Finding your passion
So, this is more of an off-topic, yet related post. Lately I have had many conversations about what direction I would like to head with what I’m doing. For a while now, I have known exactly what I want to do and how I want to do it coming out of University. However, it seems as though many of my colleagues are not as sure.
Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t an easy route to find what my passion was. I went through trial and error of things, and found out what I DON’T want to do, and ruled them out. I had worked in factories, supermarkets, warehouses etc. Each morning I would wake up and stumble into the factory, it was a reality check that I DID NOT want to do that, so it was a bit of a wake up call to push myself.
I have always been involved in sport. I have played soccer now competitively for 20 years. Now, I am an average player (at best), but I do pride myself on having above-average athleticism. That was a factor of my game I was always able to control and push myself with. So I knew that that’s what I wanted to do, and that drives me everyday to help others achieve success in their sport. I started off with nothing but a park bench and a milk carton that I filled with sand. I questioned myself daily on whether that’s what I really wanted to do. 4 years later, I was training pro athletes in a private facility.
So here’s my advice and something that I’ve done and live by now. If you are unsure of what you are pursuing, here’s my tip; invest in 3 books regularly. Here’s what I mean.
- Within the field; I encourage always reading within the field you are pursuing. For example, Exercise science is such a broad degree. If you don’t know what way you want to go, try different books. IE, something related to rehab, or massage therapy, or strength and conditioning etc. You will find what intrigues you the most and be able to narrow it down.
- Outside the field; Investing in something outside the field. You don’t want to cram ALL of your time into one focus. Like athletes, you don’t want to burn out either. I call this the ‘car mechanic’ theory. I have seen car mechanics who have a great passion to work on cars, but burn out. They invest all their time into other people’s cars and learning, that when they get home, they don’t even want to work on their own car. The passion goes away… So I believe it’s vital to distract yourself and focus on learning side hobbies. For example, I often read articles on psychology and business (something different but can still be applied to athletes).
- Related to person; What I mean by this is something that can benefit you as a person. For example, if you have kids, read a children’s book. That will help you become a better parent. For me, I have a small book on the Dalai Lama that I read from daily to help me on a spiritual/mental aspect.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not an expert in this matter. I have made some poor decisions along the way, but I have learnt from them. It is all a mindset! If you are committed to take a path, you need to explore it.
Coach Alex