In the Maze: Journey to Finding Your Passion
Passionate Lives: Why So Few Make It Happen
Only about 3-20% of people globally are able to discover their passion and make a career out of it. The truth is it’s hard; following your passion often means following the path less traveled. No one close to you might have exposure to what you deem passionate; your family might not understand your passion, let alone see how it could ever feed you or become your career. Educational institutions might not even promote your passion as an “accredited activity,” whatever that means.
You are quite alone in that journey, and validation or support from these frameworks is not guaranteed. But because it’s your passion, you have to try by all means to pursue it. It is the most fulfilling journey you can take as your primary activity in this world. The truth is, what you do as your career is what you will do for three-quarters of your life, so it is very important to really dig deep and find out what you truly love doing.
Turning Passion Into Profession: Why It’s Difficult
The road from passion to profession is rarely smooth. It demands time, effort, consistency, and often a level of sacrifice most people aren’t willing to make. You’ll be misunderstood. You’ll doubt yourself. You’ll face pressure to conform to take the more “stable” or “sensible” route. And that’s exactly why most people never make it.
It’s much easier to settle for the known: a paycheck, a title, an apartment. But if you do that without love for what you do, it becomes a long, soul-draining cycle. Your passion, on the other hand, can feel uncertain in the beginning, but it’s the only path where your work actually feels like a reflection of who you are.
Why Passion Matters
I believe passion is important because it fulfills all aspects of your life. It is by far the most well-rounded activity that has the power to feed your soul, pocket, social standing, and extracurricular activities.
When I say find something you are passionate about, I don’t mean something magical that you just wake up passionate about from nowhere. It doesn’t work like that. It comes through trial and error, just like trying different foods until you find the one that lights up your taste buds. Passion works that way too: you try different things until one makes you feel euphoric every time you do it or achieve something with it. The dopamine hits are immeasurable; you can’t wait to feel like that again and again. You wake up every day wanting to do it, practicing it so that you get better at it because what you can achieve with it brings you immense joy.
Notice I’m starting with joy because that’s what passion should give you first before anything else. Money, fame, and status all come as byproducts. When you do something out of love, you put your all into it because it represents you and the result of your passion. Because of that, the result is almost always good.
Where to Start Searching for Your Passion
The search begins with experimentation. Try new activities, subjects, and skills without immediate judgment. Pay attention to what energizes rather than drains you. What topics do you naturally read about? What activities make time fly? What work would you do even without payment?
Once you’ve found what you’re passionate about and put in enough hours to start practicing professionally, begin finding mentors and inspirational figures who are successful at what you love doing. Learn as much as you can about their journeys and how they got paid for their passion. The aim is not to imitate exactly what they did but to learn from them, understanding why they did what they did, where, and when so that you know when to apply certain ideas that worked for them.
Learning from people who came before you saves time and resources because you don’t repeat common mistakes. Your mentors or inspirational figures don’t need to be people you have personal access to. In today’s world, it’s easy to learn from the best people around the world through podcasts, biographies, documentaries, and YouTube interviews.
Social Alignment to Protect Your Passion
At some point, you’ll need to let go of friendships that are no longer aligned with your goals. Passion needs protection, especially in its early stages. You are the average of your closest friends so choose people who are ambitious, hardworking, disciplined, and most importantly, honest with you.
Surround yourself with people who inspire you to keep going, who call you out when you slack, and who push you to do better. Because the truth is: a passionate life becomes almost impossible with friends who are a net negative to your energy and growth.
Be Patient With Yourself
The journey of passion isn’t easy. Nothing permanent or truly rewarding ever is. You have to be patient. You’ll fall. You’ll rise again. It will test your limits. But don’t give up, even when everything in you wants to choose the “safe” path.
That “safe” path? It’s overcrowded. And for many, it’s depressing. Because it often means giving up on what you love just to meet society’s timeline. Move out, get an apartment, and look successful. Social media doesn’t help either. We’re constantly shown perfect moments and highlight reels. But don’t forget what you’re seeing online are snapshots, not the full story.
People post 3 vacations they’ve saved up for over 5 years and spread them out over 12 months to look like a lifestyle. You don’t see the hustle. You don’t see the years of compounding effort behind it. So don’t let that fool you. Keep your head down. Stay focused. Put in the time. Be consistent.
Closing Remark
Your passion deserves a chance. It might not be easy. It might take time. But if it means waking up with joy, creating a life that reflects who you are, and turning your days into something you actually look forward to then it’s worth every second of the struggle.
Just remember: everything you’re chasing will come. All in good time.
In the maze of life, passion is your compass. Follow it.