If passion is the fuel that drives us, and if it’s an essential ingredient to a sustainable second half filled with meaning and impact, then … what do you do if you cannot find your passion?
Few things in the season we call “halftime” are as frustrating as reaching a point where you want more. You have the margin and health to pursue a second career or new adventure. You see others living in their sweet spot lost in something bigger than themselves, but that “something” is elusive for you. Strangely, you are not alone. There are several reasons that many of us have this challenge.
Faced with obligations and responsibility, we may have turned our “dreamer” off decades ago. Finding our passion is about learning to listen to our heart and we may need to relearn that skill. Our passion may be hidden in plain view – so we may simply need others around to help us see it. We may have been so focused on one niche that we have little exposure to the wide array of needs and opportunities out there. Our deepest passion may be around what we can bring to an issue or a cause rather than a specific cause itself.
In other blog posts, I provide four case studies that illustrate each of these obstacles along with ideas to help you move past them. If you see yourself in one of these case studies, I encourage you to invest an hour on the phone with a Halftime coach to leverage their expertise to move you deeper into discovering your passion.
Case Study #1: “I Turned My Dreamer Off”
Story: One successful attorney told me she turned her “dreamer” off when they had kids. She felt responsible for so many things that her own dreams had to go on hold. When she told me that she found she can’t turn her dreamer back on in 15 minutes, it crystallized for me a common experience we have to retrain ourselves to listen to our heart.
Action: Read the USA Today or WSJ for a week cover to cover, NOT for information, but as you read it ask yourself, “what makes me angry, sad or makes me want to tear the article out and go do something about it?” This simple exercise illustrates the process of learning to listen to our heart. We begin the journey to discover our passion when we let our heart break for something in this world that breaks God’s heart.
Written by: Lloyd Reeb
