Dear Frustrated,
One of my passions is helping people find theirs, and finding your passion is a process that can be done in different ways, many of which encompass several steps.
A process I developed which has worked for me and many of my clients, is one I call "The Kitchen Cabinet". I usually begin by asking you to gather together several people in your life who know you in all different ways. Some examples are: a former boss, a friend, a colleague, a room-mate, someone who has kids you babysat for, etc. We all meet in a designated place for about 2 hours. (One of my favorite places to meet is in people's kitchens, hence this collective group becomes your "Kitchen Cabinet".) I also encourage you to provide some munchies and/or dessert for the group, to help provide a relaxed atmosphere, one in which conversation and ideas flow as people begin to give feedback.
I ask your friends to describe you and we use a computer/screen/flip chart to write down the adjectives they use, as well as phrases that also describe behaviors they would attribute to you. (For example: talkative; leader; likes to be in charge). After we have exhausted this exercise, we then collectively think about careers and jobs which fit different aspects of the descriptions we identified. I encourage everyone to think "out of the box" during this exercise, so we write down absolutely everything that comes to our minds, no matter how silly. We end up with a job description which is custom made to you and addresses the kinds of activities, culture, work environment you need as well as identifies the specific behaviors you want to include in your work day, things you're good at and other aspects you may have not yet done but would love to do. The next step is to think about contacts everyone there has, that may be useful/helpful to you as you pursue this new job. Often the process includes an internship or mentoring process with someone you admire, who has your "dream job". The goal is to end up with your "dream job"- one that theoretically you would do for no money if you were in the enviable situation of not having to work for a living.
The above is a condensed version of only one way to pursue finding your passions. There are others and most include enlisting the help of a career counselor, Life Coach, or other professionals as well as books. One author I recommend is Barbara Sher, whose books include I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What it Was and Wishcraft- How to Get What You really Want.
My dream job is helping people navigate through life's issues by exposing them to suggestions from others and their experiences, in public forums like radio, television, workshops, keynote speaking, websites,books and magazines.
Susan Harf
