What Everyone Ought to Know About Their Childhood & Passions (4 Questions to Ask Yourself)

If you’re looking to clarify and awaken your own personal passions, you and I are on similar journeys. Interestingly, many of the clues we’re searching for can be found in our early childhood.

For one reason or another, it’s perfectly acceptable for children to dream big and have wild imaginations. It’s fine to fantasize about exciting adventures and doing what we love. It’s thought of as harmless and cute.

Then, sometime after high school or college graduation, the majority of us are told to “get real” and follow the same course everyone else aims to do: get an education, get a 9 to 5  job, have children so they can follow a similar path. More often then not, we’re “guided” to choose an education and career path that is more focused on the potential income earned, instead of the passions we possess.

Obediently fitting in and marching to the beat of the same drum, our true passions may become covered up, hidden and forgotten from years of disuse. The important thing to know is that no matter how much you’ve ignored your passions, they are still inside of you.

Still wondering what your passions are? You may need to visit your childhood memories.

My friend and author, Barbara Winter, sums it up well:

We know what we’re passionate about when we’re 7 years old.

Think back to when you were seven. Your past behaviors and activities can be important indicators of what your passions are.

Here are 4 questions to ask yourself and reflect upon:

1. What was your most recurring childhood activity?
2. What was your recurring childhood fascinations?
3. Who was your childhood hero and what did they do?
4. What was your childhood aspiration?

The above questions may potentially trigger some highly emotional memories that will point you in the right direction. I’ve found that if the past memories you reawaken have the power to make you smile, it’s a sign that you’re on to something.

As you mentally take a trip back to your childhood, remember that identifying your passions is an ongoing process. Don’t try to force yourself to figure it out. Often, our most brilliant ideas come to us when we’re not even thinking about them. Let it come to you and enjoy the process!