Most people spend a lot of their time trying to figure out what can make them successful. Some even spend their entire lives trying to figure out how to be successful. They critically view their education, intelligence, apply for leadership courses and add numerous credentials to their career profile, among other factors. However, more so than anything else, the ultimate differentiator is passion. Which is why, pursuing your passion can make all the difference! 

Let’s take a look at effective leaders. They don’t fit into any stereotypical role! They achieve great things in life only because they know how to pursue their passion. This is where the words of a motivational speaker - Denis Waitley rings true. He rightly said, “Chase your passion, not your pension.” Effective leaders create their own path being the guiding lights for others to follow.

However, “Follow your passion” is an oft repeated and frequently criticized bit of work advice. This may be because we are currently living in a world that is overloaded with information and people who have a limited attention span. Lately, it is becoming extremely tough to reclaim our own space and attention in a widely cluttered world. Which makes it quite difficult to understand the importance of pursuing your passion. And, even if you were aware of your passion, you may be unsure about how to follow your passion and succeed while chasing it.
 
Being mindful works wonders when it comes to pursuing your passion. This can be a key differentiator and does have a  competitive advantage. Successful people use this secret ingredient to create a space for themselves amidst all the noise! The practice of mindfulness is also a reason why some people can quit their jobs, and have the conviction to begin again from nothing, in a bid to pursue their passion.  At times, this can be a difficult proposition as it doesn’t guarantee a stable source of income.  An unstable financial space can be a hindrance when it comes to  pursuing your passion. So, you might wonder how to follow your passion and succeed?  Let’s find out more!

Effective leaders create their own path being the guiding lights for others to follow 

How to Pursue your Passion

Firstly, you need to take charge of your life. You may have read about Chris Gardner, the homeless man who turned into a multi-millionaire investor! What an inspiring story, isn’t it?  He once shared his secret to success. He said, "Find something you love to do so much, you can't wait for the sun to rise to do it all over again." Such powerful, life-changing words, indeed!

After all, how can one ponder over one’s options and make a decision when passion and pragmatism point in different directions? We always have limited data about ourselves and most of this data is collected from our professional life. All the feedback that you get from your workplace is about how you can improve your performance or what can be your career path in the organisation. This, in its sense, is quite limited. Here, not many would be concerned about pursuing your passion. Why blame others? We rarely ask this question, even to ourselves!. 

According to experts, we don’t intentionally begin with a clear, and well-defined passion for a particular career path. They mention that our passion for what we do develops over time. So, I would like you to  consider this simple question, “ Are you passionate about your life and your work? Can others see this passion in you?” “When do your eyes light up with that sparkle and your body feels the burst of energy to forge ahead in whatever you love to do?”

Think over it. Pursuing passion is all about connecting to yourself within to begin with.

Don’t let life or your circumstances get you off track. For just one moment, take a look back into the past. As a child, what ignited the spark in you? Was there something you spent hours doing with enthusiasm? Try to recapture that enthusiasm about pursuing your passion. Then, in the light of those old passions, try to weigh your life and career. 

Let’s take the example of Mark Zukerberg. He suggests when one is at a crossroad in life, one should follow one's own happiness. This way, even if you do not end up making a fortune, you will at least be doing what you love. This leads to greater satisfaction.

Now that we’ve understood about pursuing your passion, let’s think over some more questions.
“What is my passion?”
“How do I define passion?”
“Does my passion reflect my purpose?”
“What gives me a greater sense of fulfillment?”

Take a few minutes to think over these questions.

I’d like to emphasize that only a few people make the conscious decision to pursue their passion in life and succeed. So, what is it that these people are doing differently? What makes them carve a niche for themselves? The most vital thing is people pursuing their passion is that they do not focus on success or failure. They rely only on their inner calling that gives them the energy to be unstoppable. 

Remember, that passion is contagious. When you surround yourself with people focused on pursuing their passion, the same energy would reflect within you. 

Here are some more questions to think over -

How do I make this work?
What do I want to become?
Who am I?

Learn to organise your life carefully. Indulge in motivational hobbies that push you towards excellence. Think about it, how can one think about options and decisions with passion? “Follow your heart” is a piece of advice that is doled out often to individuals who are trying to make a career choice. People who have followed their heart often talk about how they have weaved following their passion into their lives. In  some cases, people emphasize the importance of being  rational while taking the plunge to follow their passion.

Being mindful works wonders when it comes to pursuing your passion. 

However, we are left with one conundrum. If passion is visible to a person clearly at the beginning of their career, what should be done? Should a person follow their passion? Or, should a person work on the existing career role? How should a person follow their passion?  And, how can a person select a career when there is no passion involved?

So, the question remains, which way would you go if you had to face such a situation? Would you make a wise and safe decision? Or, would you think how to pursue your passion? I’d like to know your answers in the comments below.