How to Discover Your Passion and Build a Life You Love
💌
This week’s:
Affirmation: I am open to discovering what lights me up, and I take small steps every day toward creating a life I love.
Quote: The secret to getting ahead is getting started – Mark Twain
How to Discover Your Passion and Build a Life You Love
We’ve all heard it: “Follow your passion.” But what if you don’t know what your passion is? For many, this well-meaning advice only brings frustration. The good news is that your passion may already be within reach—it’s just waiting for you to uncover it. Let’s explore how you can connect with what truly lights you up.
Trust Your Curiosity
Too often, we overthink the question, “What is my passion?” But passion doesn’t come from the mind—it comes from the heart. Many of us already know what brings us joy, yet doubt or fear keeps us from embracing it. Instead of searching for a monumental “aha” moment, try noticing what brings you small sparks of joy or curiosity.
As Steve Jobs said in his Stanford commencement speech, passion isn’t always clear at the start. He shared how taking a calligraphy class after dropping out of college felt like a random decision at the time but later influenced the design of Apple’s first Macintosh. “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward,” he said. His advice? Trust in your curiosity and follow it.
Clues to Your Passion
Take a moment to analyze your interests. What books fill your shelves? What topics do you gravitate toward in conversations or media? Patterns in your life aren’t coincidental—they’re a map to your passion.
Reflect on your childhood, too. Kids naturally explore what excites them without overthinking. What activities did you love as a child? Art? Sports? Storytelling?
Ask yourself:
What was your favourite thing to do growing up?
What topics or activities make you lose track of time?
Discovering Flow
Passion often hides in your flow state—a state of deep focus and enjoyment where time seems to disappear. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the psychologist who coined the term, describes flow as being fully immersed in the present moment.
Flow isn’t random; it’s often linked to activities that challenge you just enough to stay engaged. Pay attention to moments where work feels like play. Naval Ravikant sums it up: “Do something that feels like play to you but work to others.”
Ask yourself:
When do I feel fully absorbed and lose track of time?
What skills or activities come naturally to me but feel challenging for others?
Breaking Down Barriers
Fear and doubt are the biggest obstacles to discovering your passion. Many of us dismiss dreams because they feel impractical or risky. But as adults, we often lose sight of the childlike curiosity that once guided us.
To break through these barriers:
Reframe your fears. Instead of asking, What if I fail? ask, What if I succeed?
Challenge limiting beliefs. What would you pursue if money, time, or failure weren’t concerns?
Embrace discomfort. Growth—and passion—often lie outside your comfort zone.
Ask yourself:
What would I do if I had no fear?
What would I pursue if I had guaranteed success?
The CLEAR Path to Passion
The CLEAR framework helps identify and nurture passion:
Curiosity sparks initial interest.
Learning deepens that interest.
Enthusiasm creates excitement and motivation.
Awareness strengthens your commitment.
Recognition aligns your identity with your passion.
Reflect on where you might be in this journey and take steps to nurture your curiosity into a deeper passion.
The Power of Small Actions
Passion isn’t just about discovery—it’s about action. Once you have a sense of what excites you, commit to daily steps to cultivate it. Whether it’s writing, creating, or learning, consistent effort compounds over time.
James Clear, in Atomic Habits, emphasizes the power of small improvements. If you improve by just 1% every day, the results are transformative over a year (read more about the 1% rule here). Similarly, small, consistent actions toward your passion can snowball into a life that feels meaningful and fulfilling.
Overcoming the “Perfect Timing” Myth
Many people wait for the perfect moment to pursue their passion. But life rarely offers perfect conditions. Start small, even if it’s 10 minutes a day. Over time, those minutes will add up, and the process itself will guide you forward.
Your passion isn’t something you need to find—it’s something you uncover. By reflecting on what brings you joy, noticing your flow state, and removing internal barriers, you’ll begin to see the life you dream of as entirely within your reach.
Take it one step at a time, and trust that the dots will connect in the end. As Steve Jobs said, “Don’t settle. Keep looking.”
Key Questions to Reflect On
What patterns of interest do you notice in your life?
What childhood activities or dreams have you forgotten?
What would you do if you had no fear of failure?
How can you take one small action today to explore your passion?
By asking yourself these questions and taking small steps, you’ll be on your way to building a life fueled by passion and purpose.
ICYMI
VC and Start ups
Angel investor Hannah Bronfman is ready to launch her own fund. (TechCrunch)
Menopause startup Alloy raises $16 million. (Yahoo Finance)
Consumer
Capri and Tapestry abandon plans to merge, citing regulatory hurdles. (CNBC)
Former H&M CEO Helena Helmersson joins textile recycling firm Circulose. (BoF)
CoverGirl makes big bet on influencers to revive brand built on supermodels. (WSJ)
Kering appoints new CEOs at Saint Laurent and Balenciaga. (Reuters)
Salomon and Arc'teryx Owner Amer Sports Reports Major Boost in Q3 Report. (Hypebeast)
E.l.f Beauty shares drop following short seller report. (Reuters)
Tech
Amazon Web Services named Julia White CMO. (Business Insider)
Meta hires Salesforce’s CEO of AI, Clara Shih, to lead new business AI group. (TechCrunch)
Canva hires former Zoom CFO Kelly Steckelberg to run finance ahead of expected IPO. (CNBC)
DOJ pushes for Google to divest Chrome browser after antitrust case. (CNBC)
Health
Sam Altman and Arianna Huffington’s Thrive AI Health assistant has a bare-bones demo. (TechCrunch)
Oura valued at $5B following deal with medical device firm Dexcom. (TechCrunch)
Thank you so much for reading Thrive Sheet. I would love to hear from you—reply to this email or connect with me on social media; Instagram; TikTok; Twitter; LinkedIn.