Land Your Dream Job
Careers that help you move from intention to action

4 Questions to Ask Yourself When Pursuing Your Passion

A close up of a glass heart.

There is no shortage of articles out there about the pros and cons of “following your passion.” I think the focus on this bit of career advice reflects a desire for our work to feel meaningful, yet it can obscure some of the challenges inherent in our work lives. To that end, here are a few questions to explore:

How can I experiment to uncover what I am passionate about?

Sometimes when we talk about passion, we assume it is something that we are born with. As a result, those of us who haven’t identified that passion feel lost. However, the truth is that for most of us, passion is something we discover through trial-and-error. Here are few articles to help you add more experimentation to your career:

Should I pursue my passion or my purpose?

Though it might seem like semantics, when it comes to our careers, we tend to approach these two concepts very differently. Passion is often a cause or idea we’re excited about while purpose is the work we do regularly that we feel moves our cause forward and makes the most of our talent. Passion is the bigger picture of change and purpose is your role in bringing it to life. Here are a few articles to help you think differently about purpose and passion:

 What am I willing to give up (or take on)?

Pursuing your passion and purpose can be exciting, but the nitty-gritty of finding a new job can also come with trade-offs. For some people this might look like less pay or a new city. For others, a completely new approach to one’s career or identity. Or maybe instead of leaving things behind, you have to take on things that are completely new like building a network from scratch or taking classes. In any case, sometimes pursuing one’s passion means making a big change. Here are a few tips on how to do this successfully:

How can I add purpose to my work every day?

We can’t always do what we love and pursue our passions. That doesn’t mean we can’t add purpose to our work by shifting what we do and changing our point of view. Here are a few articles to help you do just that:


Did you enjoy this post? There's plenty more where this came from! Subscribe here for updates.


by Allison Jones

Explore Jobs on Idealist