7 Signs You're Doing Something You're Passionate About
You aren't going to be passionate about everything that you do. In fact, the vast majority of things you do will not be in the category. So much so, that it might be hard to tell what you are passionate about. However, I've noticed 7 things that really stand out to me as a sign that I'm doing something I'm passionate about.
- You forget to eat/sleep. There are countless stories, examples, and tales of people who have become so engaged in their work, they forget even the most basic needs. It's not healthy, but sometimes you just have to finish one last thing...
- You lose track of time. Often times, if I'm working on building something or learning something new, time has no meaning. This is usually the most obvious sign for me. I look at the clock and just can't really figure out where the last few hours have gone.
- You get excited about it at random times during the day. There are times when I'm sitting in traffic or while I'm taking a shower or even as I'm falling asleep, when an idea will come to me for an improvement on an existing project or something completely new. I will get so excited about it that I'll immediately begin to plan my next few steps towards this new idea. All the while, I'll forget/ignore the fact I was in the middle of doing something completely unrelated and probably necessary.
- You spend hours reading/learning about what you already know just to learn one or two more things. There have been times when I've read the same advice on personal finance topics over and over again, and yet I still continue to read blogs and reread old books for new information. It's not that something has all of a sudden changed, it's more that I just enjoy reading the same things again and again, and I hope to glean some new insight from the same old. The key is the fact that I don't mind, so it's not really boring.
- There are various signs of your interest scattered around your life. When I look at my surroundings, I see evidence of my passions all over the place. Whether that's a few books borrowed from the library about electronics or my phone filled to the brim with technology podcasts, it's hard not to come across something that points to a passion.
- You find ways to fit the activity into an already tight budget. This is one of the best examples of passion in my mind. It's very easy to not be able to do something you want to do simply because you can't afford it. However, if you're really passionate about something, you can almost always find a way to make it work. Whether that's looking for low cost alternatives or sacrificing even basic luxuries, people find ways to do the things that make them happy.
- You can't help but talk about it with friends. We've all met the person who can't help but throw in a reference to their favorite sports team in a completely unrelated conversation. Or maybe they always use one of their favorite videogame characters to describe someone in real life. It's not that they are trying to show off their knowledge of the topic, it's that these are the first things that pop into their heads when they are trying to be creative. It's a sign.
Bonus: You get really excited when you meet someone else who's passionate about the same thing. You "Geek Out" as some would say. It's that moment when you find a kindred spirit, someone who 'understands' you. You discuss your favorite topics, learn new things, and discover someone else's passion. It's exciting, as you share a bond with someone and the pieces of life that makes you genuinely happy.
To me, these are some of the biggest signs that I'm doing something I'm passionate about, but they sound strangely similar to being obsessed. Honestly, I think that being passionate about something is a little bit like being obsessed. The difference however, is that you do it not because you can't help yourself, but rather because you can't help but be happy.
What are some of the signs that you notice when you're doing something you're passionate about?
- Ryan