Stop trying to "find your passion"

Have you been looking for your interests and passions in life, and believe that once you find them, you can experience the joy of investing in them for a long time, and then your life will be beautiful and fulfilling?

If this is your belief, then I strongly invite you to read this article, as it will change the limiting perceptions of passion and interest in your mind, freeing you from the dilemma and pain of "can't find your passion" Come out, and then pursue self-development with a peaceful mind.

Passion and interest, not found

Start by sharing a recent study on passions and interests.

In 2018, the founder of growth mindset, Stanford psychology professor Carol Dweck, and two other psychologists Paul O'Keefe and Gregory Walton jointly published an article on passion and interest in Psychological Science. research paper.

The article describes two types of thinking about interests and passions. One is called fixed theory, that is, interests are innate and fixed, and you are either interested or not interested in a certain field.

Statements like "finding interests and passions" are a fixed theory. It gives the impression that your interests and passions are hidden somewhere, just waiting to be discovered.

Another is called developmental theory, that is, interests can be cultivated, and over time, anyone can develop and cultivate interests slowly.

To study the impact of these two different cognitions, the researchers designed a series of experiments.

One of the experiments went like this: They gave science students an essay on the contemporary philosopher Derrida, and liberal arts students an essay on the future of algorithms. It was found that if science students insisted on believing that their interests were innate, then this belief subtly influenced their behavior, and they were not interested in philosophical articles. The same goes for liberal arts students.

This experiment shows that "fixed interest theory" makes people limit themselves to a box and only do things that are consistent with their self-perceptions, for example, if you classify yourself as a liberal arts student, then you will not try liberal arts outside the field.

The problem with this mode of thinking is that it takes away many opportunities to explore uncharted territory and broaden your horizons.

Today we are facing a new era of interdisciplinary learning and communication, which requires each of us to have a more comprehensive knowledge structure. If you're too narrow and closed, limiting yourself to a certain field, that may prevent you from developing interests and expertise that may present unexpected opportunities for your future development.

There's another problem with fixed interests: It can lead people to jump around and give up on what they're doing too easily.

The researchers also conducted an experiment in which students were introduced to a fixed or developmental theory of interest and then exposed them to a new field: astronomy.

They'll watch an entertaining and accessible video on Stephen Hawking's theory before reading a challenging, professional paper on black holes in Science.

Although students were interested in black holes after watching the video, those exposed to "fixed theory" said they were no longer interested in black holes after reading the difficult Science paper .

This experiment taught us that if people find something difficult to do, it's easy to think it's not their interest, because in their view, interest can give you the motivation to keep going and make you invincible.

However, the reality is that in any field, even if you are really interested in it, there are countless obstacles. If you have a prejudice against your interests and shrink back when you encounter difficulties, you will eventually have a shallow taste and will not be able to go deeper.

It is also worth mentioning that although Professor K. Anren Ninger of Swarthmore College in the United States was not involved in this research, she has been engaged in research on the development of interest, and said that experts in the field of neuroscience have confirmed the interest. can be cultivated. In other words, most people can be interested in just about anything, given the right guidance.

Six Characteristics of Passion Development

If you want to have your own passion in life, you first have to change the way you think about interests and passions: Interests and passions are not found, they are cultivated.

Interests and passions aren't quite the same, though. The difference between them is that it takes longer and more investment to develop passion, and you will also experience a stronger passion and a deeper sense of satisfaction.

The development of passion usually has the following characteristics:

1. Passion is often accidental

It usually starts with an interest or inclination—you have an unexpected experience that sparks your interest and curiosity. The experience may be an unintentional encounter and experiment, it may be inspired by someone else's story or experience, or it may be listening to an interesting lecture by a teacher on a certain field.

Once this interest is triggered, you act on impulse. Sometimes your interest fades quickly, while other times you continue to seek more learning or re-experience.

2. Passion needs to be explored and encouraged

In most cases, the first encounter with something of interest is not enough to make it your passion. Passion development requires multiple events and experiences to continually renew your interest.

In many cases, you may also need a mentor-like figure to encourage further exploration and engagement. This kind of encouragement and guidance is often the catalyst that makes you more interested in the matter.

3. Passion is not always pleasant

Passion usually starts with following interests that give you pleasure (you keep following your interests because you experience pleasure in doing it).

However, as an interest develops into a passion, it becomes more and more challenging and requires more and more effort. You might dislike some aspects of it, or find it a chore at times. But as your passion grows, the "benefit" you get out of it will outweigh the "cost" you pay.

4. Passion requires acceptance of being “not good at” in the first place

Needless to say, when we start to do anything, we are "not good" at first.

In the process of passion development, the first thing we experience is the joy of being satisfied with our curiosity, so even if we are not good at it, we can still experience joy by feeling fresh.

Once this novelty is lost, many people are reluctant to continue to develop, because they are unwilling to bear the frustration caused by "doing poorly". This is one of the important obstacles that keep interest from developing deeply into passion.

But the thing is, frustration is inevitable, and even if you have some innate strengths in the field, skill development takes time, and you can't do it right from the start.

5. Passion takes practice

To increase your proficiency in this field, you not only need to explore deeper and have a greater passion, you must also invest time and effort on a consistent basis.

Once you get to a certain level in this field, you will also have a higher level of fun - the flow experience, a feeling of total immersion and self-absorption. But in order to get to this level, you need to practice deliberately, and you need to commit to taking the time to continuously work on improving your skills.

6. Meaning Amplifies Passion

When your passion is given greater meaning and guided by a higher purpose, you will derive a higher level of satisfaction from the event.

A sense of meaning in life often comes from a firm belief that what you do matters, that it is related to the happiness of more people, and that it can bring about positive change and impact on others. When you see that your efforts in this matter have a positive impact on others, you will be more enthusiastic about what you are doing.

What to do if you don't have the passion for life

What if you haven't developed what you call a "passion for life" at this point?

Here are some important suggestions for you.

▍ First, free yourself from the idea that you have to find your passion.

You need to realize that dipping into or moderately invested in different areas of interest will not give you what you call "passion."

But even so, there is no problem. You don't have to force yourself, don't torture yourself with "must have passion". Know that having a high-intensity passion that you are willing to devote most of your energy to is not a requirement to have a fulfilling life.

▍Second, if you are interested, then follow your interest and try it.

Even if your current interests and inclinations are not so strong, you should continue to explore and develop, and do not give up because of difficulties and obstacles. Your heart will eventually tell you that some things are really just not suitable and there is no way to develop more interest, while some things are ok.

▍Third, have the courage to try and make mistakes.

When you're not sure, don't be afraid to guess. There is more than one thing in this world where you can develop a passion.

Don't be afraid to let go of things that you don't feel are interested in at all. At the same time, encourage yourself to try something more than once. Interest sometimes takes many attempts to be identified and cultivated.

▍Fourth, think about whether you have violated the laws of passion development.

Do you allow yourself to follow your inner impulse or curiosity to try? Or do you think they are unimportant and ignore them because of it?

Have you put yourself in an environment that allows you to be exposed to more interesting things or get more support? Or are you stuck in your comfort zone all the time?

Do you allow yourself to keep going even if you encounter difficulties and unpleasant aspects in the process of developing your interests? Or do you expect perfection and reject difficult or necessary efforts?

Do you allow yourself to fail, do you allow yourself to not do well enough at this time? Or do you shy away from your interests because you're not good at it?

Have you explored more deeply through planned deliberate practice and sustained effort? Or do you leave the development of passion to chance or "when I like it"?

Have you ever thought about what impact you want to have on other people's lives, and what meaning this will bring to your pursuit?

▍Finally, and most importantly, meaning is more powerful than passion.

Sometimes, thinking beyond the narrow confines of "personal interests" and thinking about life's pursuits from a broader perspective may provide a more convincing and determined drive than mere passion.

When you have a purpose in life that is relevant to others - to make a positive difference in other people's lives, to make a positive change in the world, then such a purpose in life not only triggers your passion, but also drives your Passion takes it to another level, giving you a deep sense of satisfaction in following your passion.

If there is a shortcut to passion that bypasses the long journey of interest development, it is finding a higher purpose in life.

As social animals, within each of us lies the desire and urge to realize our personal worth by contributing to others.

Once this energy is stimulated and released, it prompts us to devote ourselves to it, to work hard for it, and to experience great satisfaction in the process. This satisfaction in turn drives us to pursue continuous improvement and improvement. Passion is often born this way.

From this perspective, "discovering your life goals" is actually more reliable than "discovering your passions", and it is more worthy of your thinking and exploration. When you know what impact and change you want to bring to the world, passion naturally follows.

I hope this article can help you to establish a correct understanding of "passion in life".