The Difference Between Passion and Purpose
Buzzwords like passion and purpose are everywhere… so it can be easy to lump them all together. But there are fundamental differences between these critical words, and learning them can help you solidify a life plan full of both passion and purpose.
The Difference Between Passion and Purpose
If you know me, you know I LOVE intentionality. And that just doesn’t mean acting with intent, it means speaking with intent too. But I’ll be the first to admit I’m guilty of intertwining these words.
It wasn’t until I saw some comments flying around in our Facebook group that I decided to take a deep dive into each word… and it was such an eye-opening and cool exercise that I had to share with you guys!
Purpose
To me, purpose is non-negotiable. You’ve probably heard me say that I’ve been teaching since I was in kindergarten… and that’s true! I can remember interactions where I was teaching my siblings or friends — even during recess or a playdate.
That’s because education is my purpose.
No matter where I am, no matter what I’m doing, no matter who I’m talking to, I want that interaction to have value. I find myself teaching and educating in everything I do.
When I talk to my kids I try to weave a life lesson in our conversation, when I talk to my team I try to work some business development in, and when I talk to an oil user I include all the amazing ways they can use whatever they just purchased.
Education, my purpose, is behind everything I do, both in my business and in my personal life.
Passion
Purpose didn’t surprise me very much, because I’ve always pictured my purpose as education. But when I started digging into passion, I learned some things about myself and my journey.
I realized that passion is ever changing.
So when I left my job as a professor (which lined up with my purpose) for doTERRA, I was just using my purpose in a different way based on a passion.
Purpose is kind of like the bones of a house, and passion is like the decor.
Passion is going to change as you’re exposed to new things and as you discover more about yourself… and that’s okay. You can be passionate about multiple things, fall out of love with things, and add a new, passionate flair to your purpose all day long.
Right now I’m using my purpose to educate the world about the oils I’m passionate about. When I’m educating my team about oils, I’m fired up and passionate about what we’re doing and how we’re transforming healthcare. That’s my passion building on my purpose.
I also think passion is also what attracts us to certain coaches and mentors. Have you ever noticed how you can hear three coaches say essentially the same thing, but one resonates so much more with you than the others? That’s their passion and unique flair speaking to you.
Takeaway
Defining both your purpose and passion(s) is a critical exercise to go through. Now that I realize passions are ever-changing and discovered through exposure, I’m more excited than ever to travel and experience new things.
It’s easy to intertwine buzzwords like passion and purpose, but try to recognize them as individual aspects that come together to form a path that aligns with your dream life. If you do, I can bet it’ll lead to a few great breakthroughs… I know it did for me.
