"There are some things in life that catch your eye, and then there are those that capture your heart. Pursue those." --Author Unknown

We all know of people who have passion for their work. Unfortunately, there are many others who are suffering from passion deficit, a term coined by Richard Chang, author of The Passion Plan. The symptoms of passion deficit include sadness, anger, confusion, and frustration. Other signs are blaming your unhappiness on others or feeling like something is missing in your life.

According to an August 2002 survey by the Conference Board, only 51 percent of Americans are satisfied with their jobs. If you're in the other 49 percent, where do you start to find your work passion?

Searching out your passions

First reflect on times when you've been involved in an activity you were excited about. Chang asks, "When did you lose track of time in an activity? When have you felt exhilarated about what you were doing?" Then make a list of "passionate activities." It can include things you did as a child or an adult--anything from jigsaw puzzles to computer games to opera.

Constance Stevens, a career counselor for over 15 years, suggests you think about what attracts you at the magazine rack, on TV, in movies, and in recreational activities to find clues to your passions. Stevens also has clients review the five accomplishments they are most proud of and then identify the skills they enjoyed using to reach those goals.

Another technique is to visualize your perfect day of work, including what clothes you are wearing, how you get to work, what your work environment looks like, and how many people you interact with during the day.

Career assessment tests like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Strong Interest Inventory can help you focus on the skills you most like using. Perusing the career section of the bookstore or library can also direct you to your passions. Book titles like Careers for Class Clowns and Finding Your Perfect Work may give you some clues in your search, as can surfing websites like hotjobs.com and monster.com and highlighting phrases in job descriptions that sound good to you.

People who have already found their way to work they love often advise listening to your heart. One of those people, Mary Paliescheskey, a childbirth educator, says that "finding what speaks to you and gives you energy is the most important thing. The passion then shapes your choices."

Making sense of your passions

When you have your list of passionate activities, search for patterns. Chang suggests determining whether your passions are based on a highly specialized topic, like computers, or centered on a theme, like entrepreneurship. If you enjoyed swimming competitively in college, for example, swimming may be your passion--or maybe it was just a way to feed your overall passion for competition.

If you don't see patterns in your list, don't worry. Chang says, "Open yourself to one passion and you open the floodgates to many." That's what Shoshana Bennett did. She knew she had to do something positive with the grief and anger she felt after suffering from postpartum depression. Bennett started off by offering support groups in her neighborhood for new moms. Soon individuals began requesting to talk to her privately and she decided to pursue a degree in clinical psychology. Now a psychotherapist, Bennett considers the natural progression that brought her to the work she loves as "nothing short of magical."

It can take a long time to figure out your work passions, but the search is worth it. As Stevens says, "It does take time. You have to know yourself and know what's out there, but even a few hours a week will give you a good start."

Taste tests and more

When you've narrowed down some of your work passions, don't quit your day job. Chang proposes you start with what he calls "taste tests" or small ways to try out your passions on your own terms. He emphasizes that you don't have to be pursuing your passions one hundred percent of the time to benefit.

Find ways to test your passions that are nonthreatening. If you love singing, maybe you could take a voice lesson. If leadership attracts you, offer to chair a committee at work. Internships, part-time opportunities, and volunteering can also provide outlets for testing your passions. The important part is that you take some action. Barbara Sher in her book, I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was, agrees. She says, "Action will help you do much better thinking than you could ever hope to do sitting still and weighing all the theoretical facts. Even action in the wrong direction is informative."

Sometimes taking action can just mean being aware of your career dreams and keeping yourself open to networking and other opportunities that can bring you closer to your goals. Stevens calls this "career serendipity." The more you explore your passions, the more your serendipity increases. Bennett believes if you don't try so hard, the answers to what you should do will become apparent. "Being 'in effort' about something can stop what could otherwise be a very natural flow," she says. "Often your passion is right in front of you."

Passion vs. workaholism

If you are spending a lot of hours working, is it passion or workaholism that's driving you? Chang says that if your work is motivated by guilt, other's people's messages, or the desire to avoid doing something else, then it's workaholism. Other signs include feeling emotionally and physically drained at the end of the day and not having a good work/personal life balance.

"Passion leads to pleasure. Workaholism leads to burnout," says Lisa Stone, President of Fit for 2, Inc. When you discover the work that fuels your passions, the resulting energy and fulfillment will tell you you've hit the mark.

Writer Melanie Bowden wishes she was more passionate about organizing her home office.