Discover your Passion in 4 Easy Steps.

As a pastor, I’ve listened to plenty of people who shyly look away when I ask what they’re passionate about. They either don’t know, or they believe they’ll give the wrong answer. Why? People have a hard time identifying their passion.

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We believe passion is self-focused or introspective and are afraid to identify it. But is it? If we identify our passion, that means we’ll have to do something with it. Most people have bought the lie, ‘I can’t do what I love.’

We fear rejection if we verbalize what we’re passionate about or simply make the excuse, “I don’t have the time or energy to pursue my passion.”

Do any of these excuses hit home?

Don’t feel bad if you use one of the above excuses. God has given us dreams and passions. You can discover the plan and purpose for your life. In fact, you will find it. Here are four simple steps you can take.

1. Stop living in the past.

It’s so easy to live in the past. It defines us and tells us where we’ve been. The past gives us permission to stop living. We so easily get trapped in the quicksand of past regrets and missed opportunities.

Isaiah [43:18] (ESV) says, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the thing of old. Behold I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” God has a plan for us, but we will never realize that plan until we let go and let God. It’s time to let the past remain and start living for the future.

2. Discover your One Thing.

Before understanding what your passion is we need to understand why we were born. Eleanor Roosevelt said this, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” She also said, “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

God sees our potential but we don’t recognize it in ourselves. The bible says we were created in the image of the invisible God and he has placed a passion within us. We are here because God wanted us to be here. He wants us a part of His world, so we can touch the lives of others.

Our life was planned before we were born. The dreams you have for your life, are God dreams. We were created to expose God’s attributes to the world. Discover that one thing and you’ll discover your passion.

3. Connect your passion with what you do.

We are called to live our lives in the pursuit of happiness. What do I mean by this? Eleanor Roosevelt also said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” This is why we were born, to make an impact in society and show people that they too can live out their passion.

Paul said in Philippians [3:12] (NKJV); “Not that I have already attained or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” One thing to remember, people will always try to squelch the passion and aspirations you have. Remember, when you attribute your passion with what you do, you’ll find beauty in your future. It begins with our pursuit of Christ and in him we’ll find our passion.

4. Press into your dream?

There’s a scene in the movie Rocky Balboa where the Boxing Commission denies Rocky the license to fight. This sets the most powerful moment in the movie.

In his defense, Rocky said, “If you’re willing to go through all the battling to get where you want to get, who’s got the right to stop you? Nobody has the right to tell you ‘no’ after you earn the right to be what you wanna to be or do what you wanna do.”

If you have a dream, do not let anyone say you cannot attain it. If people knock you down, get back up and press forward. Potential tells you to keep going after your passion. Let God carry you in the journey of life so you can produce a life of joy, happiness, and purpose to accomplish the plan that God has for your life.

[reminder]Based on the above, how would you define your passion?[/reminder]