GenXer's misinterpreted workplace "passion"

Dear Christine,

“I am a 25-year-old dental hygienist. I have a great career with an excellent salary. I love what I do but I can't say that I'm 'passionate' about it. In fact, there is nothing that I do in life that I am passionate about. I don't have any activity or subject that excites me beyond a few weeks. Just because I have no passion, does that mean I have no purpose in life? How do I reach my inner passion?" -Purposeless, 25, Chicago

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Dear Purposeless,

You are having trouble finding your "inner passion" because you are focusing on the buzzword: passion. This word gets a lot of airtime as the most popular career advice is "find your passion and you will be happy and successful." News flash: most people, whether in their 20s 30s or later in life, don't jump out of bed and run to work everyday. Sometimes, a job is just a job. True, some people really do love what they do for a living, but if you don't feel passionate about it that doesn't mean you have no purpose.

You said that you love what you do and are paid well, why isn't that good enough? It sounds to me like you are simply looking for a little more joy in your life which you can create without changing jobs or having a Eureka! moment of self-discovery. Become passionate about exploring the things that make you joyful - perhaps spending time with friends, doing something artistic, cooking, being outside, and so on. You say you do not have a single activity that interests you more than a week, but consider your expectations of an activity may be too high. Can you enjoy the simple things in life? Being passionate about something comes more from HOW you do things rather than WHAT you are actually doing. Or perhaps your passion is exploration and you are someone who will always try new things. What's wrong with that?

Your life purpose is not determined by the person who signs your paycheck. Your purpose in life is to learn lessons about yourself and your life - smell, taste, touch, see, feel and experience. If you are looking for life's purpose in a career, what do you think life is really about? If it was supposed to be about work, why are we born with the ability to fall in love, laugh, dance, travel, have families, connect with friends, celebrate holidays and birthdays?

Stop looking for your life's purpose in what you do. You absolutely have a purpose in life - and that is to live it! -Christine