The Passion Project: Your Quick and Practical Guide to Finding Fulfillment in Life

By Lynn Sheets

We often pour our energy into work, so much so that we can mistakenly confuse it with our identity. If what you do today or regularly is not your "life's work," it may not feel meaningful or fulfilling to you. That's why this book draws on social research and provides thought-provoking exercises to reveal who you are and what really fulfills you

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lynn Sheets
• Release date: Jun 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9798985338799

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© 2022 by Lynn Sheets, United States

ISBN: 979-8-9853387-8-2

Book editing, cover design, and typesetting by

The Book Shelf Ltd.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (including but not limited to electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or scanning) without prior written permission from the author.

Although the author has made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at the time of publishing, and while this publication is designed to provide accurate information on the subject matter covered, the author assumes no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any other inconsistencies herein, and hereby disclaims any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. The author makes no guarantees concerning the level of success you may experience by following the advice contained in this book, and you accept the risk that results will differ for each individual.

To Kevin, Bayla, & Kaia,

for showing me meaning and fulfillment.

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

PART I: Passion

CHAPTER 1: Passion

Finding Your Passion

Why Contentment over Happiness?

Self-Contentment

Fulfillment as a Need

CHAPTER 2: Pursuit of Passion

The Traditional Path

Day In, Day Out

A Different Path

Flow

Part II: Who Are You?

CHAPTER 3: What’s Your Identity?

Identity and Its Importance

Who Are You?

CHAPTER 4: Identity Formation

Identity Statuses

Identity Formation Journey

Multi-Dimensional You

Social Comparison

Part III: What Do You Want?

CHAPTER 5: Reflect

CHAPTER 6: Imagine

Exercises

Taking a Pause

PART IV: What Do You Want to Do?

CHAPTER 7: Your It

Ident-it-y Tree

L-it-mus Testing

CHAPTER 8: Revisiting What You Want to Do

Doing, Not Proving

Disconnects

Delineating Job and Hobby

PART V: Doing Is Seeing Is Believing

CHAPTER 9: Goal-Setting Foundations

Identifying Gaps and Needs

Closing Gaps while Honoring Needs

CHAPTER 10: Goal-Setting Guidelines

Goal-Setting Guidelines

CHAPTER 11: Drafting Goals

Roughing Out Goals

Drafting Goals

CHAPTER 12: Keeping Motivated

What It Takes to Stay Motivated

Conclusion

From Pains to Gains

A Reminder: The Power of the Honest Self

End Notes

Preface

As I perused top books on passion, I read descriptions about grit, looking on the bright side, how to make a buck, and a host of general advice such as: You can do anything. Just try it. The sky is the limit.¹

No book seemed to be what I was looking for. I wanted something more specific than general advice, more actionable than uplifting sayings, more encompassing than personality tests, more reliable than trial and error, and more insightful than do what you love for money. I was not after a magic formula but a solid framework to enable structured self-discovery and pilot me in my best direction.

After bouncing around like a pinball for nearly two decades, trying out new things and learning what I didn’t like more than what I liked, I began thinking about simple questions to clarify what would make me feel fulfilled. These techniques worked for me and I want to share them with you.

This is not an autobiography. I’ve sprinkled in some details and example exercise results from my journey, but this book is for you to find your own path. My own reflective journey led me to write this book with the hope that it will have a net positive impact, affecting more lives for the better than not.

Appreciate the journey—your journey.

Introduction

We often pour our energy into our work, so much so that it can be mistakenly confused with identity. But what you do for work may not be your life’s work. What you do regularly may not regularly feel meaningful or fulfilling. What you do becomes a habit more than a conscious choice—one formed by spending so much time doing something without periodically pausing to ask: Does this reflect who I am? Is this what I want?

Does this sound familiar?

All too often, we become jaded, go through the motions, and lose sight of who we are and what we truly want in our professional and personal lives. It seems like human nature to dread the start of another workweek, another workday, and even another social engagement. With the amount of time we spend securely tucked in our routines, it’s easy to miss the bigger picture. Consumed in day-to-day minutia, it’s no surprise that we lose track of both the little things that bring us joy and the bigger things that we want to prioritize.

We don’t always think of what we want in life and instead focus on what we know, what we’ve been told, and what we’ve learned to expect. We gravitate toward work that we excel at, but sometimes doing what we’re good at or used to isn’t what we’re passionate