(2 minute read)
It’s often suggested that we chase our passions for a rewarding and fulfilling life. The problem with this lies in the fact that our passions can ebb and flow – like the tides – or we can lose sight of them, until maybe deciding on pursuing an alternate passion.
An alternative to this is identifying our purpose, our reason.
Our passion can be our ‘North Star’, guiding us during periods of uncertainty and allowing us to re-focus during periods of doubt or frustration.
Defining or identifying our purpose will require time and a dedication to coming closer to defining what really drives us.
I recently came across a series of questions from author and thought-leader, Daniel Pink, whose well-researched book, ‘The Power of Regret’, highlights some of the questions we can ask ourselves to move us closer to a life we wish to lead – and a clearer sense of purpose.
The 7 Questions.
- What made me weird as a kid? (Yep, a quirky one to start with). What made us weird as kids, can make us unique as an adult.
- When do I lose track of time? Psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, refers to this as being in a state of ‘flow’.
- What do people thank me for? This could be an innate trait that we should nurture.
- Where can I make my biggest contribution? How or where can we do things that really matter?
- What’s my sentence? Pink encourages us to create a descriptive sentence which describes ourselves.
- What would I do if I didn’t have to make money? This is always an interesting one, helping to identify our passion or purpose.
- What might I regret when I’m 90? Is there a way to avoid this, and/or prevent repeating it in future? (Regrets of inaction haunt us more than regrets of action).
On Dan Pink’s final question, he encourages us to ‘flip the lens’ and consider we are now 90 years old, and construct statements which start with, “I’m really glad that I…….”
Then, construct a life toward achieving or fulfilling those statements.