Finding Your Passion

July 2025

I’ve always had mixed feelings about the idea of “finding your passion.” For many, it can feel like an unfair expectation. If you don’t have a clear, burning passion, you start to wonder if something’s wrong with you, like you missed a memo everyone else received. I know I felt that way for a long time.

I’ve since come to believe that we all carry a quiet inner compass directed to our purpose. If we listen closely, it can slowly guide us toward more of what lights us up, even if we can’t name it yet.

Here’s my own story related to this:

Choosing the Practical Path

When it came time to choose a college major, I didn’t have a strong calling. I didn’t know what I truly wanted to do, so I leaned into what felt safe and sensible. I chose to study mathematics not because I had a burning desire to become a mathematician or a clear vision for how I’d use the knowledge I’d gain, but because I was good at it and it didn’t feel like a bad option. It was practical. It would give me skills. It felt good enough.

That same type of rationale carried me through my earlier career, choosing what I thought I should be doing. Choosing jobs that seemed smart or stable.

Watching Others Who Had the Clarity I Was Seeking

At the same time, I found myself observing others around me who appeared to have more joy in their work. They had it all figured out. My sister is one example. She had clarity early on, went to school for interior design, built a career she enjoys, and has been thriving in architecture firms ever since.

I admired that kind of certainty. Without it, I started to believe that maybe I was someone who didn’t have a passion. But that didn’t feel good either; I felt inadequate.

The Cycle of Searching

So, I kept searching. I’d stay in a role for a few years, then get restless and wonder, What’s next? I’d start looking for something new – a different company, a different industry, a different role. Something that might finally click.

Each time I hoped this next job would feel more “me.” But I never felt that deep sense of alignment I imagined others had. And I desperately wanted it. That moment of insight that would tie everything together.

When It Started to Make Sense

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and it gave me pause. I was in my mid-40s, more than 20 years into my career, but I finally granted myself the space and permission to ask a bigger question: What do I actually want for my next chapter? Not what was practical. Not what was easiest. But what kind of work would feel meaningful and energizing?

I recognized more definitively that collecting a paycheck while giving away my skills to serve an organization’s bottom line wasn’t for me anymore. I wanted to support people – individuals – not companies. I wanted to see them grow, evolve, become more of who they already are. Because deep down, that’s what I had been longing for too.

Following the Spark

During that introspective time, I paid close attention to the signs I was seeing and the instinct I was feeling. Coaching kept showing up. A small spark initially, but one that grew persistent. And once I saw coaching as a possibility, it started to make so much sense. I saw how it related to past work I’d done and the type of impact I valued in past roles.

So, I immersed myself more into the idea. I joined some coaching conversations and loved them. I researched training programs. I dove in.

I think it’s important to note that even as my intuition guided me to this profession, I had doubts in my transition to this work. On the first day of my coach training, I felt out of my element. There were quite a few tears. It stretched me. It challenged me. But it also felt like home. Because underneath the discomfort was something deeper: alignment. And so much fulfillment.

I also had to overcome a nagging concern that this new chapter invalidated the 20+ years that came before it. Now I see how much I incorporate what I learned over those prior decades into who I am now and how I coach. All of that experience – understanding organizations, leading teams, navigating personalities, mentoring others, managing change – gave me the perspective, empathy, and tools I bring into my coaching conversations. Those chapters weren’t wasted; they were foundational. They prepared me to do this work in a deep and meaningful way.

I’m grateful for that journey, because it led me to where I am now. I finally have the insight I was craving. I found my passion.

If You’re Still Searching

If you’re someone who doesn’t feel a clear pull toward a passion, or if you’re in a season of questioning or uncertainty, that’s okay. Your passion doesn’t have to arrive on a schedule or look like anyone else’s. Although some paths are more linear than others, no path is “right” or better. You haven’t missed your moment.

Here are a few steps that might help you connect to your own purpose and ultimate passion:

🔹 Give yourself permission to not have it all figured out. Let go of the pressure to know your life’s calling right now with certainty. Clarity doesn’t always come in a lightning bolt. It often comes through experience and exploration.

🔹 Follow the little sparks. Tune into your intuition. Pay attention to the topics, conversations, or moments that energize you, even just a little. They may seem small or unrelated at first, but they may just be your soul yearning to be heard.

🔹 Create space for reflection. Whether it’s journaling, working with a coach, or simply taking a walk without distractions – quiet time can help you hear what your busyness has been drowning out.

🔹 Be willing to stretch. The right path might not feel comfortable at first. Sometimes you need to take a step before you’re 100% sure. Passion often reveals itself after you’ve begun the work, not before. And that’s true growth.

What’s meant for you will find you when you are ready. Keep asking the deeper questions. Keep looking out for those sparks. ✨