As someone who has studied personal development principles for well over a decade, I take notice when I see celebrities and public figures applying these principles to their own lives. I happen to be a fan of Drake and have always admired how he talks about and applies personal development principles in his life and his music.
In this post, I look at some of these principles from a completely different angle than I normally do...
Be honest with yourself about what sparks you and take action on it. Don't worry about finding your one true "passion." That's too abstract of a concept to figure out logically. Instead, start by acting on the small things that excite you each day.
Get in the habit of recognizing and acting on the small things that you feel drawn to. These things will eventually lead you to the bigger, more meaningful things that you may define as your "passion" or "purpose."
This process works because excitement is an organizing and unifying energy. All excitement interconnected.
In other words, the "small" things that excite you or spark joy are connected to your bigger desires, even if you can’t see how. Even if they seem mundane, trivial or unrelated to your larger goals, the excitement tells you that they ARE connected.
Your conscious brain does not need to know how they are connected. That is the job of the subconscious mind.
Bottom line: Do not invalidate the things that excite you just because they seem trivial or because you can't see how they tie into your "big picture goals." It's not your job to know how it's all connected, it is your job to honor what excites you by ACTING on it.
We hear it all the time:
"Do what you love!"
"Follow your passion!"
Everyone from Confucius and Joseph Campbell to Steve Jobs and Richard Branson have been quoted as giving some form of this advice. Usually it’s in relation to how we make a living.
The problem is that we are seldom given concrete instructions for how to actually go about doing what we love.
As a result, this message often comes across as abstract, impractical, or worse, unachievable, leading many people to dismiss the advice and even go so far as to call it unintelligent or irresponsible.
This is due to some simple but crucial misunderstandings and misconceptions that have turned into full blown myths surrounding this topic.
I want to clear up some of these myths now.
If we’re being honest, I have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of the word "passion"—at least not in this context. It's too abstract and can seem daunting to people who are just starting out.
Instead, I prefer to talk about excitement because it’s a more tangible, practical method for creating meaning in your life and work.
I've found that acting on the small things that excite you will help you get on the right path, which will lead you to your passion, which will eventually help you discover your purpose or mission in life.
The best part is that you do not need to know what your “passion” or “purpose” is before you start taking action on what excites you.
When you have the courage to consistently take action on the day-to-day things that excite you, the necessary people will appear in your life, the right opportunities will be drawn to you, circumstances will work themselves out and you will have an overall richer, more enjoyable life experience.
