion as a total thing. A passionate man who feels strongly is not satisfied merely with some little job, whether it be the job of a prime minister, or of a cook, or what you will. A mind that is passionate is inquiring, searching, looking, asking, demanding, not merely trying to find for its discontent some object in which it can fulfill itself and go to sleep. A passionate mind is groping, seeking, breaking through, not accepting any tradition; it is not a decided mind, not a mind that has arrived, but it is a young mind that is ever arriving. Jiddu Krishnamurti
Wow, this article really rings true for me. I’m so relieved to see that I am not alone and that being “multi-passionate” is something that others can relate to. For such a long time I’ve envied the people who always knew what they wanted to do or what they wanted to be when they “grew up”. The ones who had a singular passion or vision that they followed with conviction. There are many things in life that I love and that I’m passionate about and I completely agree that this can be confusing, particularly from a career perspective. Sometimes I’ve even questioned whether I lack commitment because I’ve been unable to find that one thing that I’m deeply passionate about on a professional level – and it’s not been through lack of trying. I’ve still managed to forge a successful career and I’m well qualified in my chosen field, but it’s not my passion and leaves me feeling generally unfulfilled. Thanks Zoe for this article. I feel a little less alone and ready to learn more about how I can create a professional life that I am more passionate about.
Felicity,
I can totally relate to your story!! It’s so confusing having lots of passions. I’m still trying to narrow it down. My gut tells me I am destined to do so much more with my talents but I have NO IDEA what that “more” is 🙁 it’s very disheartening sometimes…
Felicity i agree. At times i feel the same way. My best friend always new what she wanted to do but i am all over the map. I am great at a lot of things i say i am multi talented. My greatest gift is communication and having a listening ear and giving great advice. My career is totally somewhere else on the map. I tend to start projects but i lose interest if it is not completed quickly. I am quite sure you are passionate about something but if it is too far fetched your mind won’t even entertain it. Think out of the box and thenn figure out how you can profit and turn it into a passionate career.
Josh phenomenal. This is the very first time I’ve ever been posed with the cocpnet of being fulfilled vs. chasing the illusion of never-ending happiness. Powerful stuff and it really resonates. Not to mention how authentic & personal you are I can feel your passion and love for people coming through. Thank you for that. Not to mention some of those hilarious little moments you had totally busted laughing a couple times! ha!As for my passion: to my knowledge and with feeling, in this moment right now (meaning, it may change or I might stumble upon an even deeper realization which may require drugs or hallucinogens we’ll see), I am absolutely passionate about CREATION. And specifically, being creative directly THRU a gloriously cool and divinely unique soul’ purpose. Within this overall grandiose epic, there is a little piece of my passion pie that I feel is probably the strongest. And this is music. Definitely doesn’t encompass the beautiful complexity that is my WHOLE passion (if that even makes sense I may be crazy), but it’s a powerful one. I currently am a musician. I play piano, write & compose all sorts of genre’s of music, I sing, I play drums, I play guitar and I even play spoons! It’s awesome. Those are the best ones. LolAnd over the years I’ve had the opportunity to record songs, play in super cool groups, meet musicians who’ve taught me a lot and helped my growth and overall, help me discover WHY music is my passion. Music is my tool for expressing my brilliance and is a big piece of my arsenal for living my passion of inspiring love and clarity in the lives of those around me. I love it. So! Conditions at which I can allow this passion to thrive Pretty sure that’s what you asked. Well, frankly, all of the conditions pretty much exist. In fact, I don’t think there is anything else outside of what I already have access to that inhibits my own ability to make my passion thrive, and even make a living with it. The biggest set back has been my own inaction. Truthfully, 100% that’s what it’s been. And I am now (only recently) aware of this. It’s been really easy to tell myself a story that justifies the hell out of my lack of desirable results but in the end results are a direct reflection of my choices and ability to create. It sucked at first, but now that I know my own weakness, I’ve been making progress! It’s awesome. I’m on my way to where I want to be, and it feels great. Although I’m not there yet, what I find fulfillment in is this beautiful journey of fulfillment. I’ll say that again, lol.I am finding fulfillment in the journey to fulfillment because it’s beautiful, terrible, lovely and ugly and I love it all. So there ya go! I just wrote you a novel. Sheesh. Hope you enjoyed and thank you for this, it has been very powerful to stop and think, and just write whatever comes to me. Your passion has rubbed off you inspired clarity and increased awareness of how to live my passion pretty sure that’s what you’re all about, so just know that your impact has influenced me. So, uh I’ll get you a gold star! Lol. Thanks Josh, love you brother.
Wow! I could totally relate to this. I am a fresh graduate in my early twenties and I have lots of things I am passionate about. As a result of curiosity I stumbled on this blog and it was indeed really helpful. Thanks a lot p.s I think you should write more on this subject matter
This was a wonderful post to stumble upon. I am definitely multi-passionate and have been struggling horribly with the feeling that I should choose just one or two. I never really thought about embracing this aspect of myself but I love the idea. I am happiest bouncing around between my passions. So maybe I can try to just let myself enjoy that now instead of worrying. Thanks! It’s always good to find a fresh perspective!