What are you passionate about? Seriously, take a moment to stop and think about it. What lights up a smile on your face? What really makes you tick? When asked that question, do you know your answer right away or do you struggle with feeling like you don’t even have the time to find your passion? Let me tell you now, Mama, you need to find your passion!
Sure, hopefully for all of us we are passionate about our families. We love our husbands. We adore our children. And that’s wonderful! We absolutely must have that passion for our families in order to thrive and make this thing called mom life work. But every person needs to find their own personal passions, past that of taking care of and loving their family.
Why do you need to find your passion?
Isn’t caring for and loving your family all you need? Isn’t that enough? As I said before, having a passion for your family is oh so important. However, if you are able to find AND pursue your passion outside of taking care of your family, I PROMISE, it will make you a better mother! Giving yourself that outlet will make you a much happier mother. And the struggle bus, while I’m sure it will makes its rounds at times, won’t be the only thing you ride.
In a way, it’s a form of self care. Finding and making time for your passion brings so many benefits to your life. It brings more joy into your life. It lights a fire inside of you that may otherwise not be there. Many times pursuing your passion takes time and energy, but at the same time, it gives you more energy to do the other must-do things in life. You know, like the cleaning and the laundry, and the wiping snot. It’s almost like this magical, unexplainable thing that happens inside and bursts out into all other areas of your life. Believe me, your children and your family will thank you for it.
How do I find my passion?
For some people this comes easy. For others, it does not. Some people have always had a specific passion for something, and it stays with them their entire life. They’ve always wanted to be a writer or a baker or a doctor, and they go on to pursue those dreams. For those people, it’s not just a job, it is their passion. Some people don’t have that “always wanted to” dream that becomes their passion, and they have to look for it a little harder.
You can start by thinking about or making a list of hobbies or interests you enjoy. Not everything you like becomes “your passion”, but some things may. For example, I like to bake. However, it’s more of just a fun hobby for me. It’s not what I would consider a passion in my life. You may be able to pinpoint your passion just by making that list. Or, you may not. As you begin making time for those things you love, many times that’s when you discover what things are truly your passion.
Often when something is your passion, it’s not just for you like a hobby might be. Your motivation many times is for others. You want to impact others. You want to help them make a change in their life or a change in the world. Maybe you want to provide them with a service or a product that they love. You want to help improve people or places or processes.
Your passion can be anything you want it to be. Baking or crochet to writing or teaching. Maybe it’s advocating for trafficked children, helping create change in democracy or rescuing animals. The options are limitless. Sometimes your passion and your job are one and the same. Sometimes they’re not, and that’s okay.
A little about my passions
And no, you are not limited to only one passion. Some of my passions outside my family are adoption, specifically advocating for everyone involved in the adoption triad, as well as adoption education. Another passion of mine that I have only recently discovered is helping moms, just like you, get out of the overwhelm of life and learn to enjoy life. In a way, this has always been a passion of mine, helping and encouraging other women, but it’s been a bit of a journey to actually get there. I’ve had to start and stop some things before I really realized what was really driving me on the inside, what my motivation is. Part of that journey has been getting out from under the overwhelm myself!
If you are overwhelmed in your motherhood just like I have been and feel you’re barely keeping your head above water, click on this link to get my cheat sheet for 7 Ways to Manage Your Busy Mom Life.
How do I know I’ve found my passion?
Some indicators you have found your passion are:
- You can’t stop thinking about it (this is a definite indicator for me) – like seriously, you think about it ALL THE TIME
- It makes you driven – it’s more than just a fun hobby, there is this drive deep inside you that makes you want to do it more, to do it better
- You want to do it in such a way that it impacts others – another major indicator I would say for most everyone
- You’re willing to make time for it
- You are not deterred easily even when obstacles arise
- You want to do it over and over, not just here and there
- Even if it takes a lot of energy, you feel good or accomplished afterwards
- It makes you a better person
This is not a comprehensive list, but just a list to give you some indicators to help you know if you’re just enjoying a hobby or pursuing a passion. Also, these indicators are not all or nothing. If you haven’t hit one of these, it doesn’t mean that specific thing is not your passion. It just means you haven’t hit that indicator yet, but you most likely will.
Mama Find Your Passion
Making the time outside of family or your job to do what you are passionate about is not selfish. Of course it can become that way, but I doubt that’s where most of us mamas live. Making that time is caring for yourself. It is caring for your family and for others. For your family because it really does cause you to strive to be a better person all around, and most often, it makes you a much happier person to be around. For others because often times your passion effects others in a positive way (encouragement, help, service).
So mama, it is time to find your passion!
If you’re struggling to find that passion in your life and you need some help or someone to talk to, I would love to hear from you! Drop me an email. I’d love to chat!
For more posts especially for mom, check out Fashion Secrets for Busy Moms and I See You Movement.
this is a great post and oh so true for us moms to find something we are passionate about.
Very helpful post. Finding your passion and living up to it can be a whole lot to think about and process. Thanks for this lovely post.
I love it, something that we as moms should not forget. While we are happy following and finding our passion, everybody around us are happy.
Yes! Exactly!
Great topic. I have a number of passions … one is the sharing of true, real stories between people. I see stories as a powerful way to bridge culture, generation and misunderstandings.
Would you consider sharing a story about your passion – adoption?
Karletta, yes I would consider sharing a story about my passion for adoption. Send me an email and we can collaborate. bagladyboss17@gmail.com I just read a post from your blog the other day and would like to follow it more.
Quite a timely post I must say. Everyone, not just mums need to find their passions and do it otherwise regrets and unfulfillment will set in. I think it’s worse for mums because they are so exhausted by taking care of everyone else but themselves. They need something specific that they are passionate about.
Completely agree! This is definitely something for everyone.
Great post and nice check list on how to find your passion. My father always told me to do something that I loved, and then I would never work a day in my life, and success would find me.