Passion project? 7 surprising reasons why you should make one.

Passion Project Zig Zag
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What is a passion project?

A passion project often combines your skills, talents, 
likes, dislikes, feelings, challenges, experiences and desires mixed together into something tangible. It’s kinda like you in project form!

A passion project should be more than just a hobby, it has a goal.

A great passion project is something that lights you up, inspires you and that you’re excited to work on (passionate!)

Why make a passion project?

Sure making time to work on something that matters to you sounds like a good idea in theory, but there’s also a lot of scientific research that backs up why starting a passion project is always a good idea.

1 It feels good!

OK this one is not that surprising, but … when you create something just for you it FEELS GOOD! Especially when you are able to tap into creative flow. Somehow you get swept up and magically forget about everything else that’s going on in your life. Problems and worries fall away as you get to be in your creative practice blissfully zoned-out, doing YOUR thing. I’d say being fully in the present moment working on your passion project is almost like a meditation.

2 You’ll sleep better 😴

Did you know that if you choose to spend your days on something meaningful it can improve your nights?

It’s true! A scientific study on older adults found that those who felt a strong purpose in life experienced better quality of sleep than those that didn’t.

In the study people who scored high on the life purpose meter believed there was a meaning to life and had goals and a sense of directedness, plus aims and objectives for living.

I feel like this is a “no-duh” conclusion. Why wouldn’t a fulfilled, purpose-driven person get better sleep than someone wondering what’s the point of it all?

I know when I spend my entire day working on boring things I don’t care about, I end up hitting my pillow frustrated I wasted my time on somebody else’s problem. BUT when I’ve got a personal goal in my sights and made big progress, I go to bed with a job-well-done, happy feeling, ready to pop-up like a daisy to spend more time working on my passion project!

3 It’s contagious

Creating and sharing your passion project can have the pleasant side effect of inspiring all those around you.

There’s nothing like watching someone push themselves beyond their comfort zone to inspire you to think, wait a minute … maybe I could do something like that too!

When you start breaking the ordinary rules and start unapologetically putting your passion first it’s kinda like writing permission slip to those in your orbit that they can too!

4 You might live longer 👵🏻

What if having a reason to get out of bed in the morning made you more likely to wake up more times in life?

Well a growing body of evidence suggests that a strong sense of purpose may help you live longer with both a higher physical and mental quality of life.

According to this study of 6985 adults life purpose was significantly associated with lower all-cause mortality.

So can pursuing a passion project save your life?

If your passion project is a big life goal and you’re passionate and excited about waking up and working on it everyday then I say yes! Yes it can.

5 It could lead to your dream job! 🤑

When you invest time and energy developing your skills on work that you love your passion project just might turn into a side hustle or even a fullfilling day job!

Share your journey and process creating the work that lights you up. And you might be surprised of who takes notice.

6 Universe magic will happen 🪄

You know that weird phenomenon when you want to buy a Mini Cooper and then all of a sudden you magically start seeing Mini Coopers all over the place?!

The truth is, they were always around, but you just weren’t noticing them. Once you set that goal your subconscious brain switches to high alert to notice all things Mini Cooper.

Setting your brain’s GPS on a passion project has the same effect! Once you go all in on your passsion you will notice some amazing coincidences that seem to be like magic!

The right tools, ideas, and people will just keep showing up. It’s fun!

7 No regrets!

According to this Forbes article the number 1 death bed regret is “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”

Why not give your passion project a shot? Even if you try and fail at least you won’t die wandering what if?

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