How to Find and Do Work You Love
What would the world look like if everyone was doing work that inspired them?
👋 Hi, I’m Irene! Welcome to The Happiness Diary Entry 7.
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What would the world look like if everyone was doing work that inspired them?
That’s the question, Scott Dinsmore, tried to solve with Live Your Legend. And why he created the Passionate Work Framework to help you find and do work you love.
Here’s a recap of his framework and how I’ve applied it in my life. I hope it helps you, too.
1. Reflect & Experiment
As Scott said, if you don’t know what you’re looking for, you’ll never be able to find it. So the first part of finding and doing work you love is building self-awareness. Here’s how.
Strengths
What are your strengths? What do people ask you for advice on? What do you do or learn about in your free time?
When I reflected on these questions, I realized I loved reading about well-being, spirituality, and writing. I also realized I enjoyed writing. And now? I’m doing both. I write about these topics for my clients.
So how can you start reflecting? Ask the people closest to you about what they think you’re good at. Take a look at your Google search history and your social media feed. Both of these things will give you clues about your strengths.
Values
What drives your decisions?
As for me, I value my health. Relationships. Growth. Freedom. Inner peace. And meaningful work. So I make decisions based on these values. For instance, I work out because I value my health. I read because I value growth.
So how can you identify your values?
Take a look at how you spend your time and money. This will show you what you value.
Now, if you’re not happy about how you spend your time and money, the good news is you can change. But that requires an honest assessment of your habits and yourself. And it’ll take effort.
In the end, you want to make sure your decisions and actions are in alignment with who you want to be.
Experiences
Reflect on your experiences to learn about what activities you love. What you hate. What gives you energy. What drains your energy. What you’re good at. What you’re not good at, and so on.
Pay attention to how you feel when you experience things. Scott says that if you do, you’ll have a better understanding of how you can apply all that you love and you’re good at into a more passionate existence.
Reflecting on all my experiences has led me to where I am today. Writing about well-being, spirituality, and my personal insights.
Experiment
The more experiences you have, the better you’ll be able to find and do what you love.
For example, without going to the gym with my brother in high school, I wouldn’t have developed a passion for health. Without looking for jobs on Upwork, I wouldn’t have been exposed to the world of copywriting and solopreneurship.
So, keep experimenting, learning, and asking questions. Soon, you’ll be able to identify the things that make you come alive.
2. Do The Impossible
Once you have a better understanding of yourself and what you want, you need to push your limits.
Scott says most of the time, people don’t go after their goals for two reasons. One, they tell themselves they can’t. Two, people around them tell them they can’t. Either way, you start to believe them so you give up or never start to begin with.
It’s like Roger Bannister and the 4-minute mile. Everyone thought it was impossible to run a mile in under 4 minutes until Roger did it. Then, 46 days later, John Landy did it again. And over the last half-century, more than a thousand runners have conquered the 4-minute barrier.
So how can you start pushing your limits? Begin with your body.
David Goggins says that working out pushes your body to the limit and puts you through massive discomfort. And overcoming that discomfort is what will help you unlock a higher mental state.
It’s also what will help you build confidence in yourself. If you show yourself you can run a marathon or lose 5 KG, you’ll start to believe in yourself.
And that confidence will seep into the rest of your world.
As for me, I regularly work out to build mental toughness, discipline, and patience.
3. Change Your Circle
As Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.”
Scott believes this might be the biggest hack in the history of the world to get to where you want to be.
In the video, he talks about a study on cyclists that Norman Triplett conducted. In a nutshell, Norman found that cyclists in the group cycled faster than when they were alone.
So what can we learn from this study?
The people around you matter.
I’ve noticed this pattern in my life, too. I often drank, went to clubs, and partied when I was in university. This is because my friends did that every weekend. But I stopped doing those things after I moved abroad.
And since starting my writing journey, I’ve surrounded myself with other writers.
I joined a paid writing community where everyone is aspiring for the same goal. To write about the topics we love and make a living from it. This community has kept me accountable and inspired regardless of setbacks. And they’ve helped me believe that my goals are possible to achieve.
So the main takeaway is this: Surround yourself with people who are doing what you want to do. That’s the fastest way to achieve your goals.
Today’s Action Step
Here’s how to find and do work you love:
Get to know yourself better through reflection and experimentation.
Start doing hard things to build your self-confidence.
Surround yourself with other people doing what you want to do.
That’s how you build a passionate and fulfilling life.
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