“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” – Steve Jobs

I’m sure you know at least one person in your life who pretty much had their career and life path figured out since they were kids.

They got their sights on becoming a lawyer, nurse, or engineer, and followed a fixed path to their dream careers. Fast forward to today, are now pretty much “set” for life.

Most of us aren’t as fortunate.

Though we’ve all had childhood ‘dream’ jobs, as we grew up and learn more about ourselves, we found out that perhaps that cool job we envisioned having as a kid isn’t what we actually wanted to do.

As a result, many of us are left dazed and confused trying to figure out what it is that we are meant to do with our lives.

If you ever seek advice on this matter, chances are, you’ve been told to “follow your passion”.

Well, this is great advice if you already know what it is you’re passionate about, but… what should you do if you don’t?

If you’ve found yourself in this predicament,  do everything in your power to find out just what your passion is by seeking the things that excite you. Seek the things that make you truly come alive.

Speaking from my own experience, this journey will be far from being a walk in the park.

In fact, I’ve spent the better part of my 20s taking the trial and error approach to desperately find what my ‘purpose’ is, in hope that it will lead me to a job that I’m truly passionate about.

Back in college, even though I managed to stick with the same majors (Business & Economics), by the time senior year came around, my peers were already running around in a frenzy sending out their CVs.

They’ve set up some interviews in hopes to get a spot at the top prestigious firms right out of graduation, yet, I find myself going against the tide.

I remembered thinking how silly my peers were because almost all of them, with exception of a few, wanted the top jobs due to one thing: great pay.

While I was unsure as to *what* I’d like to do after graduation, one thing I know for sure – I wanted to matter. And I also knew what I do not want: a well-paid but a soul-crushing job.

I knew that if I wanted to do meaningful work and truly learn, I had a better chance of doing so in a small or medium-sized company. So,  I ended up accepting a decently-paid job at a marketing firm with a kick-ass boss, a slew of challenging tasks, and fun colleagues.

But then, the Universe intervened.

Whilst waiting for the job to start in the fall, I visited my family abroad during the summer and took an internship at a boutique executive search (headhunter) firm.

Little did I know then, this decision ended up changing how my life was to unravel.

Long story short, I ended up being offered a managerial position and after much deliberation, I decided to accept it. I loved the job and everything that comes with it but within less than 2 years, I realized that it wasn’t quite what I wanted to pursue in the long run.

Ever since then, I figured I should at least try any job that seemed interesting and give me the opportunity to grow.

As a result, in the span of 8 short years, I had jobs across diverse industries: Human Resources, Law, Non-Profit, Fashion Publication, and Public Relations.

Though my CV makes me look as if I’m “indecisive” and unable to commit, the experiences, knowledge, skills, and network that I’ve gathered along the way are priceless.  And more importantly, they’ve helped me to find my true passions.

The road to finding them was certainly long and winding but it was well worth it and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Read more: 6 Practical Steps to Landing Your Ideal Job

If finding your passion(s) sounds too daunting and risky to you, ask yourself this question: Are you willing to risk living your life without passion and always having to wonder what could have been?

If you yearn and desire to live your best life, you must be willing to step out of your comfort zone in order to find and live out your passion.

The life of your dreams can be a reality, but first, you have to let go of the fear that has been holding you back and find out just what it is that makes you truly come alive…

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the things that you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover” – Mark Twain.

Read more: What Would You Do if You Weren’t Afraid?

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