Can One Fake Life Purpose/passion?

[Michael Sneg]

So I have finished Life Purpose course some time ago, came up with several ideas of what it can be. The issue is that none of these ideas feels like some deep passion of mine, they're more like combination of

• my capability and skills
• possible huge impact
• meaningful and "conscious" goal

Although this is nice, I dont feel like there is a lot of intrinsic motivation to do this (like burning fire inside). So my question is: Can I make up my passion?

Or, in other words - is it possible to apply "fake it until you make it" technique to this problem? Or is it better just to continue searching?

[Shin]

5 hours ago, blazed said:

I had a very similar question just recently:

I linked a video in that thread which was useful to me.

Basically 1) pick something you're most interested in and that has some value / usefulness to others. 2) get really good at it.

Because A) You don't really have anything else you prefer right now. and B) The better you become at it the more passionate you will become, also this  will lead you to bigger and better things. Much better than doing nothing at all because you feel like you have no "real" life purpose.

Also question if it's due to laziness and that's why you're not really passionate about it... for example say you want to be a professional at something and you'd love it if you was at that level right now, but when you think about the hard work to get there you give up. That's definately loser mentality.

If someone could help ^^

I have a passion for card games (Hearthstone/Magic), but I also have this big vision of myself becoming a ultra popular guru.

In the first case, I usually imagine myself winning big tournament, but at the same time, it feels secondary, like, playing and surpassing myself, and just have fun while doing it, is already enough.

In the second one, I imagine myself like the next Eckhart Tolle, even more popular, but it doesn't really feel appealing if I was just a random guru who reach few people.

It puzzles me, I guess I would know for sure once I get an enlightenment experience, but that could take years untill I "get" there.

I'm open to both idea, but I really don't know, both of the choices make sense to me, I feel that the second one is more ego based, but perhaps it is my ego itself who doesn't want to get out of his comfort zone and tries to mindfuck me ?

Well, time will tell anyway, but it would be nice to know tricks and tips on how to work on that.

 

 

[alyra]

I've figured so far that, passion is a muscle we exercise. some people stumble upon strengthening this passion early on and others don't. we see passionate skillful people, but do not see the time and effort they spent getting to this point. 

 

there is both merit in trying something new when something isn't working, and alternatively trying harder to figure out how to make it work. in a way, passion can be as simple as figuring out how to be patient and dedicated, and find satisfaction regardless of outcome -satisfaction in the moment itself. aka meditation and mindfulness

 

if you are not one who is into meditation and mindfulness - and don't want to spend the time to learn their worth - then it will be harder to fake it till you make it I suppose - but it is a viable strategy. as long as you are not letting your doubts and anxieties depress you that is. If you want to fake it, that is a clear sign that you will figure out eventually how to enjoy it without being fake about it. and it sounds to me like you have enough interest in the choices you've identified as good, that it could easily become a passion for you down the line. 

 

 

I do not think passion is necessarily about a firey feeling. maybe it is for some people, but for me passion is nothing more than being able to put my all into it without hesitation or regret - that I'll finish the day and realize I forgot to eat because I was too distracted by my activities. the point is - that passion might not feel super special for you - perhaps if you are patient and observant you can notice signs that reveal when you are passionate about something - and noticing it can easily lead into building that passion stronger and stronger over time. 

Edited January 16, 2017 by aryberry

[MIARIVEL]

@Michael Sneg How will you ever know an idea works unless you try it out and test it? How long do you plan to keep searching for your purpose? 

Brainstorm some ideas of things you want to do. Lets say you have 5-10 things. Number them 1-10. One being the one that stands out the most to you. You don't need a burning desire to do this or be certain that this is ' the one'. When you have 1-10 listen start working on your number one and breaking them into small goals. If something doesn't work out, try a different approach. 

It is easy to get discouraged or lazy or procrastinate but doing something is better than doing nothing. Do you want to waste time not doing anything feeling sorry for yourself or do you want to make a huge difference to your life and one day say "I achieved something, I did it'. 

I did a university degree for 6 years and so many time I broke down and wanted to give up because it go really hard and challenging for me and I had every excuse in the world not to keep going and finish my degree. I pushed through the pain and remembered why am I doing this silly degree. Because I want a better future for myself, because I want a back up plan in case my other job doesn't work out, because it looks great to employers, because I want to be able to provide for myself and my family one day, because I want to give myself the very best life possible because I believe I am worth it and deserve it and I have earnt it. 

Start somewhere even if it is just an idea. Doesn't have to be your one true passion. Could just be a hobby to start, life suprises you when you decide to take action.