…find the thing you were meant to do in this world…and do it.

I love it when what many would consider the most bureaucratic department of our government has a mandatory workshop for those workers ushered out of a job in the last year and the focus of the workshop is, basically, finding your passion. I mean, really! I knew they were pals and all, but has the government “gone Oprah”?

Once my initial shock wore off, I have to admit it made sense. And frankly, if I’d taken the stupid workshop five years ago, I never would’ve taken my last job.

But since the time travel workshop isn’t until next spring, for now, I focused on the nice government lady telling me the things we all need reminding of from time to time. The points covered in the workshop were taken from the book What Should I Do with My Life? by Po Bronson. The author studied a group of 900 successful people from every walk of life and demographic and then revealed how it was that they found their true calling. Here’s what he found:

1. Don’t let your fears let you jump to the wrong conclusion. A lot of us are afraid that pursuing our passion will lead right to the poorhouse—with absolutely no real facts to go on to substantiate it.
2. Don’t wait for a sign from God. Look into your heart. You probably already know what you should be doing with your life.
3. If you’re not happy, don’t stay. This is hard but so true! It is not selfish to be who you really are! Life will evolve naturally if you pursue your passion.
4. Wisdom is found in experience. Sometimes, you can overthink a thing until it never happens. Embrace your past experiences to show you a starting point. (The leader in the workshop told a story about her brother who was a pharmacist and who gave it all up—the big house, the money, the prestige—to open up a kennel to train bird dogs. This passion had always existed on the peripheral of his other life. When he finally paid attention to what he really wanted in his life—he made the switch.)
5. 5.    Don’t give up. As a writer, this last one is the one I tend to zero-in on the most. Good thing, too, because if I’ve learned anything in my years on this Earth, I’ve learned that if you don’t relentlessly pursue the thing that makes you happy in this life, it will not always just fall into your lap.

Any thoughts, comments? I would love to hear a story of how you found your passion and how life is different for you now!