The importance of passion
In a recent TED Talk, educator Richard St. John explores the power of passion in your career. He claims that successful people love what they do, and that the way to get rich is by pursuing your passion. He conducted a survey and found that 80% of 18-25 year olds have a number one or number two goal of becoming rich.
Meanwhile, of all the millionaires he surveyed, not a single one of them ever had this as their goal. If you are doing what you love, you will automatically do everything else you need to do in order to get rich: from working hard to focusing. As Richard St John says, “it’s amazing what you can do, if you love what you do.”
Passion is clearly essential in being successful and happy. So how do you help your child explore their career passion?
How to find career passion
Some kids might know exactly what they want to be ‘when they grow up.’ But if your child doesn’t know what their passion is, there’s no reason to be worried. Most adults haven’t even found their passion yet.
To help your child find their passion, you can start by asking them about their favourite subjects in school and other things they express interest in. From there, you can do things to help them delve into their favourite subject a little more. If they don’t know what their favourite subject is, help them explore many paths and find something they are interested in.
Encourage kids to follow their passion
Do creative things with your child in an area they are interested in to stir up their passion. Take them to a fun attraction related to their field of interest, for example if your child really wants to be an astronaut, take them to the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre (if you are in the Vancouver area). Or, have them do a project where they have to dress up like an important person in that field. They can give the report on their topic of choice while in character.
It wouldn’t hurt to try many things. Put them in dance class. If they don’t like it, it’s ok. Of course it’s good to stick to something, but it’s also ok to try something else. Soccer, knitting, painting, space club, lego clubs, language classes, musical instruments – just get them out there. And if you don’t find other kids doing these things in your area, see if starting a club or gathering for that interest might inspire your child.
Example of exploring a career passion: paper fashion
A great example of a parent helping a child find career passion can be found by looking at the Instagram account @2sisters_angie. This clever mom has gained quite a bit of interest in the media this past year, with multiple articles in major news sources highlighting the work of this mother-daughter team.
Angie Keiser and her four year-old daughter create dresses out of different kinds of paper. They then post pictures of their work on her instagram. Some of their creations include recreating dresses celebrities have worn on the red carpet, costumes from movies, and other original designs. This project may just seem like a creative idea that’s fun for an after-school activity, but it’s more than just a play-time activity. Although fun, these masterpieces are actually instilling a passion for fashion in Angie’s daughter.
No matter what path your child seems to be interested in, try to find a creative approach to help them pursue their interests and cultivate their passion.
