What is your passion in life?
If you were to meet me for the first time – say at the Singles table at a wedding where I came up with this many years ago – and I was to direct that question to you, what would your reply be?
WHAT MATTERS?
I got really tired of falling into the routine of asking the traditional, “What do you do?” question when I met new people. For one, I didn’t really care. Be honest – we ask because it’s a programmed response or way to cover up an awkward silence. But someone’s job – especially when so many people hate their jobs – often isn’t that interesting.
But I also came up with a question that helped me get past awkward conversations and help dive to the heart of who this new stranger was. What are you passionate about?
Try it sometime. But be warned: it will freak people out. Because we are programmed to wait for and respond to, “What do you do?” So people I ask often stammer out a, “Um, I don’t know, I don’t really have a passion.” But press a little further, maybe with something like, “What gives you energy? What makes you really come alive when you are doing it?” Then you will start to get answers like “horse-riding” and “my cats” and “playing the guitar” and you are on your way.
But more often than not I have found that people respond with a deep passion. “I love spending time with children”; “I’m passionate about rescuing endangered species”; or “I really love helping people learn a new language.”
SET SOMEONE FREE
When people are brave enough to answer my question – which is now my go-to when meeting new people – I can usually read it in their face as well as their words. When people start speaking about their passion, they really do start to come alive.
I find that, “What do you do?” is a great follow-up question once you’ve established what someone’s passion is. Whenever the answers to both of those questions are the same, the life is palpable.
I remember when I was working as a youth pastor at a church and my boss asked me, “If you could be doing anything in the world right now, what would it be?” My response was, “This!” He really liked that. I know it’s not always possible to be doing the work that relates to your passion, and it is probably an indication of privilege if you get to make a choice like that. But if that choice does exist for you, why not pursue it.
Sometimes it has been asking that question to someone that has helped them figure out what they are passionate about in life. Which in some cases has actually got people thinking about the work they are doing and starting to make changes to head towards doing what their passion is.
Which brings us back to you. How would you answer that question? And is the answer to “What do you do?” the same as the passion question? And if not, is there something you could be doing that would create more space for you to be doing the thing that really brings you life and joy in abundance?