Do you struggle to find your passion? Try THIS…

While scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed this morning, I stopped mid scroll when I came across Dr. Christiane Northrup’s post. (Side note, if you haven’t read her book “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom”, I suggest you do so immediately.)

She posted:

“What did you love when you were between nine and eleven years old?  Is that your profession or hobby now?”

I LOVE this topic and as a coach, I’m frequently asked by clients “How do I find my passion?”

The journey of finding your passion is not about finding it as much as uncovering it. Your passion is already an innate part of you. It may just be buried or you haven’t been in an environment where it’s fueled.

When I was between the ages of nine and eleven I was obsessed with horses.

I would wear cowgirl boots to school and t-shirts with cartoon horse characters (see pic below). A few other horse crazy girls and I would set up jumps aka picnic benches at recess and design courses. Then we’d “pick up a canter” and jump over the benches pretending we were horses.

I loved riding horses just as much as I loved being with them. Caring for them. Grooming them. Being in the barn and listening to them eat hay. It was where I felt most like myself. It was in the presence of horses.

As I grew up, I strayed from my passion and put other priorities to the forefront. I lost sight of that horse loving girl. I lost myself.

I got derailed and my soul revolted. I developed an eating disorder which was the red flag for how far I’d ventured from what fulfilled me. As the universe would have it, I ended up at a treatment center in Arizona that had equine therapy. Through a non-linear path, I circled back to horses, but this time in a new way.

Haphazardly, my passion was reignited. 

However, it did NOT mean in that moment I had it all figured out.

But when I started re-engaging with my horse passion without stressing about figuring it all out, doors opened. Mentors appeared. Opportunities came my way. The same will happen for you when you re-engage with what you used to love.

The universe wants us to be fulfilled. Our childhood passions are clues on the trail to fulfillment. We must follow them.

Even if it’s not the “holy grail” answer right away, stoking the fire of what you used to love will always lead you in the right direction.

If you’re trying to find your passion, give yourself permission to explore and excavate. Go back. What did you love when you were nine to eleven years old?  If you can’t remember, ask a sibling or relative or get out an old photo album.  Your childhood passion is the compass to your fulfillment. 

So what did you used to love doing? Is it a part of your life now? I’d love to hear from you, share your experience in the comments below. 

The girl who now wears cowgirl boots to work,

Devon