Finding Your Passion: Do You Love What You Do?

• I love helping others. Despite my sardonic personality, it’s awesome when my team and I experience an “A-ha!” moment together. It’s equally satisfying when I am able to sit down with an article and get to work with my red pen. Nothing quite describes the feeling of making a “good catch” or reducing wordiness (I wish I could do that with my own writing). This isn’t about ego—my eye is trained to look for imperfections in microscopic text. If I can right one wrong sentence with a peer, my job is done. Are you a born mentor or leader? How often do you collaborate with your team, and do you feel that same sense of pride when the task is complete? If not, consider how you might recapture the old spark.

• I love deadlines. Earlier, I mentioned stressing over impending deadlines. In reality, deadlines aren’t so bad and they actually give me the extra motivation I need. Some people work better under pressure. And, believe me, pressure isn’t missing over here. Writing, editing and production cycles keep me busy, which is a great thing. How do you work best? Perhaps you need someone to say: “You have two days to complete these 50 million tasks.”

So, what are you waiting for? Get started on your own list. I won’t even mind if it’s similar to the one above. After you’ve done this, ask yourself if your words reflect your feelings because, well … you know the cliché that follows. And don’t neglect the other things you love—the little things that make us who we are.