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The Winners:
It’s not easy to do something you’re passionate about for work—and not only because it’s hard to discover your passion or find a job to leverage it.
Once we know what we love to do, we then need to work through all kinds of limiting thoughts, beliefs, and fears that may prevent us from taking action. Then we need to decide what that action should be—how and where to start, and how to stay motivated.
It’s with this in mind that coach and blogger Barrie Davenport wrote the 52-Week Life Passion Project, an insightful, comprehensive guide to identifying what you really want to do and building your life around it.
I’m excited to share an interview with Barrie, and grateful that she offered to give away 5 books for Tiny Buddha readers!
The Giveaway
To enter to win one of five free copies of 52-Week Life Passion Project:
- Leave a comment on this post sharing something you’re passionate about. (If there’s nothing you’re passionate about yet, then just leave a comment saying hello!)
- For an extra entry, tweet: RT @tinybuddha Book Giveaway: The 52-Week Life Passion Project: Comment and RT to win! http://bit.ly/W8WUUz
You can enter until midnight PST on Monday, January 7th.
The Interview
1. What inspired you to write the 52-Week Life Passion Project?
In my work with my coaching clients and listening to my readers’ comments, I’ve learned how daunting the idea of finding your passion can be for people. It feels like such an overwhelming prospect without any clear direction.
During my own search for my life passion, I was floundering for months in my attempts to figure it out. And there are so many fears and perceived roadblocks to finding your passion.
Through my own life passion search, as well as my long career in public relations supporting my clients’ passions, and my work as a coach, I’ve formulated a system that breaks down the process to help people learn more about who they are, what their deepest desires are, and what is holding them back from making those desires a real part of their lives.
I wanted to help simplify and streamline the process for people. So that inspired me to write the book.
2. Why did you choose to write it as a yearlong guide?
As much as I’d like to say finding your passion is a quick fix, for most people that isn’t the case. If you’ve reached adulthood and haven’t found your passion, then you likely have years of entrenched beliefs, fears, or even apathy around the notion of having a passionate life.
My system for helping people uncover and live their passion is a holistic approach involving all areas of a person’s physical, mental, and emotional life.
During the process, you make huge shifts in your thinking and attitudes. And you work on some very specific actions to move you forward. I wanted to break down this work into manageable chunks so the process would be less overwhelming, and offer readers the time to digest what they are learning.
So much of the change goes on in between lessons as you examine parts of your internal world you may never have examined before.
3. Why do you think so many people struggle in identifying a passion they can turn into a career?
Fear. Our minds tend to jump immediately to all of the possibilities for failure and disaster. What if I fail? What if I lose all of my money? What if I’m too old or not capable?
So many people begin a career for reasons that have little to do with their passion. Either they were nudged in that direction by well-meaning parents, or they followed a career path based on income potential, or maybe they just landed in the career by total chance.
Then the years go by, you are making a decent salary, maybe you have a family or other financial obligations, and boom—you feel stuck. Then over time you realize how unfulfilled you are in your career. But it feels like you have no options. So why even bother trying to identify a passion if you can’t afford to make a change?
But I have found if you just begin to search for your passion, and you find a way to make it part of your life—even outside of your career—the enthusiasm and joy your passion provides opens doors for career opportunities.
When you have that momentum and energy of real enthusiasm for something, you find creative ways of making the seemingly impossible possible in your life.
4. In a challenged economy, many of us might consider passion a luxury. Do you think anyone can do something they love for a living?
Yes and no. There are so many variables in everyone’s individual situation that impacts this. Timing and priorities in life will certainly impact whether or not someone can pursue their passion right now.
Finances, relationships, and lifestyle goals all must be considered in your decisions around changing your career. However, when you find your passion, often your priorities change. What was once important in your life might diminish in importance when you find something really fulfilling and exciting.
There are times in life when we must make the conscious decision to stick with our job even if we don’t like it. Maybe you have a goal to pay for children’s college, or you are trying to save a cushion of money in order to pursue a passion. The decision to do that should be a conscious one, and with an end goal in mind, not just a fallback position.
And while you are marking time in a job you don’t like, you can still pursue your passion in other areas of your life. The joy of spending some time with your passion can compensate for a less-than-stellar job. It can provide a creative and emotional outlet that offsets the stress or unhappiness of a career you don’t like.
5. In the Chapter Seven, you encourage readers to march forward in the face of fear. What advice would you give to someone who wants to take a risk but fears they won’t be able to support themselves and their families if they leave their current job?
Pick apart each individual fear and find out how much truth there really is in it. If you are afraid of losing your money, ask yourself if you have a history of making poor financial decisions. Review your finances and see in reality how long you could go before being out on the street.
Create a real plan for saving or making extra income to provide a cushion as you pursue your passion.
We are all resourceful, intelligent people capable of figuring out how to get things done. If you take small, manageable steps in the direction of your dream, addressing any real issues as they arise, and avoid ruminating on “what ifs,” then you can find a way to make real change in your life.
The unknown always involves some amount of risk and fear, so a little fear will always sit on your shoulder, but if you have done all you can to address any real issues related to your fears, then eventually you must take action in spite of it.
6. In the chapter on financial freedom, you suggest that it may be a lot closer than we think. Can you expand on that?
Financial freedom requires having your basic needs met and some of your wants—perhaps your wants related to your passion. But the things that truly make us happy don’t cost a lot of money. Material things and fancy toys don’t offer sustained happiness.
If you look around you right now, you will discover that you already have many of the things that provide sustained happiness—relationships, health, access to nature, opportunities for learning, growth, and meaningful endeavors.
We are already wealthy in so many ways, but we can’t see it when we are focused on filling our lives with extraneous activities or struggling toward goals that provide little return in sustained happiness.
7. What do you define as “low hanging passion fruit”—and why should we reach for it?
The low hanging passion fruit is the most obvious place where you will find your life passion. For many people that is a career. But it can also be an avocation, volunteer pursuit, relationship, or lifestyle change.
I have readers examine their own life circumstances for the most obvious place where they will find a strong interest that can evolve into a passion. You must start somewhere in your search—with something you can test and practice to see if it is your passion.
We often know intuitively what we want, what our passion might be. And usually it is right before our eyes. We just don’t reach for it and take a bite. The only way to know if something is your passion is to taste it—to try it out.
8. What advice would you offer to someone who wants to follow this yearlong guide but feels hesitant, doubtful, and scared to give it a go?
You have nothing to lose. The exercises outlined in the book aren’t going to trap you in a situation that threaten your security or force you to do something you don’t want to do.
Even if you decide you can’t or don’t want to pursue your passion, the work you do through the exercises in the book will help your personal evolution and understanding of yourself. This is all positive, life-affirming work. So there is really nothing to fear.
Learn more about the 52-Week Life Passion Project on Amazon.
FTC Disclosure: I receive complimentary books for reviews and interviews on tinybuddha.com, but I am not compensated for writing or obligated to write anything specific. I am an Amazon affiliate, meaning I earn a percentage of all books purchased through the links I provide on this site.

About Lori Deschene
Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha. She started the site after struggling with depression, bulimia, c-PTSD, and toxic shame so she could recycle her former pain into something useful and inspire others to do the same. You can find her books, including Tiny Buddha’s Gratitude Journal and Tiny Buddha’s Worry Journal, here and learn more about her eCourse, Recreate Your Life Story, if you’re ready to transform your life and become the person you want to be.
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I am so excited to read this book!! I am passionate about helping women of all ages find their confidence and inner rock-star 🙂
Helping people who are in need
Being a producer/entrepreneur: Turning visions into reality
I think the idea of the book’s really good! Finding your passion and living it takes courage for those who don’t. One year is a reasonable amount of time. I’d love to read it! Barrie’s blog offers more inspiration and I love visiting it!
Helping friends turn current experiences into the next thing by translating how they think and communicate the commonalities of the job, not the differences
I am passionate about zumba!
I am passionate about Tai Chi and cultivating happiness
I’m passionate about women’s issues!
I am passionate about the elderly and elderly rights…
I am passionate about making my dreams a realistic reality.
I am passionate about yoga – it’s brought me back from a few pits! Whether it be physical or mental I have used my yoga practice to find the light at the end of the tunnel!
I am passionate about personal growth
I am passionate about writing, about giving, about opening deeply with myself to learn what is (more) true than my limiting thoughts/beliefs. I appreciate how Barrie offers the small steps and reminders. His book is a “believing mirror” and sounds incredibly affirming, supporting, and encouraging. Thank you for sharing and for all you give and do too!
I have many passions including physical activity/sports, the profession of nursing, reading…
Admirable! I’m one of those people (according to this article) too afraid to even know my passions. I mean, I love playing uke and hanging with friends but that’s not a passion. I used to think teaching adult literacy was my thing but in my region (rural, no structure in place), I hit many walls and gave up. It seems ‘that’s for people in towns or cities.’ At this point, I’m back to no idea — but I’d like to have them! What’s life without passions?
Motivating the youth in my community, uplifting and empowering young ladies!
I am passionate about being happy… and everything that brings me there
I love it! How funny earlier this day I was trying to figure out what my dreams were and what I was passionate about!
Whether I am a lucky winner or not, I’m so very appreciative that others “get it”, that it’s not just me who wonders. Robert Frost’s Road Not Taken hit me hard in 7th grade; am still wondering. Glad others realize their passions/dreams/goals. I believe the passion foremost in my life is reading. Reading allows me to experience so many varied things; simply amazing. “Getting lost” in a book is a way of life for me. Cannot imagine (nor want to) a life without reading, and subsequently, learning- even teaching. Thank you, Tiny Buddha, for this article.
I am passionate about so many things, but am held back a lot by my fears. This book is definitely something I need to check out.
I’m passionate about life and I’m passionate about my love for people. If I don’t win this book, I’ll just end up buying it because it’s a book that I need in my life 🙂
Hullo! 🙂
I totally <3 HEART<3 desserts & Writing=) for the past 2 years I have been putting on and off the idea of a project called 'Sugartales' where I intended to compile & Share a real life inspiring story/thought/article along with a recipe of dessert,… as a celebration of life's true spirit. The intention was to showcase that my pen may not be as mightier as a sword (Unlike Edward Bulwer-Lytton would like to express), but it’s definitely on a mission to appease hearts and sweet tooths ! =D
But then life happened and I left it without completing it ….
Anyhow, Thank you for recommending /sharing info about this book 🙂
Hello! I am passionate about finding love – for myself and for others!
Photography! I live and breathe photography! Capturing the beautiul, the truth, in front of me makes my heart sing! That passion has me up at 3am to be someplace in the middle of nowhere to photograph sunrise on frost. That passion has me wandering downtowns for current and past hints of urban truth. That passion keeps me alive and learning new things! So thank you for reminding me to solidify and story my photography passion. We’re only here once!
I’d say it is time for me to rediscover my passion. At a bit of a low point in life. I have just turned 35 and had my second child. Perhaps a bit lost at the moment . I always played a bit of guitar and love to sing but perhaps have only picked up my guitar twice in the last year. I love photography and began a course 6 months ago but little has been achieved. I probably don’t handle the stay at home mum job as well as some. What I do want very much is to reignite something in my belly and turn my thoughts to that of positive, motivating nature because I know deep down there is one happy , successful , creative soul in there 🙂
I am passionate about discovering my passion.
I’m passionate about travelling. Although I have not truly travelled since 2004, I always love to envision myself in far off places, surrounded by beautifully unique cultures.
I’m passionate about figuring out how to find more peace and enjoyment in my life. 🙂 Thanks for the opportunity!
I am passionate about the stories of people. Whoever a person may be, whatever their beliefs, I want to know their story. I love to find out the moments that shaped who they became.
I would love a copy of this book. I want to learn how to turn my passion for reading books about writing into real writing, find out what I need to do to drag my inner muse out from the cave she’s hiding in. Or maybe lure her out–the honey to the dragging’s vinegar? I keep reading that it’s never too late to be what you want to be, but when you have way fewer years in front of you than behind you, that gets problematic. It is getting more urgent for her to show herself–and kick my butt into gear.
I am passionate about exceeding my limitations. A life lived without passion is a life that is miserable!
I’ve mostly been passionate about reading my entire life but I would love to find other things to become passionate about
I’m passionate about music (writing, playing piano and guitar) and trying to figure out how I can follow my passion in my future career without “risking it all.” Maybe I just lack courage?
This site inspires me so much, I am on disability and need inspiring very bad, I would be so thankful to win a copy of this awesome book! Thanking you in advance, Rose
My passion is the ability to create something out of nothing. It can be anything – artwork, a program that serves the community, or even a meal. I am also passionate about finding commonalities that join seemingly different groups together. I just married a Chinese man, and I am a white Euro-American woman, so that adds to my curiosity about ways to find common ground with others who are different.
Photography
I am passionate about gardening, teaching and following my heart I too am passionate about finding myself but I am afraid to take risks and I feel this holds me back when I have to opportunity to discover new passions.
I am passionate about learning and traveling. I have not been able to feel content for the past 4 years of my life. I am unsure what my true passion is and what I want to do for a career. I am overwhelmed by the beauty around me and the intangible options. I never quite had the family that thought outside of the box…their idea of life is to get a stable job, get married, have kids, and have a routine life. That routine life really freaks me out…I feel 80 instead of late 20’s. I feel as if I am wasting away. I am unmarried and the thought of that commitment also scares me. I lived in NYC for 3 of the past 4 years and now moved back to my hometown to find boredom. I am desperately seeking fulfillment. I traveled to Israel this past summer and felt alive and connected there….I just really need a stable job but I want to feel like I am giving back to the earth and humanity. I love sharing ideas and knowledge with others and helping them through life as well. I thought about psychology but could not find a good reason to pursue a career in it. I am a bit jealous of those who have it figured out and wish that I could have a career adviser! 🙂 I pray for enlightenment, joy, a clear career path and to be excited to wake up to work!! Thanks for listening!
Hi! I’m passionate about yoga! It does fulfill my life 🙂
Learning, about myself, others and our relationships with each other is a passion to me. Passion turning into a quest.
I am still discovering the passion that will translate into a purpose. My focus this year is to really start exploring my interests and seeing what resignates the most with me.
Hello:) I do not yet know what I am passionate about, which is why I need this book.
How great that you can verbalize all of that. It gives you an idea for your path. Good Luck. Remember, it is the journey, not the destination, so enjoy the ride!
I have a lot of hobbies I enjoy doing but am not sure how to determine which one may be my true passion. I would love to win a copy of this book to help me decide.
I am passionate about being passionate. Music is my number one passion life sings to me 24/7, Pond keeping is my second passionate. I have a beautiful Koi pond and seeing it in its glory during spring and summer makes me very happy
I think like most people, I too am trying to really discover my true self this year – learn about how to conquer some of my fears, getting out of my comfort zone, pushing myself beyond the limits that I’ve created and put around me, being truly content and happy. This is what I am currently passionate about – ME.
Hi my passion is photography!!! There is nothing that makes me more happy than having a camera in my hand and seeing beautiful sites… One day I hope to make this passion into a living,, NIna xxx