What Is Passion?
Your passion is what fuels you.
It’s the work you could do for hours and not feel drained. The thing that lights you up. The activity that, when you’re doing it, makes you feel most like yourself.
Mission is what you do. Passion is what energizes you while you’re doing it.
For me, my passion has always been teaching.
Not in the formal, stand-in-front-of-a-classroom way (though I wanted that once). But in the deeper sense of helping people understand, grow, and have that moment where everything clicks.
The joy of watching someone figure out the insight that was eluding them? That’s my fuel.
When Did I Realize Teaching Was My Passion?
If I’m being honest? I’ve always known.
If playing school growing up wasn’t enough to make it click, teaching swim lessons and helping others in the community I lived in made it more obvious.
I was the kid who lined up stuffed animals and “taught” them lessons. The teenager who volunteered to teach swimming at the local pool. The young adult who was always the one people came to when they needed help figuring something out.
Even after teaching was no longer in the cards as a formal career, I still helped train people in all of the companies I worked for.
I was always helping people figure out how to do things—at work, in life, in their careers.
It wasn’t a job. It was just… who I was.
What Happens When You Ignore Your Passion
Here’s what I’ve learned: when I get too busy or ignore this passion, I feel unfulfilled and more stressed out.
It’s not just about being tired. Tired is physical. You rest, you recover.
But when you ignore your passion? You feel drained.
It’s a different kind of exhaustion. One that sleep doesn’t fix.
Because your passion isn’t just something you like to do. It’s something you need to do to feel whole.
When I go too long without teaching, coaching, or mentoring someone, I notice it. I feel off. Out of sync. Like I’m going through the motions but not fully present.
And that’s when I know I need to make space for it again.
How I Make Space for My Passion
So how do I do that in a world that’s already demanding more than I have capacity for?
1. I volunteered to be an official mentor in my company.
This allows me to combine roles. I’m doing my job—and I’m also doing what fuels me.
It’s not “extra.” It’s integrated.
And that makes all the difference.
2. I’ve found a group of amazing professionals where we unofficially mentor and help each other.
Having folks like that in your network can make a huge difference.
It’s not formal. It’s not scheduled. But it’s consistent. And it feeds my passion while also building deeper, more meaningful relationships.
3. I’ve built teaching and coaching into my future.
I’m working toward making this a bigger part of my life—not just something I do on the side, but something I intentionally build into my career and my business.
Because here’s the truth: my passion has always been a part of what I do. Now I’m just being more intentional about it.
The Difference Between Passion and Hobby
Let me be clear: passion is not the same as a hobby.
I love volleyball. I love paddleboarding. Those are hobbies. They bring me joy. They recharge me.
But they’re not my passion.
Passion is the thing that, when you’re doing it, you feel like you’re contributing to something bigger than yourself.
Hobbies refresh you. Passion fulfills you.
Both are important. But they serve different purposes.
What Happens When Your Job Doesn’t Align With Your Passion?
This is a tough one. And I know a lot of people struggle with it.
What do you do when your job doesn’t align with your passion?
Here’s what I’ve learned:
Option 1: Find ways to integrate your passion into your current role.
Can you mentor someone? Can you teach a lunch-and-learn? Can you volunteer to train new hires?
Even small integrations can make a big difference.
Option 2: Make space for your passion outside of work.
Volunteer. Coach. Mentor. Teach a class. Build a side project.
Your passion doesn’t have to be your full-time job to matter.
Option 3: If the misalignment is too big, consider a pivot.
This is the hardest one. But sometimes, the gap between what you do and what fuels you is just too wide.
And in those cases, it might be time to explore a shift—whether that’s a new role, a new company, or a new direction entirely.
Only you can decide when that misalignment crosses the line from “uncomfortable” to “unsustainable.”
How to Identify Your Own Passion
If you’re not sure what your passion is, here are some questions that can help:
1. What could you do for hours without feeling drained?
Not just “what do you enjoy”—but what actually energizes you?
2. What do people come to you for help with?
Often, your passion shows up in what others naturally ask you to do.
3. When do you feel most like yourself?
Think about the moments when you feel most alive, most engaged, most fulfilled. What are you doing in those moments?
4. What would you do even if no one paid you for it?
This one’s powerful. What’s the thing you’d do just because it matters to you?
Passion Without Mission or Purpose Can Feel Scattered
Here’s the thing: passion alone isn’t enough.
You can love teaching, but if you don’t know what you’re teaching toward (mission) or why it matters (purpose), it can feel scattered.
Passion is the fuel. But mission gives you direction. And purpose gives you meaning.
When all three come together? That’s when you feel anchored.
Final Thought
Your passion is what fuels you.
It’s the work that energizes instead of drains. The thing that makes you feel most like yourself.
And when you’re living in alignment with it—when you make space for it, even in small ways—it changes everything.
You don’t need your passion to be your full-time job. You don’t need it to be perfect.
You just need to honor it.
Because when you ignore your passion for too long, you don’t just feel tired. You feel empty.
So ask yourself:
What fuels me? What could I do for hours without feeling drained? And am I making space for it—or am I ignoring it because I’m too busy?
Start there. And let the rest unfold.
Next up: Part 3 – Purpose
Because mission tells you what you do, passion tells you what fuels you—but purpose tells you why it all matters.