What’s Your Passion? (Part 7: Exercises)

Steven Lake Posted on Posted in Life Well-Lived

“One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.” E.M. Forster

Have you identified your passion yet? This post provides 3 suggestions to clarify your passion. First, ask the right questions. In his book “Halftime” Bob Buford suggests 3 key questions to recognize your passion.

  1. What do you do where you lose track of time while doing it?
  2. What do you love to do so much you’d be willing to do it without pay?
  3. What is the spark that needs only a little breeze to ignite it into a raging fire?”

I suggest you find a comfortable place to read, reflect and write. Read each question carefully. Then write down every answer that comes to mind. Be sure to list everything no matter how far-fetched or off-base the answer may seem. Finally, reflect on your answers. Is there a consistent theme to your responses? If so, maybe you’ve found your passion.

Second, ask the right people. Often we don’t see ourselves the way other people do. There are things others see about us that we’re totally blind to. It’s like driving a car. There’s a blind spot to our left and right where we can’t see anything that’s there. We need a mirror to spot what we can’t see any other way. The same thing is true with our passion. Sometimes we can’t see it ourselves, but others can mirror it for us.

I suggest you ask 3 close friends to answer the 3 questions with you in mind. Choose people who know you well, and love you despite what they know about you. You may be surprised by the answers. It’s likely that your friends will identify something you never thought of. It’s also possible that they will verify things you did put on your list.

Finally, place the possibilities in the right category. There are 4 categories on the “passion continuum” – interests; concerns; burdens; and passions. The categories are derived from 2 factors: 1) the intensity of your involvement; and 2) the degree of your commitment. The table below describes the passion continuum from the least intense on top to the most intense at the bottom.

CATEGORY DESCRIPTION: A group of people or social issue that …
Interests You think, read or talk about rarely
Either you or the other person brings up
You stop thinking about right away
You never think about making a donation to or volunteering for
Concerns You think, read or talk about occasionally
You’re more likely to bring up in conversation than someone else
You think about periodically during the day
You’re unlikely to make a donation to or volunteer for
Burdens You think, read or talk about fairly often
You’re the one who brings up in conversation, not the other person
You think about quite often during the day
You may make a donation to or volunteer for
Passion You think, read or talk about all the time
You look for opportunities to bring up in conversation
You cannot NOT think about
You’re willing to sacrifice time and money on its behalf
You’re willing to reorient your entire life around
You’d be willing to die for in order to see it come to pass
You’d love to have as your legacy – that which lives on after you die


I suggest that you categorize each possible passion on the continuum. Which category does each one fall into – Interest? Concern? Burden? or Passion?

You should have a much clearer idea of your passion after completing the exercises above. If so, rejoice in the clarity and thank God for revealing it to you. But it’s also possible that none of the possibilities fall into the Passion category. The next post will discuss this situation.

© 2011 Designed to Serve®

About

Dr. Steve Lake is a retired educator with over 30 years experience in the American public schools. He has served in a variety of position, including teacher, elementary school principal, junior high principal, Associate Superintendent, retired from public education as Superintendent of Schools in Lincolnwood, IL. He has his Bachelors, Masters and Doctor of Education degrees from Northern Illinois University. For the past 25 years Steve has attended and been a member of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington and Northfield, IL. At Willow Creek Steve has taught adult classes on spiritual gifts, life purpose, and spiritual disciplines. He has ministered overseas in Angola, Zambia, Honduras, Germany, and Russia. Steve is co-founder of Designed to Serve, a ministry that equips Christians to live out their unique God-given calling. Steve is married and has two adult children who are married.