How to discover your passion and interests

By: Milan Doshi

The earlier you are able to identify your passions, the better it will be as you will be able find the right direction in life to move forward. This article will give you some ideas on how to discover your passion and interests.

1. Think back

a) Subjects or courses you were interested in
These are classes that you found interesting and those that you easily excelled in, while others may have found them difficult. These could also be topics that you read beyond your textbooks on your own initiative.

b) Extra-curricular activities
What were the activities that you loved to join, either as an organiser or participant, where you didn’t mind contributing your time, energy and effort? Find out the areas where you had a natural advantage over others, be it in extra-curricular activities or inter-school competitions.

c) Accolades from peers or school mates
For example, some people are naturally good at entertaining people. Some may be good at drawings (the next Lat in the making perhaps?), some good dancers, etc. These could be starting points for you to explore your passion further and take it to the next level.

d) Outside of school
What sort of activities held by organisations or local communities did you enjoy taking part?

2. Ask people close to you
Ask your parents, elder siblings, relatives or even your childhood buddies to recall the things that you love to do in your younger days, as you might have forgotten. Personally, I couldn’t remember what I loved to do when I was still young. When I asked my father many years ago, he told me that I used to love spending my time looking at pictures of beautiful houses in newspapers and magazines. Whenever I came across a picture of a house that I like, I would tear that page and keep it in my study table drawer. Perhaps that explains my keen passion for properties today! Likewise, my son who is 12 twelve years old now loves visiting the beautiful showhouses of developers. As his father, I will encourage him to find his passion in this area. Who knows, he might become a famous architect or an interior decorator.

3. Identify subjects or activities
Choose those that bring a smile to your face. You can easily discover this whenever you are talking to your friends, parents or relatives. For example, if you put together a group of strangers with a common passion for properties in a room, you will find that they will easily bond and connect with one another discussing and sharing their ideas on properties.

Take it from a veteran actor:

“Find that one particular thing that makes you smile when you do it. For me, that was acting”
- Samuel L. Jackson, Actor


4. Imagine that you won a lottery for RM10 million
What would you do next? If you dislike your job, mostly likely the first thing you would do is to fire your boss! After that, you would quite likely pamper yourself and your family by travelling around the world, purchasing a new house, a new car and so forth.

Would you go back to what you were doing previously? If no, what new things would you do to occupy your time and keep yourself busy? Whatever you have in mind is the answer you are looking for, as you would no longer be working for the money. You already have enough to last a lifetime assuming you invest the balance wisely. Whatever you would be doing in the future would be things you enjoy where your passion and interests are.

To succeed in property investments, your passion and interests in this area helps a great deal. Success comes easily when you love what you are doing. You would be ever willing and happy to give your 110%. The time and energy spent on property investments will eventually reward your hard work and sacrifices handsomely. By then, reaching your ultimate goal of being financial free is no longer a dream, but a reality.