Not sure what you’re passionate about? Here’s a big hint…

Imagine you’re about to give a presentation. On stage. To an audience.

Don’t freak out. We’re just using our imagination right now. Go with me on this.

You’re backstage, your hands are sweating and you’ve got the jitters. You can feel the warmth of the stage lights beaming through the curtains and you can make out the faces of the crowd just beyond the podium. You hear your name from the emcee on stage. They’re introducing you now.

You reach for your computer to pull up your PowerPoint. But… it’s not working. Wait what? It’s not working?

Oh no.

You start to panic. It’s almost time for you to make your entrance and you can’t find your notes and you don’t even have a presentation and OH MY GOD WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO!?!

Okay be cool. Come back to reality.

Fellow introverts: I’m sorry I put you through that. 

But what if you were really in that situation? You know there’s a captive audience waiting to hear what you have to say, and you have something to say.

If you didn’t have something to say, why would you be there? What do you know so well that you would be asked to talk about it? On stage, no less?

Maybe you’re not planning to do any public presentations any time soon, and that’s okay. But what is it that you like to talk about?

Recognizing what your true passion is can be tough. Mostly because we’re reading into the idea of passion far too much. We’re over qualifying what it’s supposed to be and under qualifying what it actually is.

Let’s break it down easily by asking ourselves a simple question:

What can I talk about for 30 minutes with no preparation?

Think about times when you’re talking to your loved ones. Your colleagues. Acquaintances who ask you what you like to do in your spare time. What makes you start firing at all cylinders and practically word-vomit when given the opportunity to talk about what it is and why it matters?

We often discount the thing that we’re the most excited about for one simple reason: it feels too easy. Well, guess what, that thing that feels easy to you is not easy for everyone else. Even something that seems like everyone would know is very likely not the case.

What comes easy to you and excites you is special. What makes you start talking without realizing you haven’t taken a breath in awhile is worth noticing!

Stop letting those moments slip away. Next time you’re in a conversation like that, write down what it felt like. Write down what you talked about. Write down who the people are that need to hear that information and why it’s helpful to them.

You’re looking for your passion, but it may have already found you.

Q: You already know it in your heart. What can you talk about for 30 minutes with zero prep? Comment below!