Passion Isn’t Something You Find — It’s Something You Earn
By: Itxy Lopez
Tags: Passion, Advice, Self, Success, Creativity

Almost all twenty-somethings are seeking one thing: a passion.

But that’s the problem — they’re just looking. They’re peering through a pair of binoculars as if their passion is going to jump out at them like Waldo and his red-and-white sweater. But sitting at your window isn’t going to do anything.

You’re not going to wake up one day and have the answers you’re searching for. As great as it would be for our dreams to solve our problems, if you think about it, our dreams don’t always make that much sense anyway. So what can you do?

You come back to reality and you get shit done.

Let’s talk about it some more with a story from Wolverine himself.

In an interview on The Tim Ferris Show, Hugh Jackman shared that he went to college to get a degree in journalism. However, for his final semester of college, he still had to take an elective. His friend recommended the theater class because it was easy. “There’s no exam, there’s no play, and you pass,” his friend told him. So, Jackman took the class.

But for the first time ever, the theater professor decided he was going to do a play, and by ballot, Jackman ended up getting the lead role. By the end of the semester, three weeks before graduation Jackman realized he’d had a lot of fun. “Oops. I think I turned right and I was meant to turn left,” he said. So, he graduated with a journalism degree but started pursuing acting.

Hugh Jackman didn’t wake up one morning and realize he wanted to be an actor. He didn’t have an interest in acting. He took a class because it was easy, and it ended up changing his life.

It was only after he started acting that he became passionate about acting.

Passion isn’t something you find. It’s something you earn.

With weeks, months, and years of studying and work. It’s a gift. A chance for you to love something so much you’re willing to work at it, succeed at it, and be joyful while you work on it.

If you want to find your passion, you need to keep your eyes peeled and your heart open, but most importantly, you need to go out into the world and try things. Actually, you don’t even need to do that. You can go online and discover. You can read books.

When I graduated from high school, I started a blog because I had no interest in other matters. I just knew I wanted to build an online business. So, I wrote, and I wrote, and I wrote, and I felt… nothing. Then, in 2019 — three years later — I started writing on Medium, began taking it more seriously, and I realized Holy shit, I’m a writer.

It went the same way with fiction. I wrote fanfiction for a while not because I wanted to be a fiction writer, but because it looked fun. It was only a year later that I realized I wanted to write books.

I wouldn’t have realized I loved writing until I started writing.

You just have to start with something you’re even a little bit interested in.

If you’ve ever thought about what it’s like to write a song, vlog, or write a short story, give it a try. Look up some classes online, or watch a couple of YouTube videos. You don’t need to think about it as a potential career — just let your interest and curiosity lead you.

Don’t put pressure or expectations on the new things you try. That kills joy. Do them with an open heart and pure excitement, just like a toddler does literally everything.

If you like it, keep it going. It’s that simple. Don’t worry about whether it gets you out of bed in the morning or that it keeps you up at night. Forget all that talk you hear about flow and getting in the zone.

Liking it is enough. Liking it will eventually lead to love and passion. Because remember, passion is gifted later. Not at the start.

Just because you love something doesn’t mean you want to make a living off of it. How do you differentiate the two?

I played the violin for four years. I loved it deeply. I worked hard at it, at becoming the best in my high school orchestra, and because of the work I put in, I grew quickly. But by the time I was about to graduate, I had to ask:

Did I want to play professionally?

Did I want to go to college and master it?

Was I willing to spend hours practicing every day?

I thought about it for a few days before realizing I didn’t want that. I loved playing the violin, but I loved it out of innocent joy and pure freedom.

You can ask those same questions as you pick up hobbies and study new things, such as playing instruments, reading history books, or taking a marketing class.

Are you willing to work at it?

Will you stick around for at least three to five years?

Do you want to keep studying and growing?

Does thinking about your future in it bring you joy?

As I said, you won’t wake up one day and know what to do with the rest of your life. Start doing something about the random things that capture your attention and set out to discover if you want to do it for a long time.

Once you’ve answered yes to those questions, you’ve hit the goddamn lottery. If you haven’t, keep trying. You’re not losing anything, anyway. You’re living.