For years, I have been in the search of my calling in life. I wanted to know what I was passionate about and what I am good at. I have friends who love to cook, love to dance, love music, love singing. It came so naturally for them even at a very young age. I, on the other hand, had to take music lessons but I'm not good at it, had to take painting classes - I just mimic what people paint, etc. 

Over the years, I think I finally found what I am passionate about. And I assessed these with my friends as well. It has been years since we have graduated college, by now, most of us have jobs and some of us do what we love. And this is what I have learned:

There are two ways we discover our passion and they are born from our interests:

Let me elaborate, those friends or relatives of mine who are good at painting, dancing and music even at such a young age belong to the first category. They already had these "natural talents" and throughout the years of working with what they love, they became very good at it. And during my college years, I have met people who loved writing, programming, analysis, and so on, these were people who were interested with these things and they became so curious about it, they upgraded or nurtured their skill or hobby. And, you guessed it, these people belong to the later category. 

With all these, we can say that finding your passion is more of a journey. Here are some tips on your journey of finding your passion:

1. Say 'no' more often. What I mean is to say 'no' to things or tasks that do not align with your passion and say 'yes' to things or tasks that make you excited or relevant to your passion. 

2. Rethink something you can't do. Last year, I have been into developing my research skills. I found info of an internship to do hands on research with biologists (I'm a statistician) for several weeks. At first I was excited thinking about what could happen if I got the internship, so I applied. I got in, but the reality finally sinked into me and I was doubtful if I could do it. Few weeks later, I successfully finished it and opened new opportunities for me. 

The lesson is if something scares you, then reassess your thoughts and be positive about it. There's no harm in at least trying. 

3. Look for a theme in your room or house. Often times, we are already surrounded by the things that we love. When I started my first blog, I looked around my room on what niche I could do, it wasn't difficult to spot the overflowing skincare and makeup in my vanity (this was before I became a minimalist). Fast forward, several years later, I am now managing my second blog and though it is about minimalism and sustainability, I still share my thoughts on my favorite sustainable beauty products. 

4. What get's you talking? What get's you excited? Is there a common theme? This may be a simple answer to your journey. When I wanted to change my niche, talking about beauty products was something I couldn't let go because people still message me asking for my opinion on certain products. Hence, my journey of finding eco-friendly beauty products is something that I still often share with people. 

5. Find accessible ways to learn more. To make an interest a passion, we should cultivate it through time. Therefore, it is important to find ways to learn more to develop the passion. With the internet, there are several ways to learn it like Youtube, Coursera, Skillshare etc. 

6. Find a way to give back. Giving back to people has always made the giver's life more meaning. By sharing your beliefs, principles and passion in life, you get to change other people's life too. As a professor, sharing my acquired knowledge and experience has made me more responsible and encouraged me to do more in my passion. That is why, more and more people launch blogs or Youtube channels to create a platform to share their passion to the world.