How Do I Find My Inner Passion? Don't Limit Yourself!

I don’t want this to be some drawn-out blog post that cushions your insecurities.

Instead, I wanna keep things short and sweet by offering you some advice as to how you can find your inner passions in life. To start, here’s a paraphrased quote by the filmmaker David Lynch:

“When we become adults, we think we understand the rules, but really, all we’re experiencing is a narrowing of the imagination.”

When I read that quote, I realized that society had shaped my identity to a point where I no longer could have an original thought. Over time, people get backed into a corner of who they think they’re supposed to be, and soon enough, the idea of pursuing anything else becomes so foreign that it’s not even worth trying. People literally imprison themselves within their own fears. And understandably so…

We look at time as something that will always be around. “Maybe next year, I’ll get that done.” “Oh that’s okay, I have plenty of time to take that trip to Europe.” But sadly, time is passing by quicker than ever, and more often than not, those plans you made or dreams you had are set so far in the distance that you have to squint to make sense of them anymore.

So, how do you put those passions and dreams back in your sights? It’s easy: All you have to do is START.

For instance, I always had an affinity for photography. But, throughout my life and among my group of friends, I was always the “actor.” I would watch my friends use cameras and take pictures of people, and quietly, I would envy them, but I’d also say to myself, “Oh, you can’t do that. You’re just an actor. You don’t have the eye for photography.” Once again, those were my own self-damaging thoughts shaped by my supposed identity throughout my life experiences. And I lived with those insecurities for years until one day, I bought a camera, and slowly, I started taking photos.

Now granted, these pictures weren’t good by any means. But the point is that I started exploring another side of myself. I allowed myself to break the “rules” I thought I understood, and I expanded my imagination by granting myself the freedom to explore who I really was…who I really am!

Over time, slowly, my photos got better. I started to shoot portraits of other people. I bought books on photography and cameras, and I started to study light and how it affects subjects and brings photos to life. And funny enough, I’ve discovered that by nurturing my interest in photography, it has only made me a far better actor moving forward. I understand how to move in front of a camera now, and how to find my light on a certain mark. Plus, any shyness or trepidation I felt in the past when being filmed, I no longer experience that stagefright.

The entire pursuit has come full circle, and it all began when I found the courage to simply START doing something I had an interest in. So with that, what other interests do you want to pursue? What’s holding you back from at least initiating that interest? Are you worried about what others might think of you? Are you concerned about how pursuing it changes the identity you’ve created for yourself? Are you afraid of the work you’ll need to do in order to make room for something new?

Don’t let the pressure stop you from doing something you’re interested in. Don’t let society narrow your imagination to a cramped tunnel with one direction. Instead, just START taking steps toward what you find intriguing. And as time passes (which it will do anyway), grant yourself the freedom to explore, to try, to fail, to get up again, and to find happiness in the pursuit of it. In the pursuit of YOU.