Self Made Guy

This post is inspired by another blogger who is trying to define her career.

I’m known to show passion and enthusiasm for many different subjects, so I thought defining my real passions would be easy. My indecisiveness in regards to “what I want to do” hasn’t helped either.

I’ve made lists, spoke with friends and family, and even blogged about my goals and interests. What I found most difficult was defining exactly what I am passionate about. I kept things simple by narrowing down using common denominators.

For each REAL passion I discovered, the recurring themes were: I have studied the subjects (school). I have consumed and enjoyed them for many years. They are subjects I can discuss for hours without losing a breath, and have no problem displaying my knowledge of the subjects.

I initially thought marketing was one of my passions, but the reality is that I can’t talk marketing for hours and I don’t have a large body of knowledge on the subject.

In no particular order, I have narrowed down my REAL passions to the following:

• computers
  - seriously, I think I was born to type. That probably explains my poor handwriting. I’ve always had a natural attraction and ease with computers. I can probably count on my fingers the number of days I spent without using a computer. Scary!
• motorcycles
  - there’s no way to explain how much I love motorcycles and all things related to them. I’ve even crossed an ocean just to see a MotoGP race. Twice! One of my biggest achievements in life was conquering my fear of actually riding one, and still enjoying it many years later.
• mixology
  - I know this might paint a bad picture of me, but it’s not in the form of alcoholism (abuse). I’m an advocate for moderation and enjoying alcohol for the taste, heritage, creation process, and the other good feelings it brings. Ever since I was of legal drinking age (18 in Quebec), I had a fascination with being “the bartender” and using my creativity to wow my friends with fantastic tasting beverages.

In the end, I don’t think there’s a real recipe to discovering your real passions. Some things simply re-surface without a conscious effort. If you can’t figure it out on your own, it might be fruitful to use the view from someone on the outside.

Good luck!