How Passionate Are You

Over the past few years, there have been many questions asked about what makes someone passionate or not about something. Many people have their own ideas as to what defines passion, but none of them are necessarily wrong.

What is important to understand about passion is that it can be felt rather than shown. It is internal, instead of external. For example, if you love reading very much then buying a new book and diving into it with vigor is an indication that you feel passionately about books.

Running out of things to read is another way to know that you enjoy reading. When you find yourself immersed in a good book, you may even become so focused on it that you forget other things you need to do!

It is also important to note that while everyone has different definitions for what constitutes passion, no one truly knows how anyone else feels inside. Only they can identify this passion if it exists within them.

That being said, here are some simple ways to determine if you are more likely to show your passion or to feel it. The best way to figure this out is by looking at yourself and your actions.

Personal experiences of passion

Let’s look at some examples of how you can apply the term ‘passion’ to describe your life.

First, what is it not? It’s not just having a good time — even though that may be a side effect.

It's not being motivated by money, or personal growth, or by a desire to make a name for yourself.

All of those things are components of passion, but they're not the whole thing.

Passion isn't something you feel when you do an activity. It's not feeling strong emotions while you're doing it.

And it's definitely not thinking about how much passion you have for this work every minute of every day.

What is passion? It's living your own life with intention.

You want to put energy into things that matter to you. That inspire you. Things that give you reason to get up each morning and go to work.

That take action towards making your dreams come true. - Rachel Zaadie Aldridge

So what makes someone live their lives with intention? What inspires them to keep going after they've fallen down times?

They're passionate about their family. They value their friends. And they believe in something bigger than themselves, which gives them motivation to continue moving forward.

Some people are passionate about sports. Others are passionate about music. Some are passionate about traveling, and studying new things.

Factors that make us passionate

Being passionate is definitely not only limited to things like talking about books you have read or movies you love, it exists beyond those topics as well.

It is being invested in what you are doing at this moment. Whether it be through your work, hobbies, or anything else you are involved with.

Passion comes from investing time into things you care about, and if you are spending time on something, then it is more likely to give you an emotional response.

This could be because of how much effort you put into it, how much reward you get out of it, or both.

There are many ways to develop passion for things, so don’t think that just because someone doesn't seem very engaged they cannot feel passionately about something.

How to be more passionate

Being more passionate about something means to invest time in it, want it, need it, expect to see results from it, and go all out for it.

It takes longer to get there, but it’s so worth it! There are many ways to increase your passion for anything- you can learn how to do things better or more thoroughly, you can find reasons why you should care more about something, and you can develop strategies and routines to use that thing every day.

And while most of us have heard stories and examples of people who put their heart into something and got great rewards, we also hear stories of people who spent lots of time on something without ever feeling too inspired or motivated.

So, how can you know if you’re just not really invested in what you're doing? Here are some indications...

You feel like you're wasting your time when you're working on something.

You'll probably feel this way at times, but you should definitely try to work through these feelings. Because investing in something is never a waste of time!

You hesitate to start something related to your goal because you don't feel very excited or motivated.

If you've been wanting to read a specific book for months now, but you always seem to be too busy to pick it up, then it's time to make changes.

Always keep your passion

It is very important to stay passionate about what you are doing. If you feel that your career has passed you by then it is time to make changes.

If you do not love what you are doing, then there must be something else you can try. There’s no use in staying in a job that makes you unhappy.

It will only hurt you in the long run. Your mental and physical health will suffer as well. You will become increasingly irritable and unproductive at work, and this will show for anyone around you.

Your colleagues and superiors will notice if you don’t seem like yourself.

You will also lose confidence in your own abilities, which is another damaging factor.

There are many ways to improve your career level so why waste your precious energy being unhappy? Find out how to motivate yourself to learn more from this link here.

Always remember, though, that life is too short to spend it working hard for money when you could be spending it having fun!

So always keep your passion ________ (insert your favorite activity here).

Do not be selfish

When you are passionate about something, you will do anything to make it happen. You will invest time in it, you will work hard at it, and you will keep trying until you succeed.

This is why it’s so important to devote yourself to things that matter to you. Don’t pick a path that matters to you because it pays well or it looks easy—pick one that moves you, that makes you feel excited, that inspires you.

It’s impossible to achieve your dreams if you don’t get invested in them.

You have to want what you want badly enough to go after it with every bit of passion you possess. This is how it was done years ago, this is how it can still be done now.

Self-investment is the most powerful force in our lives. It shapes who we become as people. It shapes the way we think and behave, and it drives us towards things – both good and bad.

But we need to use investment for positive changes only. We cannot use it to motivate ourselves into doing things we already want to do.

By investing in things that we don’t want to do yet, we waste energy. And when we run out of energy, we won’t try very hard anymore.

Don’t ever let casual indifference breed inaction.

Cultivate friendships with passionate people

There’s a reason why we enjoy spending time with people who are like us – they bring out the same emotions in us.

We feel energized when we talk to them, because we recognize something of ourselves in them.

They make us feel good about ourselves by saying nice things about me, my personality, or what I do.

That emotional high can be very motivating!

So try to spend some time every day with people that inspire you, give you energy, and make you feel good. They are your friends, so trust their influence on you.

And don’t forget, being friends is more than just talking about yourself for minutes on end. Give each other back stories, tell jokes, share secrets, etc.

Find your passion and those who feel the same

It is very important to know what you love and why you loves it. We all have different things we like, and different reasons for liking them!

Finding your passion means learning more about yourself and this world around you. Learning new things brings us joy, so try exploring new areas of knowledge or hobbies that contain lessons you will learn from.

Many people find their passion in studying science or mathematics. These subjects apply concepts to understand nature’s laws and how energy moves. Artists and designers use these concepts in other areas such as designing products or figuring out color schemes.

Other examples are playing an instrument or singing, which require lots of research on music theory and psychology of voice production to be fully understood.

Know what you love and what makes you happy

Let's look at some examples. I have included my favorite foods, movies, songs, and hobbies to show how much passion I have for different things.

My favorite food is chicken parmesan with all the cheese and pasta. I could eat it every day and be full and happy.

I also like shrimp so when I make chicken parm I usually bake up a bunch of thin bread slices and cook them in a pan or grill filled with olive oil and butter along with grilled shrimp. They are delicious!

My movie obsession includes action packed thrillers that keep me engaged. My favorites include stories about superheroes or villains trying to save the world or destroy it completely. These plots always seem very dramatic which makes me enjoy watching them.

A song that reminds me of feeling passionate is Taylor Swift's Shake It Off. The lyrics describe feelings we can't hide and how important it is to feel them.