“Why don’t you start off by telling us a little bit about yourself, what is your passion?”
*Cue sweat* *Cue panic*
What do I even like? Do they mean hobbies? Do I like stuff? Why is the only thing coming to my mind is knitting? I don’t even knit!
This question seems to be the one interviewers most cherish…and my worst enemy.
What the heck is my passion?
I like to dance alone in my house and scream the lyrics to songs I don’t know, but that answer is neither strong nor encompassing of my strengths, and above all it makes me sound like a crazy person.
One day, I was on hour 9383 of trying to figure out the answer to this question, when I realized that my frustration was coming from a phrase that I am sure many of us have heard time and time again.
You know the phrase, the one that says something like, “In order to be successful, you have to find your one true passion, and if you do that, then everything else will fall into place.”
I wanted success. Doesn’t everybody?
Later on, the question still left unanswered, I was babbling on to one of my friends about whether she thought shopping could be considered a passion, when she stopped me, and argued to me that the word “passion” isn’t limited to one singular thing; a passion is synonymous for any thing it is a person enjoys doing.
She pointed me to a Ted Talk by Terri Trespicio. Fittingly, the Ted Talk was titled, “Stop Searching For Your Passion”. ("Friend", if you're reading this, I hope it's not too late to say I am incredibly grateful for you!)
I wave of relief came over me.
I realized that all of these times that I was being asked about a passion, I was focusing on finding that one thing that I was truly awesome at, one thing that I loved to do – I analyzed this question more than I needed to, and more importantly, I was wrong.
So if you’re reading this, then don’t sweat or “freak ya freak”. When someone asks you about your passion, remember that it’s more than ok to not focus on just one thing.
We are humans of many talents. For example I have a job where I am constantly talking to people, I am in school for Marketing and Graphic Design, I like to read blogs, I like to write, and I like to shop.
Sometimes I go on long runs, I love planning vacations I have no money for, and late at nights you can find me watching YouTube videos about the newest fashion trends. I also love baby animals and spend more time than I should on my Instagram captions.
It is 100% acceptable to not have one passion.
So keep this article in mind the next time you find yourself almost in tears during interview prep, embrace the things you enjoy, and really, you do you!
