We're pleased to share with you this guest blog from our new associate and Passion Expert, Susanna Halonen.
How many times have you heard the phrase "find your passion" or "follow your passion"? Probably a few times. Do you embrace it or are you frustrated by the notion that you have to find this one and only passion to monetise and base your life on? The good news is that your frustration is about to end. New research in positive psychology has shown that you don't need pursue your passion, but instead bring it out of you.
Passion is a form of positive energy that sits within you and without you it doesn't exist. That means it doesn't need to be tied to one activity or one thing, but you can choose to take control of your passion and bring it out when you want. This is especially important in the workplace where becoming more passionate will help not only your performance, but also your happiness and sense of wellbeing. It will make you more persistent in the face of challenge and more productive overall.
So how can you tap into this inner force of passion at work? There are 5 key elements that help you unlock it.
1. Acknowledge you have to be your authentic self at work. Ask to be involved in projects which are aligned with your values, and talk to your manager about how your values motivate you.
2. Think about the kind of positive impact you're creating through the work you do. Are you making someone else's life or job easier? How is the company you're working for contributing to a bigger cause?
3. Make an effort to endlessly learn and grow. Try to learn at least one new thing a day, and always aim to master the things that matter to you.
4. Connect with like minded people to find your tribe. Together you can motivate each other and alight each others' passions, especially in the face of a challenge.
5. Use your strengths - but in new different ways. The more you challenge yourself to use your natural skills in new ways, the more excited you will be and the more learning you will discover. Both of these will in turn continue to fuel that fire inside of you.
These are the basics to help you tap into the passion that's already within you. These are equally applicable at work and in life, so have a play and test what alights your fire the most. The important bit here is to understand that being passionate is a choice, and by making choices that take into account the 5 elements above, you will be able to unlock your inner passion on a whole new level.
Susanna Halonen is Practically Positive's new associate and Passion Expert. A coach, trainer and speaker at Happyologist, she discovered the passionate way of being theory through her research in positive psychology.
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