I Am… In Pursuit

You know how everyone tells you to “follow your goals” or “Do what you’re passionate about”? Well, what if you don’t know what you’re passionate about? Some people are lucky and realize their passion early. They find that thing they want to put all their energy into. That thing that brings them joy, pleasure, and reason.

Most people don’t find this ‘holy grail’ passion so early, and that’s ok. Of course, the cliche thing to say is… “find your passion and pursue it so you can feel like you never work a day in your life.” However, for most this isn’t such a realistic achievement. I can’t speak much to the realities of a professional job, being that I’m only 19, but I have seen the difference between those that find a ‘passion’ early and those who don’t; especially as it relates to sports.

I began my athletic career very young as I played soccer, basketball, and, for a short time, dabbled in figure skating. Kids have a unique way of separating themselves early on based on their natural talent. Those who start out with a higher level of skill are likely to climb the competitive ladder much quicker. We enjoy things that we’re good at, so it makes sense for these athletically gifted kids to view their sport as a passion.

I watched as they went through grade school and are now in college, having played that one sport throughout their youth. The thing is they never really put effort or energy into trying other things, including non-sport related activities. Of course, if all the focus goes to one thing, you can get REALLY good at it as the ‘10,000 hours’ rule suggests.

However, say you spend all those years in blood, sweat, and tears playing basketball to get you through college, and although you still love the sport, once you graduate you realize you haven’t done anything to develop other interests. You missed an opportunity to advance your skills in other areas that could bring you a successful future and career.

If you’re reading this and you feel this is talking about you, I don’t mean to scare you, but I am asking you to reflect on what you’ve done so far to help yourself realize what fuels you. You may have found your reason for being…right now, but it’s ok for that reason to change. We change, our needs and desires change.

It’s OK that our passions, our fuel, our reasons change too. In many ways, I don’t believe that passions are actually “found” as much as they are truly learned over time. So, if you feel you are in a ‘rut’ with nothing ‘speaking to you’, don’t stress. Try new things, give them a chance. Be open and understanding to the reality that there is so much out there to be explored.

Don’t get frustrated or discouraged if you still haven’t realized that passion because those ‘reasons for being’ can be developed with time.