There’s nothing to feel ashamed about if you do not know what your passion is or what you want to do in life. More than half the people out there face the same dilemma. Some people find their passion at a young age and pursue that as their career path. On the other hand, some others may struggle to find what they like or what they are good at. It does not matter when you figure out your passion because it is never too late for that spark to light that fire inside you and for you to go out there and chase your dreams.

Nevertheless, the earlier you find it, the easier it will be to pursue it of course. Here are 5 ways in which you can try discovering where your passion lies.

Photo by Mohamed Almari, CC0 1.0

1. Try Everything

Unless you try out something you will never know if it excites you. Read up on every single course offered by your college and see if it sparks an interest. Just going by the name alone will not give you insight into what exactly you will learn in that course. Read up on it and maybe watch an introductory video. Take part in all the different activities available in your school. A famous example of this is Steve Jobs and his class on typefaces. On a whim, he decided to take up a class on calligraphy which led to the making Apple’s products stand out in the market. Unless you dip your feet in the water, you will not know the temperature.

2. Don’t Quit Easily

What most of us tend to do is to give up on something the minute we are not good at it. What we need to understand is that no one is good at anything in the first try. You will always stumble in the beginning. If you give up the minute you face a hurdle you will never get a proper experience.

3. Imagine Money Not Being a Factor

Imagine for a minute that you had a billion dollars. What would you do today? Would you set up a canvas and paint? Or would you go into the kitchen and spend a day baking? When money is left out of the equation many situations in life become simpler. Sometimes following your passion may not lead to money, but once you figure out what your passion is and you truly love it, you will figure out a way to make money from it.

4. A Hobby Is Different from A Profitable Passion

Often people get carried away if they just like doing something. This usually happens to school and college going teens. Studies at school will not be half as interesting as playing football or playing the guitar. Before making a rash decision and saying that that’s what you want to do for the rest of your life, stop and think. Think if you are good enough to become a Rockstar. If you are not then you should keep it aside as just a hobby and continue looking out for something else you would want to do all your life.

5. Imagine

Once you find something that could potentially be what you want to do for the rest of your life, sit down and imagine yourself doing it. Read up on people who do what you want to do, or something similar to it. If you enjoy what you are imagining, there you go you have found your passion. It is important, although to not get carried away. Some professions are glorified. Try talking to someone who might help give some insight into the various positives and negatives in a certain career path.

If you are 15 or 50, there is always time to do what you love. Just expand you comfort zone and start moving towards the edge. Risks are always involved, if you are jumping from one path to the other.

Always remember to think everything through. Rash decisions lead to more downfalls than rises.