How to Identify Your Passion and Create Results From It - Simon Sinek

In Chapter 16 of 16 in his 2009 Capture Your Flag interview, "Start With Why" author Simon Sinek shares why passion is a result and not an action. He shares that finding one's passion requires creating a process to make it actionable. Sinek shares why the first step is to identify what you love and then to continue to enable this root element through action.

Simon Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. Sinek is the author of two books, "Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Come Together and Others Don't" and "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action". He is a public speaker, an adjunct professor at Columbia University and a Brandeis University graduate.

Watch all Simon Sinek Capture Your Flag career documentary interview videos:

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: What are your thoughts and what is your approach in finding and building upon passions?

Simon Sinek: Passion is not an actionable word. It is correct that those who do what they are passionate about do better, but it is not helpful advice. The question is where does passion come from? Passion is a result. Passion is an energy. Passion is the feeling you have when you are engaged in something you love. Passion is the feeling you have when you would probably do this for free and you can't believe someone pays you for it.

We mistake that passion is something we do in our private lives but it shouldn't be done in our careers. I'm a firm believer in you are who you are and anyone who says they are different at home than they are at work then in one of those two places you are lying. The goal is to make everything you do at home at work something you are excited to do.

So how do you find the thing that you are excited to do? It is easier than you think. What are the things you would do for free? What do you do when nobody tells you to do them? How can you recreate that feeling and be paid for it?

I'm very involved in the art world. I love to go to museums and galleries and I love to go see dances and performances because I want to see how others are interpreting the world. That inspires me. New ideas, new thoughts, new ways of looking at the world are things that interest me, privately, and I seek it out and pay money for it. So, does that mean I have to have a career in the arts? No. That means I have to have a career where new ideas are explored, where people are experimenting and trying things out and I have to explore new ideas and try things out and I'm just as excited to go to work each day as I am to go do something on a Saturday night.

The idea of finding your passion is ironically simple. You should be doing something you love sometime. What is the stuff that you enjoy and what is the stuff that you love? Who are the people you love and what do they all have in common?

[lordpsyan]

There are three choices when it comes to earning money. 1. do nothing. This usually ends up making you homeless, begging for money, and always hungry. 2. Get a job. This will pay your bills... most of the time. 3. Get a career. The difference between a job and a career is simple: A career is something you do because you enjoy it. Passion is an important part of deciding which career you want to have. If you do not love what you are doing, then don't do it.

[CheryllW]

I'm a firm believer to do something that you love as a career. I tell the young people I deal with day to day, find what they love and do it. If it's not there, then create it. My coworkers don't understand my frustrations working 9-5 at a place I'm not happy at and doing something that I'm not passionate about and makes me unhappy almost every day. They think I'm crazy that I do video productions jobs on the side after I work long hours. But it what makes me keep going, and gives me pleasure.

[NFILTRTERjamieKempfer]

I also believe that life should be joyous in all aspects of life.Music is the one thing that i just love.It can pick you up, and put you down.Can breed a happiness to so many people.And if can make some one feel good, or to be able to relay that in life there are struggles.There will be pain but just as the storms come that too shall pass.That the only true mistake is one that you do not learn from.And that life can be a beautiful paradise if you truly push for what you want, no one can stop you

[opaden]

True, passion is love in what interest you. For me it is video games, music and basketball.

[richardwilliams]

I also loved when he said first ask your self what do you love and I also think that work should be something you are willing to do for free, yet someone is willing to pay you.

[dereke.stanford]

This is a link for readiness evaluation for FSU online. Its great to hear the confirmation of what passion is when it involves work and career. I also believe that work is something you do in exchange for money, whereas a career is something that you love to do even past retirement you would do it for free but you actually get paid for it.

[jestomathis]

This guys gets it. PASSION is what drives us. I have a passion for making music. Quincy Jones, Dr. Dre, and Timbaland are few producers that inspire me to work harder and stay in the studio a few hours longer.

[minecraft]

I think that I needed to hear this two years ago. MY husband is a film major an Full Sail. He move to FL to complete his degree while I stay in Milwaukee. Prior to him leaving we fought all the time. i could not understand why he was not happy with a 9-5 job. This explained it for me. I am settling with my job, its not my career it's not my passion...That's why I am happy that I am enrolling in the Mobile Application Development program at FS.

[GXT]

I agree Full Sail University recommended this video to watch and made my children watch it, too.Everyone should and I feel do have "passion" and love for something that drives them.I heard passion and I heard love but the main thing is drive.I will do it for free, I will do it if I'm tired, I will do it no matter what anyone says, because my passion and love for this outweighs what anyone say or do.This is my destiny!

[BjBurkeBringIt]

Full Sail University recommended your video to watch and I agree with the 'Passion' of something you do in your life that you love to do that you would do it for free yet you are getting paid to do it.Doing what you love and it makes you happy is twenty times better than doing something you do not love and being miserable and unhappy in life.

[ashleyconnell]

Full Sail brought me here. I agree with most of what he is saying, save the part about, " Anyone who says they are not the same person at work as they are at home is lying at one of those two places." I wouldn't call it lying, I am just motivated at work to get home and to do that as quickly as possible. So that I can do the things I enjoy.

[ScottStimeare]

I am a wedding photographer based out of Nashville. I find inspiration and passion for my images through all sorts of different medias. I find that different genres help me to create images that aren't typically found in the wedding industry. Drawing from Fashion, Film & Cinema, Music and Comic Books all help me to fuel my passion to create new images. I love to work with other artist and bounce ides off one another. I find this helps me to think out side my comfort zone. Sent Here by FullSail

[richardwilliams]

Full Sail recommended I watch this. And I agree when he said what are the things you love and what are the things you enjoy.

[Raebaexo]

I was sent to this website by Full Sail University. I really feel that watching this video that was provided really helped me to see that my love for video games and game design is my passion and my life. I have never felt this way about anything every in my life. I can't see myself doing anything else but this and it's what makes me happy. I feel that I have the passion and potential to change lives and achieve greatness. Thanks for really opening my eyes to see that this is what i really want.

[robertgibson]

He has a great way of verbalizing the idea of passion and how to identify what it is your passionate about; his ability to express with confident assurance is certainly motivating. Hence why he is a motivational speaker of some sort. When your truly passionate about something, you don't have to even think about it, It automatically surfaces mentally w/o having to draw upon what it is you think your passionate about. Btw I to was sent here by Full Sail and my Passion is MUSIC!

[SkrapyJohnson]

I also was sent to this site from Full Sail University. I'm glad I got a chance to watch this video and was able to get the difference between something you "love" and something you just do to get paid for. I like the reference about thinking of something that you would do or free. That's a heavy statement, because in these days nobody wants to do anything for free, so it must be passion involved. Clever way of putting it, kudos.

[tinajacobs]

Full sail sent me here and I agree with Simon do what you love work should be enjoyable because a passion for what you doing you will eventually move on to something else

[dewellgarcia]

I was sent here by Full Sail University. This video is exactly how I interpret this next step in life I'm taking. I just recently got out of the military and am now looking to further my education in the arts. I strongly agree. in order to be fully happy in life, you have to enjoy and love what it is your trying accomplish.

[JeffFreshour]

I was directed to this video via Full Sail. This video should be shared with young adults in high school. It would be helpful to be able to direct our youth toward their passion in life instead of just a career. If they knew that the two could be synonymous it would make a big difference for them. I know it will for me now.

[noelafflick]

Agreed the point is sometimes harder as your passions can be multiple. Work you love is the number 1. For me that opens the door to the other passions i have and would develop.