If you can identify where your energy truly shines, your life will undergo a dramatic transformation.
Regardless of your role or status, if you are still struggling to “find yourself,” this article is for you.
The Five Major Pitfalls That Hinder You from Finding What You Want to Do
Before explaining the “self-awareness method,” let’s first break down the common misconceptions about finding your “passion.”
If you keep falling into these five pitfalls, even if you work hard to find “what you want to do,” you will end up with nothing.
Pitfall 1: It Has to Be Something You Can Commit to for Life
The most dangerous situation is living in confusion and emptiness, with no clear “passion.”
If you have the idea that you need to find something you can commit to for life, the starting point is actually finding “what you want to do right now.”
Pitfall 2: You Will Feel Like It’s ‘Destiny’ When You Find What You Want to Do
Even when you find what you want to do, in the beginning, it’s merely an area of interest. It’s only after starting and doing it more that you’ll begin to feel this is what you truly want to pursue.
Looking for a “destined passion” is a waste of time. By nurturing a small interest, finding ways to make your current work enjoyable, you will eventually uncover what you truly want to do.
Pitfall 3: It Has to Be Something That Benefits Others
No matter what you want to do, as long as you are interested in it, there are definitely others who share that interest. By connecting with these people, your passion will eventually turn into a career or business.
The reason passion can turn into work is that others find value in it. The correct approach is to continue doing what you “want to do,” and eventually, it will benefit others.
Pitfall 4: You Must Try a Variety of Things to Find What You Love
I don’t fully agree with this pitfall. I believe understanding yourself is the key to finding what you want to do.
You need to clarify your “selection criteria.” These criteria reside within you, so to understand them, you must first get to know yourself. Exploring outwardly will only overwhelm you with too many options, causing slow action.
Pitfall 5: What You Love Should Not Become Your Job
At the stage of considering what you “want to do,” don’t worry about whether it can become your job. Someone, somewhere is already doing it. While you may not copy others exactly, you can certainly imitate their methods for achieving it.
What you want to do exists in your mind; how to achieve it exists in society.
The Formula to Quickly Discover What You Want to Do
To find your “true passion,” there are three essential elements. Once you clarify these three elements, anyone can discover a way to love their work.
These three pillars are:
- What you love.
- What you’re good at.
- What matters most to you.
By combining these three elements, two formulas emerge:
Formula 1: What You Love x What You’re Good At = What You Want to Do
Many people mistakenly think that “what you love = what you want to do,” but this isn’t entirely accurate. What you want to do is the application of what you’re good at in an area you love. To fully understand “what you want to do,” you first need to define “what you love” and “what you’re good at.”
What You Love: This refers to areas that ignite your passion, such as psychology, environmental issues, fashion, medicine, robotics, design, etc. For those considering a career change, these could be thought of as “industries” that fuel your enthusiasm.
Characteristics of What You Love:
- You feel an inherent interest and desire to dive deeper into the subject.
- Engaging in related activities feels exciting, and you often think, “Could this be my career?”
- Constant questions like “Why?” and “How?” pop up in your mind (e.g., “Why does the robot move this way?”).
What You’re Good At: This refers to things you naturally excel at, things that feel easy and enjoyable. These could be thought of as your natural talents, characteristics, or instincts—such as empathizing with others, competitive spirit, learning, research, and analysis.
Characteristics of What You’re Good At:
- You enjoy doing it.
- You can do it effortlessly, without forcing yourself.
- You are easily immersed in it because it doesn’t feel like work.
- You naturally engage in it outside of work.
Talent vs. Skill and Knowledge:
Talent is not the same as acquired skills or knowledge. Talent refers to inherent abilities like risk assessment or deep thinking, whereas skills and knowledge are learned, such as speaking a language or coding. While both are useful, talent is more versatile and can be applied in any field, while skills and knowledge are often specific to certain jobs.
Why Talent Is More Important:
Talent is flexible and remains useful no matter how times change, unlike skills, which may become outdated. Developing your talents grants you greater freedom in your career choices, while being restricted to learned skills can lead to stagnation.
The goal is to leverage your talents in your career, rather than simply relying on skills you have acquired.
Formula 2: What You Love x What You’re Good At x What Matters Most to You = What You Truly Want to Do
To have the work you truly want to do, you need to add a third element: What matters to you.
In the process of doing what you love, the things that truly matter to you also need to be fulfilled. This combination of your passion, talents, and values will lead to meaningful work.
What Matters to You (Your Values): Your values define your deeper purpose in life. In the context of work, these values dictate the kind of work environment you want and the impact you wish to have on others.
Once you clarify your values, the purpose behind your work becomes clear.
Five Methods to Discover Your Values
Here are five steps to uncover your core values:
- Answer these five questions to identify key value words:
- Who do you respect? What do you admire about them?
- What experiences from your childhood or adolescence most shaped you?
- What do you believe society is lacking?
- What do people around you think you value most?
- When giving advice, what do you want to tell others?
- Create a value map by grouping similar keywords together. The more keywords you collect, the easier it will be to identify your core values.
- Shift from external to internal values. Avoid adopting values you can’t control (like “being famous” or “becoming rich”). Focus on values you can directly control, such as “pursuing curiosity.”
- Rank your values in order of importance. This will give you clarity on what values you need to prioritize.
- Use your values to define your work purpose. When your work aligns with your values, it will naturally become fulfilling.
Two Steps to Discover Your True Passion
Step 1: Combine What You Love with What You’re Good At to hypothesize what you might want to do. List what you love and what you’re good at, then mark the overlapping areas as primary focus.
Step 2: Filter through your work purpose to determine if it aligns with your values and if it contributes to others.
Conclusion
To truly understand yourself, focus on three core elements:
- What matters most to you (values).
- What you’re good at (talents).
- What you love (passion).
Once these three aspects are clear, combining them will naturally reveal the work you are meant to pursue and how to achieve it.