As featured in the April 15, 2012 Times of India, Speaking Tree Edition, Pg. 6.

Finding your purpose in life takes time and evolves as you do. Give it some real thought, says life coach BINA JHAVERI
Living with passion sounds easy but most of us go through life without zest. The reason: work pressure, relationship issues, financial problems. All this cloud our conscious state of being and pose a threat to our well-being. With each passing day, life seems to get more hectic and complicated. Power, position and money may give us a temporary high, but it does not last very long. So, knowing who you are and what gives meaning to your life is important. This could serve as your springboard to introduce or re-introduce passion into your life. What does living with passion mean? It’s knowing what you love to do and being able to incorporate it in your daily life.
Know Who You Are The first step is finding out what you want out of life. Ask yourself the following questions: 1 What is my life purpose? Is it to live as a kind human being, work within my community or teach and pass on my wisdom/legacy in some way? How am I connected to the larger thread of life? 2 What was I born to do? Was it to write a book or be an athlete, or teach children? 3 What makes me feel good naturally? Is it working,  taking on the housework, travelling, or helping others? 4 What do I crave for in life? Is it strong relationships, greater balance, a more challenging career or time to pursue my hobbies? 5 What gives me satisfaction? What am I instinctively drawn to? What have I done in my life that I feel proud of? Finding your purpose takes time and evolves as you do. So keep asking yourself through each stage in your life if your passion and purpose remain the same or are they changing. Give it some real thought. This is the most important exploration you will do, and the rewards are more joy, success and meaning in your life!

Understand Your Emotions The second step is to ask yourself on a deeper level, what is important to you. Most of what we do is driven by how it makes us feel. Ask yourself the following questions:   1. Am I doing something that is aligned to my personal values? If it is, it will evoke strong positive feelings in you. 2. If I was to create something, what would it be? Does it make you feel excited? Can you  visualise it? If so, it will create a strong desire in you to do it, not just wish or hope for it. 3. What is it that you really want? This is a question that sits at your core. Your answer should be well thought-out and insightful. 4. How would I feel if I did what I desired? If it’s joy, contentment, love and abundance, you are on the right track. This feeling of elation should awaken a burning desire in you and nothing should be able to stop you from it.

Be Active: Living with passion is an active process, not a passive one. Make a commitment to yourself and pay heed to your goals, aspirations and passions. You have to put things in action to see real results. Once you are clear on your passion, it’s important to move consciously towards your goal.

Be Grateful: Choosing to be thankful for what you have and what you are working towards will create an attitude that is inspired and appreciative. Thankfulness makes you humble and upbeat and helps you work towards your goals naturally. When you are gracious, you set in motion a universal law: the more grateful you are, the more you will receive.