Here are a few handy tips to help you begin exploring your passions and discovering how to build a career you really love.

Know yourself

If the years have left you a little jaded, you may actually need help in remembering what fires your passion. One technique is to create a list of all the things in your life - from childhood through now - that you have really enjoyed. It could be work or play, an event, a period of time in your life or whatever pops into your head first.

Once you have your list, pick one and spend some time digging into the reasons why. Get beyond what you love doing, and break it down into the underlying characteristics. Think of it as identifying your passion's building blocks.

The question WHY is a powerful tool for your explorations. Use it liberally, both in this exercise and others.

Brainstorm

Once you have a picture of what lights your fire, brainstorm ways you could incorporate them into your life. Write them down in one session or tuck the question in the back of your mind and carry a small pad of paper with you to record your flashes of inspiration.

Have a brainstorming session with friends. Above all, be creative. Don't confine yourself to the logical and rational. You never know what crazy idea is going to spark the Big One.

Explore

Once you have identified some things you think you might be interested in, try to locate people who are knowledgeable in that area(s). Contact them and explain that you are exploring your options and ask if you can pick their brains. You'll likely get some fantastic insights if you make this a habit, not to mention making some great contacts along the way.

Identify your obstacles

Reality check; what things are getting in your way? Make a list. Maybe they're real - financial obstacles like a mortgage, the kids' tuition, etc., or perhaps the need for more training. Maybe they are internal. What's stopping you? Fear, doubt? motivation?

We all have little voices in our heads that tell us "you can't do that," "you're not good enough," "what will they think," etc. What are your gremlins saying? Identifying and acknowledging your gremlins is the first step in banishing them forever.


Re-examine your definitions of success and failure

What is your definition of success? Is it getting in the way? Our culture places a lot of emphasis material accomplishments, status, etc. Unfortunately, that gets in the way of real happiness for a lot of people, who choose to stay on the treadmill in pursuit of that version of success.

Perhaps you're not at a point where you can or want to change that definition of success. That's OK, don't. Instead, try identifying one or two less common ways of identifying "success" - ones that come from the heart - and try to move towards them as well.

Our definition of failure, which tends to be all or nothing, also gets in the way. If you try something and it doesn't pan out, how do you see that? Is it a failure? Or is it an opportunity to learn from what you did and apply that knowledge to your future efforts?

If you "fail" in an effort to move toward your passion, it's not really failure. Think of it as a step in the right direction. Taking a longer term view can help with this.

Make a plan

Map out your career pursuit. Whether that should be a high level overview or a granular action plan is up to you - you know how you work best.

Creating a plan will force you to think things through and add some comfortable structure to something that can seem very up in the air and undefined. It will also offer you those critical next steps when you are feeling sluggish or lost.

Act!

The fact is, the time will never be right. Something is always going to be less than optimum. With that in mind, don't wait! Do something right now that will move you toward your passion.

What two things can you do right away that will start the ball rolling? They don't need to be earth-shattering, they just need to happen.

Make it happen

Let it out of your brain and into the open. Say, "I am going to do this." Say it out loud to yourself. Say it to a friend. Put it in writing and put it where you can see it. Once it's out in the open it will have room to grow. And that's exactly what you want!