Omuwa Odiodio: Can We Ever Find Passion By Searching For It?

In today’s world, there’s a belief that you must find your passion, and you must find it fast. This pursuit can become futile, exhausting, have several dead ends, and then get a lot of young people today downcast and discouraged. I won’t say passion isn’t important; I believe that passion is a cornerstone of a fulfilling career. However, I also believe that you can’t find your passion by simply searching for it, like a bunch of missing keys. Life presents us with numerous paths and options to choose from. While we have the power to make choices, we lack control over the options presented to us. These options are influenced by our previous choices, both overt and covert and/or are manufactured on our behalf before being presented to us. It’s just life.

I have seen this play out in almost every phase of my life. Having to choose between science and arts in secondary school was the beginning of me making tough decisions because even though I was good at science subjects, I wanted to be a lawyer, so I went for arts. I went on to study law and graduated with a good grade. But now, over 2 years later, I’m currently not practising law, nor am I doing something related to it. Even though my heart burned for it at one point and I thought it was all I wanted to do after school, I’m starting to realise that most things in life come at you when you least plan for it.

So am I saying the phenomenon of the eureka moment is a mere myth? Does this mean that the idea that someday, somehow, you’ll stumble upon your one true passion in a sudden rush of inspiration is mere delusion? Yes!

As tempting as it might sound, it’s an idea pushed by success stories of famous and notable people who seemed to have figured out their life’s calling in a day or a single moment. I am sure you’ve heard stories of people quitting their jobs one week and making 6 figures the next, writers who penned bestsellers in a weekend, entrepreneurs who stumbled upon million-dollar ideas while taking a walk, or artists who created masterpieces in a fit of inspiration.

While these are great and maybe even inspiring stories, they shield us from seeing the years of hard work, failed trials, and exploration that led up to those eureka moments. The truth is, that passion rarely reveals itself in a sudden rush of inspiration or in an epiphany. More often, it’s an outcome of a gradual and iterative process. The most time-wasting and most unproductive thing you could do is set out on a mental journey to find your passion because the truth is, you cannot have an overnight realisation of it. Passion is either there or waiting to be grown. 

Jeff Bezos started his career in finance before pivoting into the e-commerce and technology his company is based on today. Before becoming one of the world’s most beloved authors, J.K. Rowling worked as a bilingual secretary and researcher. However, her passion for writing stories eventually led her to create the Harry Potter series. Arnold Schwarzenegger, famous for his roles in movies like “Terminator” initially pursued a career as a professional bodybuilder. Now, he’s more of a politician and became the Governor of California.

These are real-life examples of people who found their passion, not in a flash, not in a gush of inspiration or epiphanic moment but from exploration, hard work, and open-mindedness. What these stories show is that you shouldn’t base your passion on a title or job role, rather, let your passion be defined by a mission. The best filmmakers are passionate about storytelling, inspiring, and changing narratives, not just producing movies or being the best.

So the question comes back to you: how do you know what your passion is? If you don’t already know, you won’t, until you focus on self-discovery and growth. Why do I strongly hold on to this philosophy? Because you can’t search outside for what is supposed to be within. So if you are feeling stuck, there are tips to explore.

Be bold enough to explore

Explore your diverse interests and stay curious. Think of your passion as the North Pole and your interests as the other points of the compass. It is until you try all out and move them around that you find your bearing. The same goes for finding your passion. One of the most effective ways to find it is by engaging in a wide range of activities. Experiment with things you’ve never tried before. The key is to be open to new experiences and embrace the unknown.

Gain expertise and skill

Two years ago, I thought I was going to be practising Law. But as you read this, I can boldly say that as a brand identity expert, I love what I do and have no regrets about choosing this path. And when I think of how I got here, it boils down to one thing: I gained new skills. I learned new skills and built expertise in this field which slowly led me to find myself a nice corner within it. And the funniest thing is, I did this without even realising it at the time. I just knew I wanted to know more and explore my capabilities deeper, and it made me practice continuously, seek out hands-on experiences, and apply myself to collaboration and service. Sometimes, you need to work with and for others to know where you want to be. Since you don’t know where to start, going alone will get you lost, but when you build expertise and gain from the knowledge and experiences of others, you slowly get an understanding of what exactly drives you and you gradually find a way to nurture it. At first, it might be a haze, things might be blurry. But the more you do stuff, the more you know what you want to keep doing and what you do not.

Focus on what’s in front of you

Keep doing whatever your hands find, and whatever your heart draws you towards. Even if it wakes the slightest interest within you, do it. While working and doing it well, your eyes begin to open to new and exciting paths. One that sparks something within you and keeps you reaching further for more. The more you do things, the more you gain clarity. And this clarity is what gives you focus and tenacity. Combine them both, and you will have discovered your passion without even knowing it.

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