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    PassionKey Newsletter

November, 2003 -- "Patience and Perserverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." - John Quincy Adams -- FINDING PASSION WHEN YOU CAN'T MAKE A CHANGE "OK," you say. "I get the whole passion thing - but I just can't up and change careers right now. What can I do?" Even if you can't make a big change, there are ways to fine tune your career and your life to bring more passion into your world. Here are some ideas: Fine tune your current work No job is static. There are always opportunities to add and subtract pieces to the puzzle. The key is being able to recognize them in the first place. What can you add? First and easiest, do a simple inventory of your current job. What are the pieces of it that you actually do enjoy? Are there ways you might be able to take on more of that? Next, if you haven't already, invest some time creating your Passion Core (sm). That's your internal compass, essentially created by breaking down the answer to "what makes me tick?" and identifying the underlying characteristics. [See this page and this page for more about how to create your own Passion Core.] Once you know the key elements that make you tick, you can start scanning the horizon for additional opportunities to incorporate them in your work. Love exploration and discovery? Maybe there's a project you can take on that involves a lot of research. Love the feeling you get when you help someone else understand things? Maybe there's an opportunity to take on an informal mentor role. Or possibly a training role. This may not make your current job "perfect," but it can certainly help make it more in line with who you are and what you enjoy. What can you offload? Just as you can make a conscious effort to add elements you enjoy, you can identify opportunities to jettison parts of your job that you don't like. This is obviously easier said than done. The key is simply to be aware, so you can seek out opportunities, and capitalize on them when they come up. Take small steps towards change When you feel like you're stuck in a career path that's not right for you, it can seem like a prison sentence. Feeling stuck means not feeling like there are options. Recognizing that there are options - e.g., I can take a long term approach to making a change and take small steps on the side while I stay in my current job - can take some of the weight off. Bring the passion in elsewhere If you're not getting your energy from work, make an efort to bring things you're passionate about into other parts of your life. Pick up a hobby. Do something that's just for you, and nobody else. Treat yourself to some self-indulgent activity - you'll have more energy for everything else if you do. -- TRY THIS! How do you define success? The standard vision of success - money, status, etc. - so often leaves people feeling like something is missing. At the same time, it's really hard to get beyond it. Try this. In addition to the standard ways to define success, challenge yourself to come up with three non-standard, "from-the-heart" definitions of success. What would they be? What choices would you be making differently in your life if you were making your decisions based on those definitions? -- ASK THE PASSION CATALYST! Q: I know I need to start moving toward making a change, but I just keep putting it off. What can I do to start moving? A: Sometimes all you need is a little structure to help you move forward. Find someone - a friend, loved one, or colleague - that you can bring into the loop. Tell them what you are doing, and ask them if you can check in with them on a regular basis (weekly would be good). Each week, tell them, "this is what I plan to do in the coming week." Maybe it's answering a self-exploration question. Or doing some research, or making some contacts. Let them know you would like to give them an update the following week on your progress on the thing you have committed to doing. It could be someone else in a similar situation who you can trade time with, or it could simply be someone who wants to support your process. It's basically about creating an accountability system for yourself. Putting something out in the open can be a big motivator. When you tell someone that you will be doing something, and know that they will expect to hear how it went, you have more incentive to actually do it and move forward (that's what I was referring to above when I said "voluntary peer pressure"). -- Let me help you identify your passions and create a career that lights your fire. I can help you find your Passion Core! Interested, but can't decide? Try a FREE half-hour trial session! More info here.