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    Passion, Purpose and Process: A Discussion

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      Passion is in the air. So is purpose and process. This past week, some of my daily channels — Twitter, Facebook, Google Reader, among them — were ripe with articles on the subject.

      The discussion ranged from how to find your purpose and passion, to how to let your purpose find you. And then one that said to forget about passion, it’s all about process. Here’s a roundup.

      How to Find Your Purpose and Do What You Love
      This piece from the always fascinating Brain Pickings, culls insights from seven thinkers who have contemplated the art-science of making your life’s calling a living.

      The quote from Alain de Botton is among my favorites:

      A lot of the time our ideas about what it would mean to live successfully are not our own. They’re sucked in from other people. And we also suck in messages from everything from the television to advertising to marketing, etc…What I want to argue for is not that we should give up on our ideas of success, but that we should make sure that they are our own.

      Not surprisingly, the seven includes a Steve Jobs quote, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

      How to Find Your Passion in Life
      Life coach, Barrie Davenport tackles seven question about finding your passion. In answer to What is the most common mistake people make when trying to find their passion?, Davenport offers:

      Sometimes our passion search will take us down one path, but then an idea or situation will occur that potentially leads down another. People sometimes resist exploring this different path because they feel they must “stick to the plan.”

      She goes on to offer lots of great tips and insights into finding your passion.

      How to Let Your Purpose Find You
      “I’ve searched high and low, looked far wide, listened long and loud, but I still can’t find anything even vaguely resembling my purpose.”

      Harvard Business Review author, Umair Haque, turns the problem on its head suggesting that finding your purpose is not a phase of life — but a way of living.

      I can’t find your purpose for you. You probably can’t find your purpose for you. Your purpose will — just maybe — find you. Like every kind of Big Love, it’s not in your control. It strikes, finally, suddenly, when least expected, with the full fury of a hurricane.

      Forget passion, focus on process
      Although a year old, this article popped up in my Twitter stream, resonating well beyond the microscopic shelf live of hours for online posts. Matt Linderman of 37signals takes a pragmatic approach for the majority of people who work at jobs like insurance or credit card processing. He offers that:

      Despite its wonders, there are also problems with passion. For one thing, most people’s passions aren’t that unique.That’s why it’s so hard to succeed: You’re competing against everyone else with that same dream… It’s about redefining passion. Instead of working with a thing you love, think about how to work in a way you love.

      Check out the articles for a more in-depth discussion of purpose, passion and process.

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