Purpose is more than a passion project

“Purpose is the reason you journey. Passion is the fire that lights the way.”
~ Anonymous

Discovering your purpose in life is more than a passion project. 

Yes, you may find passion to be part of your purpose. But passion is the result of following your purpose, not its inspiration. 

Nevertheless, many books and websites approach finding your purpose from the perspective of passion.

They claim, “Follow your passion and you will discover your purpose!” While not entirely wrong, this idea is woefully incomplete.

Firstly, you can be passionate about many things in life, all at once. For example, you might be passionate about a sport, or travelling, cooking, or protecting bird habitats. And you may also be passionate about your partner and your work. 

So, which of these passions actually points to your life purpose? 

The fact is, all those passions might relate to your purpose in life, because, as Virginia Wolff once said, “I am not one and simple, but complex and many.”

And that is true of all of us.

A second problem with putting your passion first is that it’s like putting the cart before the horse.

Yes, passion and purpose feed off each other, and may even go hand-in-hand. But the order in which they emerge is important.

By discovering and pursuing your purpose first, only then will you find yourself living a passionate life, a life that is rich and fulfilling.  

As in the quote by Virginia Wolff, purpose is not just “one and simple”. Like passion, it shows up in many areas of your life. Indeed, it exists in Six Dimensions. 

Finding your purpose in each of those Six Dimensions of Purpose opens the door to living your life with clarity, energy and yes, with passion. 

So, let purpose light the way.