4 Tips to Discovering Your Passion

I hope you are having a blessed start to 2022. I know so many are looking ahead, setting new goals, identifying priorities and trying to discover what God has for them in 2022. This year, I am going to be sharing a lot with you about how to lead a mission-driven life. My newest book, Mission Possible, which releases March 8, will dive in and share a roadmap with you on how to be a champion of a higher purpose, live out the mission God has for you, and ultimately create a life that counts for Jesus and for people. If you're looking to live a bolder, brighter, and more fulfilling life, I believe Mission Possible is for you!

Today, I want to just take a few minutes of your time and share some tips on discovering your passion which is from chapter four of Mission Possible. First, I want to briefly dive into the word "Passion..."

WHAT IS PASSION?

Passion in today's culture has everything to do with an intense desire, feeling excited, or hyped up. Passion is deeper than that, it’s got more layers than a fickle emotion. It’s engrained deep in your soul. The word “passion” was first introduced to us in the twelfth century. It comes from the Latin root word, patior, which means to suffer. I don’t know anyone who would pick the word “suffer” as a synonym to “passion.” The Latin word for passion was first used to describe the death of Jesus. Jesus’s arrest, subsequent torture, and his death by crucifixion are the events sometimes referred to as Passion narratives. So it turns out that the true story of passion is a story about suffering.

If you want to have the passion that fuels a mission-possible life, do something that you are willing to suffer for. This suffering is not a form of self-masochism. It’s not about torturing yourself for a greater cause. It’s about being willing to stick it out and fight for what you believe in when the glitz and glamour vanish, and no one is watching.

When you get tired, true passion is what will see you through. When no one is around to help boost your confidence, passion will help you take the next step. When you get stuck or hit a wall, passion will give you momentum to recover and press forward. In your desire to live armed with purpose, find out where your mission-driven passions lie. What are you willing to sacrifice for? What are you willing to pursue or stand up or fight for in the face of challenge and adversity?

TIPS FOR DISCOVERING YOUR PASSION

If you already know where your passion lies, you probably have at least a glimpse of what a mission-possible life looks like for you. If that’s true, awesome! If anything I’ve said has made you want to find your passion, I’d love to offer you some prompts to help recalibrate your direction.

1. What do you enjoy doing? What do you look forward to doing that fires you up and builds within you an unshakeable enthusiasm? Volunteering at a local animal shelter? Helping people? Spending time with the elderly? Working on a committee to target problems in your community and figuring out solutions to fix them?

2. Who do you want to help the most? This question ties into the one above and narrows your focus. Is your heart moved with compassion towards those with learning disabilities? Do you champion the cause of the under privileged in this country or abroad? Who makes your heart bleed or cry or melt or tremble?

3. What problem do you want to help solve? Do you care about people having clean water? Would you prefer working with inmates and tackling prison reform? Are you drawn to providing nutrition to children who live in food insecure homes? What value do you offer?

4. Are there any themes in what you read, listen to, talk about, research? Think about all you do in a day, the shows you watch, the podcasts you enjoy, your Googling habits. Are there any recurring concepts?

When you’re thick in the process of discovering your passion, remind yourself that each person’s journey is unique. Don’t look to your best friend or colleague to find what moves your spirit and what you choose to fight for. You are one of one. We were not created to be a replica of anyone else. I love what Albert Einstein said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” You don’t need to be passionate about something or someone merely because someone else is. Find the passion that beats to the rhythm of your own heart.

I hope this is encouraging, and also inspiring to you. If you want to re-align your priorities and dive into creating a life that counts, maybe think about pre-ordering Mission Possible today... Below are cool ways to grab an autographed copy.

God bless & Go Create a Life that Counts,

Timmy