
Close up image of a professional male soccer player kneeling on a pitch with fists clenched, arms raised, screaming with open mouth in celebration of victory. The footballer is wearing a plain red top and white shorts. Flares are being let off by spectators in the stands in the background.
When you’re bursting with passion, you gain a superpower. You can achieve so much more than you ever imagined possible. I believe you’re here in this world because you have something amazing to offer, and the best way to discover your gifts is to unwrap what makes you exude pure passion.
If you are not 100% certain of what makes you explode with excitement, you might ask yourself a few questions, starting with “What do you look most forward to during the day?”
I recently subscribed to Masterclass, which features courses by celebrities and industry leaders, and I gravitated to the interior design and fashion design lessons, which I didn’t realize were even my interests. And now I can’t stop watching class after class.
So, if you were to access Masterclass, what would draw your interest? Fashion, gardening, running, cooking, acting, singing, writing, acting, politics? Truly, you might be surprised at where you end up, not just as a consumer, but as a producer.
But once you discover what you most look forward to, unravel it so that it’s so big, you get goosebumps. Think of the biggest bang it could possibly make, and put yourself in the driver’s seat. And the driver’s seat is not in a car, but in a rocket ship, custom made for you by you, metaphorically.
What do you most often buy?
I’ve bought hundreds of books over my lifespan. I’ve learned that, to find the gems, I need to invest money. To become an expert on my favorite focuses—marketing and design—for instance, I need to acquire as many certifications, diplomas, maybe even degrees as I can while hustling at my day job.
Where does your money go?
What you invest in signals what you are passionate about. If what you invest in is not toxic, consider investing as much as you can to aim for greater heights. For instance, if you’re a clothes hound, then that’s a passion. Consider investing in courses on personal style or paying for style coaches or taking fashion design lessons to stretch your passion further. One woman whose book I read said that someone discovered her home overflowing with clothes, shoes, and boots she bought, and clothes she had bubbling in color dyes on her stove, and he selected her for a costuming career that led her to dressing celebrities on set.
What do you most often do?
A friend of mine raised her kids with tons of crafts. She had crafting tools and kits I had never seen before in my life. Her homemade Halloween decorations are scarier than ones in the movies, and her Christmas trees are decorated with loads of homemade trinkets. She’s meant for creative heights.
Consider what you most often do. Are you baking, gardening, playing sports, even simply watching sports? What you spend all your time doing speaks to your passions. But sometimes the gems within those passions are hidden until you get the right exposure. For instance, you may enjoy theatre, but not realize you were meant to do stand-up comedy. Say, your loved one died in the past year, and you’ve been feeling a daily sense of doom. But a friend drags you to a comedy club, which momentarily takes you away from your suffering and bursts you into fits of laughter, and you realize, “This is what I was meant to do.” Often, the big life moments help us assign meaning to our passions in ways that ignite them. If what you do most often is not already a passion, it most likely is, given the right catalysts and exposure.
What do you like to talk about?
I always admired people who sat at coffee shops and just chatted about work. I dislike our company socials where they all drink alcohol and chat about anything that comes to mind. But I love our corporate events where the discussion is strictly about work.
What would you say are your three favorite topics when you talk to your partner, your best friend, your children, or your mother? Look back at your texts and see what topic comes up most. They’re hints at where your passions reside.
And blow those interests up into bigger and bigger dreams, like a helium balloon that grows so large it sweeps you off your feet and into a higher realm. That’s what makes life exciting: the impossible dreams realized; the rags to riches stories; the so-called nobody turned famous.
Who do you admire?
I love women in leadership roles and enjoy befriending them. Some of the most amazing women in my life started off as my professors, mentors, employers, or superiors, and they all became treasures in my world. These women all were strong, smart and often spiritual. They are not only leaders, but mostly marketers and PR experts.
Your partner or child may be the biggest focus of your admiration, as my partner is. But consider who might also be worthy of your admiration out of big names globally. And if you possibly can, buy Masterclass. It’ll expose you to the most talented people in the world, and you’ll know right away which ones you most admire. The ones who evoke your greatest admiration may reveal your hidden passions. And their successes may one day be yours.
What are you great at doing?
I performed at top of class in almost all my math classes at university. But math was not my passion; the high grades were. So, I left the math department and have since forgotten how to solve basic integrals. I love marketing, so marketing analytics bring in some of that math mindset.
What you’re good at hints at what you might be passionate about. If what you’re great at is not your passion, then find ways to weave it into your passions. The more you blend your talents in with your passion, the easier it is to realize big dreams. And every gift you’ve been given has a purpose you are meant to realize.
So, dream as big as you can. Dream of winning a Nobel prize. Dream of making your first million in the stock market. Dream of being on the cover of Vogue. Dream of having a blockbuster film made of your life story.
It’s all possible. Nothing can truly stop you. You have unlimited potential.
Dare to dream big.