If you're listening to this podcast. Then the means that I have with many things, including myself. And decided to take a leap of faith. Hey friend and welcome to my first ever podcast episode. I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and give you an overview of what our time together is going to look like. By the end of this episode. You'll have a better understanding of who I am. Why you should even bother listening to me. And what you can expect from me over the lifetime of this podcast. As you may have already heard my name is Sena. And I'm a 23 year old who loves all things, purpose and excellence. For as long as I can remember. I have always been passionate about personal development. I just didn't know the phrase for it. In fact, the people closest to me with tell you that Sena is always thinking about her life. I am one person who is constantly seeking to do better tomorrow than I did today. So it truly is no surprise that I decided to include the word thriving in my podcast name. But that's a story for another day. Today, we, are, talking about how to find what you're passionate about. But, first, what exactly is passion? I like to think of passion as an intense enthusiasm and interest in something that fuels your actions and brings you immense joy. Passion is something that goes beyond mere hobbies or interests. It is the driving force that lights a fire within you. When you're passionate about something, it drives your actions and brings a sense of fulfillment and purpose to your life. Now you're probably saying to yourself right now. Sena. Why should I even care about finding what I'm passionate about? Well, here are a few reasons why passion is important to live in a fulfilling life. First and foremost. Passion brings joy. When you engage in activities or pursue interests that you are passionate about it naturally generates a sense of happiness and satisfaction. It allows you to experience moments of pure joy wet time seems to just fly by and you feel fully alive and engaged. Additionally. Passion provides motivation. When you're passionate about something, you are naturally driven to invest your time. Your energy and your effort into it. Passion. fuels your determination, perseverance and resilience. enabling you to overcome the challenges and obstacles that may arise along the way. It keeps you motivated even when faced with the greatest setbacks or failures. Having passion also helps you find a sense of identity and self-expression. I believe that it allows you to showcase your unique talents, your skills, your interests, which in turn boosts your self-confidence and self-esteem. When you pursue your passion, you align your actions with your authentic self, which leads to a greater sense of fulfillment. Most importantly, though. Passion brings a sense of purpose and fuels personal growth, as well as continuous learning. Passion gives you a reason to wake up each day with enthusiasm. And the clear sense of direction. when you have a passion, you have a purpose. That goes beyond simply going through the motions of life. It gives your actions and choices and meaning. And you feel a deeper connection to the world around you. When you're passionate about something, you are naturally inclined to delve deeper into it. Expand your knowledge about it and improve your skills. Right. And so this ongoing journey of growth and development contributes. To fulfill in life because you are continually learning, you're continually grown. You're continually improving because of the passion that you have for this thing. Like I said earlier, I have always been someone who seeks to do better tomorrow than I did today. I quite remember even at a young age of eight. I would sit down by myself and just think about my life and what my future looks like. It's like, I was constantly seeing this picture of myself 10 years ahead. 20 years in the future, 30 years in the future. And my goal was to just sit down. And think. And just ask myself. What choices can I make today that will help me become the person that I'm seeing. In my future. Even as a young adult now I tend to take a day once a month or quite honestly, more than a day sometimes. But when I do take those days each month, I just said that when I reflect on my life, And the purpose of the reflection is to identify what is working and what isn't working. And so when people ask me, how did you discover your passion? Or how did you know this is something that you like? And for so many years, this is a question that I used to ask. People as well. Even as of a few months ago, right? It's a question I'm close, simply asking people, but how did you know you like this? How did you know this is what, you know, God called you to the UN. You know, that takes us into the conversation of purpose, which is a topic that we'll talk more about, in upcoming episodes. But for now. When I'm asked, how did I discover my passion? I would say that it starts with reflection. And so I want to encourage you to take time to reflect on your interest, your hobbies and your values. What activities bring you joy and fulfillment. What are the things that make you lose track of time. And even as you consider these things, Consider how these interests align with your core values. And write them down. You can find a journal. Pen paper, whatever it is. Just write down the things that make you happy. The things that you can go days do it. And you wouldn't even think about food or whatever. You just get so lost in what you're doing. Write these things down and ask yourself, how does it. align. How does it match up with. You know, love if that's a core value for you, kindness giving. Charity. What are your core values? Ask yourself, how these interests aligned with that. As a Christian. one of the things that we are called to do is to. Love our neighbors as ourselves. Right. And obviously, if you did not love yourself, then you cannot love your neighbor. And so. Even as I've been on this journey of discovering what things I'm passionate about, I'm always asking myself, how does this benefit the kingdom of God? How does my being, you know, passionate about. Personal development benefit the kingdom of God. And I came to a realization just a few weeks ago, actually. That. Because I love myself. I once you continually do better. I want to. Keep thriving. Keep being the best version of myself. And so if I had to extend this love to my neighbor, Then naturally I want to teach them how to grow in their personal life, whatever that looks like. Right. And so that is what reflection brought me to just sitting down, asking myself what has my life looked like over the last few years? What things make me happy? And how have those things. Number one, change my life. And how did they align with my. General calling as a Christian. If you have someone whose passion is not so obvious, like mine, then I want to encourage you to explore different. Areas. Step out of your comfort zone and try new things. Sometimes our passions lie in unexpected places. And you're not gonna find that out. Until you explore diverse interests and quite frankly, open yourself up to new possibilities that you may not have considered before. Now I believe that another crucial aspect of discovering and pursuing your passion is seeking guidance and mentorship. The value of having mentors or In your field of interest can not be overstated. Now I'm not talking about. You know, going online or going to your church and necessarily finding someone that can mentor you one on one. we live in a world today where social media. Opens up so many opportunities for us. Those closest to me know that I love Tolulope Solutions. so much. She is honestly someone that I, I look up to, she embodies so much of what. I've seen my future look like, and we just think alike in so many ways. Business wise, family wise, just so many of our values align. And in watching her over the years. I've learned so much from her. And I haven't necessarily needed that. One-on-one time with her. So, if you're asking yourself. Well, I hear you Sena out, but how can I actually find mentors easy. start by identifying individuals who have achieved. Success. or possess says deep knowledge in your field of interest. Look for people whose values align with yours and who inspire you. Ask yourself, why these individuals inspire you? What is it about them? What is it about what they're doing that peaks your interest? And write those things now. You can also seek out online communities or platforms where like minded individuals gather. So we have. A lot of things like this discord channels. Even on LinkedIn, right? If you look on LinkedIn, There are a lot of communities that you can join. based on. What subjects interest you if it's like data science, whatever it is There are communities. Out there. Where people who want to achieve a common goal, discuss, share ideas. Just to stimulate. growth. And so don't be afraid to reach out. Don't be afraid to ask for guidance. And don't be afraid to express your admiration for people who are doing things that you would love to do. The honest truth is that most successful people are willing to help others who are genuinely passionate about the same things. And all you have to do. It's ask. When all is said and done though. Life is meaningless. When you do not follow the template of the one who made you. Before you can begin to know and understand who you are. You need to know God. This is a topic that we'll discuss in upcoming episodes, but I did want to mention that he had briefly. You have to be a level of the word of God. You have to invite the Holy Spirit to guide you and and reveal. Your interests to you. The holy spirit, who I call HS by the way. And brings clarity, conviction and confirmation, as you seek to discover what ignites you soul. No question is ever silly to us. The Holy Spirit. No situation is trivial to bring to God. I watch movies with the holy spirit. I can be watching the movie I can pause and be like, HS, what'd you do think about this, you know? And we'll just have a quick chat about it. And it's in. The little thing is right. If you're seeking God about the little things each day, Then you can seek him about the bigger things. And so my biggest advice to you would be to pay attention to the gentle nudges and promptings of His Spirit. Even as you navigate this journey of discovering what truly makes you passionate. Before we conclude today's episode. I want to emphasize the importance of embracing the process of finding your passion. Hopefully you had me see the process. Because finding what you're passionate about is a process. And it's a journey that is filled with twists and turns. And it honestly may involve some trial and error along the way. It's essential to remember that the path to finding your passion. It's not always linear. You may explore different interests, try various activities and encounter moments of uncertainty. And that's perfectly okay. Embrace the process as an opportunity of self discovery and growth. And while you're at it. Seek to know God more and understand why you're going through each season of your life. You also have to be patient with yourself. Finding your passion takes time. And it's a life long journey. So it's completely okay. If you don't have all the answers right away. Allow yourself the freedom to explore different avenues and engage in new experiences. And learn from them. If you are not learning from your mistakes, then you are not growing. And here's the thing. You also, don't only learn from mistakes, right? You also learn from what works. And so you have to be patient with yourself and be conscious about what went well, what didn't go well and seek to become better. Each day. You also have to remember to stay open-minded throughout this journey. Be receptive to new possibilities and opportunities that may come your way. Sometimes your passion may surprise you. It may be something that you never considered before. And by remaining open-minded. You allow yourself to be receptive to the science that may lead to your passion. And remember. The process to finding your passion is as valuable as the destination itself. It's a journey about self discovery. Personal growth. And learning more about who you are and why you were created. Embrace the journey. And please do not be discouraged by setbacks. They are part of the process. And they will guide you towards a clearer understanding of your passion.

So that's everything I have to say for now about how to find what you're passionate about. But before you go, I did want to touch base really quickly on the logistics of this podcast. So you can expect to get a new episode every Friday. At 3:00 AM eastern. Now, I think the time is probably subject to change, but on Fridays you should expect to any episode. If I have to be Mia or anything like that, I will definitely communicate with you guys. So please make sure that you are following. My Instagram account. A thriving gang. With that being said, what can you expect every Friday when you tune in. Well, I didn't only want to make this podcast about me blubbering all the time about personal development, right. I also wanted to make it sort of a personal journal of my life. Where I can track each season that the Lord takes me through. So on some episodes you can expect. Some Bible time. So can I bother where talking about Jesus and just seeing how we can learn to be more like Him? In some episodes. It would probably be me telling you how my week went, What I learned you in the week, what things I thought I could have done better and just share with you whatever lessons that. are, coming at me on my day to day. So definitely tune in. It's going to be a lot of fun. I don't know how long the Lord is going to have me do this podcast thing, but for now I'm excited to be here. I'm excited to go on this journey with you. I'm very passionate about. Self improvements self developments, talking to people and just. Being as best as I can be each day. And I hope that as you listen to me, you can tap into that passion as well and begin to discover. The things that make you excited. As well, I look forward to getting to know you. Over the lifetime of this podcast.

as we conclude this episode, I hope you feel inspired to embark on this journey of discovering your passion. I hope you remember to embrace the process. Stay resilient. Be patient and keep your heart open to the endless possibilities that await you. Your passion is out there. Waiting to be discovered. So do not be discouraged. And keep thriving.