Discovering Your Passion: A Path to a Comprehensive Development Plan

by | Oct 14, 2024 | Uncategorized

One of the key pieces of information you need to develop a comprehensive development plan is an idea of what excites you or what you are passionate about. Understanding your passions can serve as a compass, guiding you toward goals that are not only fulfilling but also aligned with your true self.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to uncover these passions:

10 Questions

  1. What makes you smile? (e.g., activities, people, events, hobbies, projects)
  2. What are your favorite things to do in the past? What about now?
  3. What activities make you lose track of time?
  4. What makes you feel great about yourself?
  5. Of the people who inspire you the most, what qualities do they embody that you admire?
  6. What are you naturally good at? (e.g., skills, abilities, gifts)
  7. What do people typically ask you for help with?
  8. If you had to teach something, what would you teach?
  9. What would you regret not fully doing, being, or having in your life?
  10. Imagine yourself retired from working full-time. Looking back at your life and all that you’ve achieved and acquired, all the relationships you’ve developed, what matters to you most? List them out.

Reflect and Connect

Taking the time to answer these questions can provide deep insights into your values and interests. This self-reflection is crucial for creating a development plan that feels authentic and motivating. Each response can reveal patterns or themes that indicate where your passions lie.

Whether you’re looking to advance in your career, cultivate a new hobby, or deepen personal relationships, your answers will serve as the foundation for a meaningful development plan.

Embrace this opportunity to connect with yourself and uncover what truly drives you. Your passions are waiting to be explored!

Trees and Resilience
Today is February 1, 2023.  I retired from my High Tech Corporate job yesterday after 31.5 years.  It is a large corporation, and I grew up there.  I had a few other jobs before I started in 1991; however, they were co-op (intern) positions or gigs.  Leaving my first...
What’s Your Approach to Career Development?

What’s Your Approach to Career Development? Preventative maintenance or emergency room visit? When I teach and present Career Development topics, attendees ask, “How much time should I spend on career planning and development?” Here’s how I answer this question.

The Value of a Functional Resume
Some years back, I was coaching at a resume workshop when I overheard a fellow coach discussing a different way of presenting accomplishments. I love learning from others and took some time to listen to what she was advising at her table since her advice differed from...
Career Development: Advice to Yourself
I saw the question "If you could go back and tell yourself one thing that would help you with your career, what would that be?" posed on one of my LinkedIn Groups and found it thought-provoking and believed if I posed it to my co-workers, the answers given would be...
Change Able – Resilience in Practice
Your ability to change is a crucial tenant of career development success.  As we work in various roles, our peers, the company, and the world around us continue to evolve. We don't have much control over anything other than our behavior, thoughts, and reactions.  As...
Tips & Tricks for Changing Jobs
Graceful Transitions You’ve been scanning jobs online, checking in with your growing network and interviewing for new positions. Finally – it happens. You are offered a new role, you accept and it’s time to transition. Now what? I get this question pretty...
What Would You Do For Free?

“What would you do for free?” Back in early 2012, I met with a mentee who first came to me through a referral from a friend in HR. When I first met “Jane”, she was waiting for me in a conference room.

What Inclusion Means to Me
Inclusion - What it Means to Me Eleven years ago, Feb 6 fell on a Friday. That’s the day of the accident that left me permanently disabled. Every day I get up and hobble to the bathroom making sure to put my foot all the way down so I don’t trip or fall. Sometimes if...
The Value of a Functional Resume
Some years back, I was coaching at a resume workshop when I overheard a fellow coach talking about a different way of presenting accomplishments. I love to learn from others and took some time to listen to what she was advising at her table since her advice was...
Eliminate these Words
Words Are Powerful – Until they’re not – eliminate these words from your speech and writing As a Career Advisor, my job is to listen, not only to what is said, but what is not said. I interpret body language, I delve into areas that are uncomfortable, and I point out...