Continuing on with our “sweet spot” blog series, in this post we are offering a special two for one – interests AND passions!
We explore both of these elements in our discovery process with clients.
But how are they similar?
And how are they different?
And how do we utilize them in the career discovery process?
In short, interests and passions are two sides of the same coin. They are related in the sense that they both stem from a person’s feelings. In other words, they are based on desires. But interests and passions differ in the strength of desire. Interests arouse curiosity. Passions elicit conviction.
Let’s expound a little more…
Interests: What intrigues me?
An interest is essentially connected to a feeling of intrigue. It’s a desire to know or learn more about something or someone. Areas of interest motivate us toward action; whereas, other areas of little to no interest usually stop there.
When assessing clients for potential job matches, there are two main methods to take: aptitudes and interests. Through a series of brain games, aptitude assessments reveal specific data about a person’s natural abilities and then connect that information to related jobs. However, I’ve noticed that just because someone’s aptitudes connect to a specific job does not mean that the job would be a good fit – especially if they have no interest in it. For that reason, interests seem to provide a more accurate starting point.
Someone I know took an aptitude assessment that revealed several of his strong career matches were in the field of engineering. After seeing the results, he said, “That’s interesting. Several of my teachers told me over the years that I would make a great engineer.” The problem was that he was not interested in engineering in the slightest. So, not surprisingly, he never became an engineer. Rather, he chose to pursue his interest in athletics and was able to apply his highly technical aptitudes to his coaching style.
This story is a great example of the importance of interests! If a person has a strong interest in something, that desire is the motivation needed to pursue a career field. Then they can utilize their aptitudes in ways that make the most sense to them.
Now, let’s consider passions…
Passion: What excites me?
A passion is a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement. Passions come from a deep, heart level. My favorite definition of a passion is “something that energizes you, simply to where the point of doing it is your reward.” I like that because of how it’s related to energy. Passions are the fuel that drive the fire.
A friend of mine is incredibly passionate about motorcycles. I don’t particularly care for motorcycles whatsoever. But when he talks about them, his energy is so contagious! He would expressively share both his vast technical knowledge about motorcycles as well as the freedom, feeling, and connection with others he experiences when driving. Listening to his passion not only began to shift my perspective about motorcycles, but also made me consider the things that bring me the same level of excitement. When we freely share our passions with people, we can inspire them to find and thrive in theirs.
In my sessions with clients, I like to spend some time discussing passions. However, I have some clients express discouragement because they have no idea what they are passionate about. To begin with, I like to assure clients that not everyone experiences passions in the same way – especially for those who are more thinkers than feelers. But even with the highest ranking thinkers, we always end up identifying areas that ignite something within them.
Whether you have things that intrigue you or things that excite you, both interests and passions help measure our desires. So when having conversations with clients, we like to bring up each topic, even if one resonates more than the other.
Because if we can get our passions AND interests to coincide with our career, then that’s the sweet spot.
We strive to equip clients with the knowledge, support, and customized tools needed to gain forward momentum. 
