How to Distinguish Hobbies and Passions

You may have many interests, but will only have one or two passions. The key difference is that when you take something seriously and have strong feelings for it, that’s passion. If you feel relaxed doing an activity and don’t get too excited about it, it’s likely a hobby. Consider your interests and feelings about them, then use a few methods to test which ones you are really passionate about.

Table of Contents

Consider the time spent on that activity

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Pay attention to what activities you think about most often. When you’re driving, trying to sleep, or exercising, notice what you’re thinking about the most. If you find yourself constantly thinking about an activity you’re not doing, then it’s likely your passion.

Hobbies usually only take over when you’re doing them, or occasionally at other times. Passions stay with you all day and you think about them all the time.
If you regularly search for clearance and second-hand stores, regularly check your online sales accounts and try to attract customers, then buying and selling second-hand may be your passion.

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Time budget assessment. Pay attention to what you do during the day and all week. You may notice the activity that you do most often or do for the longest time. The activities you spend so much time on can be your passion. ^{[1] X Research Source}

For example, in a week you play the guitar every day, play basketball twice, write poetry 4-5 times, and play games on Xbox once. So guitar and poetry are good candidates for passion, and basketball and Xbox are just hobbies.

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Notice how quickly time goes by. After performing an activity, check the watch. When you follow your passion, you won’t realize how quickly time flies, because you’re so absorbed that you forget about time. If you check your watch often, chances are it’s just a hobby.

For example, half an hour of playing basketball is a lot, but two and a half hours of playing the guitar will go by as fast as two minutes because it is passion.

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Be aware of times when you give up your entire mission to do it. Take a look at the corporate and household chores and see what comes in between. If you tend to be busy with an activity other than your assigned job, then you have put your passion first.

For example, you are doing a research project. Instead of reading material on the topic, you spend an hour taking a great photo for your presentation. Then photography could be your passion.

Look at the attitude

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Ask yourself if the activity makes you feel relaxed or stressed. Start doing that action for a while, and evaluate how it feels. If you feel happy and at peace, then you are doing what you love. If you’re feeling a little frustrated, or at least a little stressed and focused, you’re working with passion. ^{[2] X Research Source}

It sounds crazy, but passion often makes you miserable. Because you care about it, pursuing your passion isn’t always a relaxing experience.
Hobbies are usually fun and pleasurable, so you’ll be quite at ease doing them.
For example, you can set up a carpentry workshop and start building something. If you feel extremely focused and anxious, then you are passionate about carpentry. If it’s not passion, you’ll be more relaxed.

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Determine if you want to progress in that area. Do it a little more often. Notice whether you are working hard to get better or simply enjoying the moment. You will work harder when you do it as a passion rather than a hobby. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

If you are passionate, you will strive to become the best in that field. On the contrary, you will only need the satisfaction of playing with the hobby.
For example, if you often cook challenging recipes, that’s passion. And if you just show off your talent for making spicy stews or making waffles over and over again, it’s just a hobby of cooking.

“We live in a wonderful age when nearly any hobby can grow into a financially sustainable career.”

Adrian Klaphaak, CPCC

Career Coach

Adrian Klaphaak is a career coach and founder of A Path That Fit, a life and career coaching company in the San Francisco Bay Area. He works with individuals who are passionate about making a positive impact on the world and has helped over 1000 people build successful careers and live more purposeful lives.

Adrian Klaphaak, CPCC
Career Coach

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Ask if the activity is related to your values and beliefs. Make a list of the values you have in your life, society, or faith or belief system. If there’s any activity that aligns with these values, it’s passion. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

This step requires a bit of abstract thinking, so give yourself time to review the list.
For example, you can put activities like climbing, singing, playing games into your hobby list. The list of values you believe in includes taking risks, staying healthy, admiring beauty, and staying away from technology. Comparing both lists, climbing seems to fit those values, so it could be a passion.

Check out the preferences

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Tell people about potential passions, and ask for their opinion. Pick an activity you might be passionate about, and talk to your friends about it. Then ask them if you look excited or casual about it. If you talk about it all the time and your friends say you look pretty intense about it, it could be your passion for life. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

When it comes to your passion, you can speak louder, faster, and more talkative. You will want to talk about that passion forever, will be excited and will not want to stop talking.
If people say you don’t look very knowledgeable in the field, and your attitude towards it is quite ordinary, it’s just a hobby. Because you will feel more excited when talking about passion than when talking about hobbies.

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Stop that activity for about 1 week. Pick one thing you do every week, or every few days, and then abruptly stop doing it. If then you think about it every day, feel missed and don’t want to do anything else, then you’ve found your passion. And if you don’t mind, it’s probably just a hobby. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

If you usually play frisbee every Wednesday, then take a week off. If you fill that free time with something else that doesn’t bother you much, it’s just a hobby.
Stop editing the videos you usually shoot. If after 2 days you can’t do anything else but just want to sit at your computer to edit videos, that’s passion.

Steps

Consider the time spent on that activity

Look at the attitude

Check out the preferences

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