If you're reading this article, one of these thoughts may have crossed your mind at some point in time:
"I literally have no passions."
"What do I want to spend the rest of my life doing?"
"How can I find something I love to do when I love absolutely nothing?"
If any of these thoughts sound like you, let me just say: Me too.
I am one of those people who has spent the last few years of their life trying to find something that I am passionate enough about to build a career around. I have spent hours staring at the ceiling, trying to find an inkling of dedication to anything under the sun. Art? Nope. Sports? Tried it. Instruments? I can barely play the triangle. While most of my friends were outpouring their lives into improving on their sport or entering showcases for art or music or even trade school, I was left trying to find something that I cared enough about to dedicate my life to. I've been trying to find that "something" that I love. And so far, I've got nothing.
That's not to say that those of us who think like this are utterly heartless and don't love anything. In fact, people like us love too many things. We have so many interests and loves that we cannot choose and commit to that one special thing that we want as our "career." We can't imagine picking one thing to do for the rest of our lives and sticking with it until retirement. At least, that's my explanation.
I feel as though it's special to have that sense of drive and dedication to something. And if you have it, good for you! Hold on to it. Keep working at it, and don't lose sight of your dream. And if you haven't found it yet, that's perfectly OK. Not everyone on this earth is destined to become a doctor, or a musical prodigy, or an Olympic athlete. Some of us are supposed to be confused. Some of us are supposed to be lost and on a twisted path of life: it's what keeps the human race interesting. It would be incredibly boring if we were all born with a predetermined fate. There would be none of that suspense or adventure in finding what you love. It may take a couple of tries to find your thing, and humanity is notorious for trial and error, so who cares if you have more trials than someone else?
I'm sorry that I cannot be that success story who says it will all work out and promises you that your purpose in life will find you. Obviously, however, I have to believe this, for my own sake and for yours. I wholeheartedly believe that you will eventually find your passion in life… but what I'm saying is that I just can't be your proof. We're in the same boat, here.
I, like you, am holding onto the hope that one day my passion will hit me like a ton of bricks and I'll finally know what I want to do with my life. But for now, I am subjecting myself to as many new experiences as I can and taking all of the classes that I can, just to see if something will stick. And if that doesn't happen within my four years of college, then I'm OK with that. Or, more accurately, I'm working on being OK with that. Plenty of people I know have found their niche later in life and have gone back to school (or haven't, because not all careers require a college degree), all of whom are currently thriving.
So, instead of stressing out and frantically trying to find something to dedicate my life to, I have decided to relax, be patient, and just let my life play out the way that it is meant to. So what if I don't know right this second what I'll be doing in 5 years? We, as confused people lacking direction, need to just relax, be patient, and trust that one day that ton of bricks will find us. I am giving my passion some time, and so should you.
