Feeling Uninspired? Here Are 9 Ways To Reconnect With Your Passion

Before we dive into how to actually find your passion, you might be wondering if everyone has a passion to begin with. The answer, according to Page and Spinelli, isn't exactly black-and-white.

For one thing, Spinelli says there are cases where people feel a passion is unnecessary to pursue. "They may be content with their current lifestyle, and not have the desire to connect their daily life to finding a deeper purpose they're passionate about," she explains. But of course, there are those in the camp who feel life is empty without that sense of deeper purpose, motivation, or passion.

And according to Page, it's not uncommon for us to put our passions on the backburner, almost to the point of being completely alienated from them, due to conditioning, life circumstances, obligations, and so on.

"I would say everybody has passions, but to varying degrees. We numb ourselves against the heat and the intensity of our passions—and life helps us do that, because we need a career, we have obligations—and so passions can seem like a luxury," Page explains.

But to that end, he says, we can wind up in a painful, empty, and difficult place if we find ourselves ignoring or lacking things were passionate about. So, if this sounds all too familiar, here's how to discover (or reconnect) with what you're passionate about.

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1.

Cultivate more self awareness.

When you know yourself, you know your passions. "Self awareness is an important step to figuring out your passion," Spinelli says. She suggests asking yourself the following questions in order to figure out patterns or themes that could lead you to your passion.

Grab your journal and dive in:

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Making a vision board anytime you're looking to change or shift something in your life is a powerful way to paint a picture of what you want, and finding your passion is no exception. Even if you can't quite pinpoint the passions you'd want to put on the board, Spinelli says you can create a "personal vision statement" for the board (i.e. "I live out my passions" or "My life is full of what I'm passionate about"), which will help guide you to find your passion, "because it points us in the direction of what we want."

Here's our full guide to vision boarding to help you get started.

3.

Get out of your comfort zone.

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4.

Notice what inspires you.

Speaking of inspiration, Page and Spinelli both advise paying attention to anything and everything in your life that sparks something in you. "A good place to start is to look at your life right now and see what glimmers of passion you already have, and then acknowledge yourself for creating that."

He recommends spending a two whole days writing down all the big and small things that inspire you, and after those two days, you can start to notice common themes and patterns. "These are indicators of what your true passion is," Page explains.

5.

Reflect on the most meaningful times of your life.

Another way to identify your passion is to reflect on times in your life that you caught a taste of what passion feels like. Page suggests writing down the four most meaningful experiences you've ever had, including what about them made them so impactful.

"What are the shared themes here that are connected to your passions? When you connect the dots, a picture begins to emerge," he explains.

You can also do this exercise while particularly focusing on your education and career, thinking about the things you've learned or done professionally that felt meaningful to you, Page adds.

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Mindfulness involves the process of slowing down and noticing things (particularly your own thoughts and behavior) with more conscious awareness. And according to Spinelli, practicing mindfulness can help us figure out what we're passionate about.

"A mindfulness practice helps us to be more attuned to our inner, true feelings," she explains, adding that we often already know what we're passionate about, and just need to get in contact with our inner selves to bring it to the forefront.

7.

Work with a professional.

9.

Look to your community.

When you start to get inklings about which things light you up the most, you might be wondering where to go from there, and according to Page, there are a few key things to keep in mind.

For one thing, he says, your passion is for you. The world may not appreciate or value whatever it is you're passionate about—or, on the other hand, the world may take advantage of it. But in either case, the process of discovering and flexing your passions is about allowing yourself the space to "parent your passions," and "help them grow up and find their legs in the world," Page says.

And while passions can seem like a luxury in a world where everything seemingly needs to be monetized, productive, or a side hustle, Page explains passions shouldn't involve pressure. "Learn to honor, appreciate, and enjoy your passions. The more you delight in your passions, the more automatically, they will begin to fill your life more and more," he says.

There's also tremendous benefit to partaking in your passions with others who are also into the same things, and Page says if you're struggling to get into a groove with your newfound passion, it would be a good idea to join some sort of group (even if it's an online page), find a local club, or go to events where you'll be able to find people who are passionate about the same things you are.

And lastly, going back to the idea of putting pressure on your passions, don't feel like you have to suddenly dedicate all your time to this thing. According to Page, it's about finding structure within your life that supports you in playing with this passion, even if it's just carving out 15 minutes to enjoy it.