Finding Your Passion is a Bitch

Feeling lost and kinda WTF??? Hi!  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ​ ​ You're subscribed to SELFISH FOREVER with Ash Ambirge, a spunky column about how to live & work from anywhere and enjoy your life again​ ​ --------------------------------------------------------------- ​ Finding Your Passion is a Bitch Feeling lost & kinda WTF??? This is for you. ​ ​ Ever worry you’re never going to find “your thing?” There’s no greater mind fuckery. The “just follow your passion!” parade forgets that most people don’t have a passion. Passions don’t just fall into your lap. They aren’t handed out in second grade. They aren’t something you just wake up and have one day, like your period. Imagine how much easier life would be if everyone just got delivered a passion in their pants? Then there’d be no excuses. You’d have A THING. You’d have a path! You’d have a purpose! And then we could all finally get some sleep around here. Unfortunately, that’s not how life works. The only thing you get handed is a $300 phone bill you didn’t see coming because your roaming was on when you went to the mountains that one time to scream. I’ve always said: the best way to get to know yourself is on paper, because you don’t lie to yourself on paper. (Bring that to the mountains next time.) Maybe it’s the permanence of the pen, or maybe it’s the permanence of me being a writerly douche, but you can’t think your way into a new passion. You gotta look for evidence. You gotta write out clues. Put your brain out in the open. Take a look at what’s there. And then decipher what it means. What do you really want to do? It’s a fascinating question. If you ask yourself that on paper, you’ll write stupid stuff at first, like “Drink a beer” or “take a vacation,” but obviously you’re just avoiding answering the deep questions and becoming one of those spiritual people with the patchouli oil. What do you REALLY want to do? You’ve got to let yourself write some answers without judging ‘em. The whole time you’re going to be telling yourself why you could never do this or that…and so you’ll discard important evidence in who you are. Even if it doesn’t seem relevant right now... IT’S ALL RELEVANT. Your job is to piece together the clues. The only tricky part? The ideas you have are always going to be limited by the experience you have. You can’t know what you want to do if you’ve never done much. This is a problem. Most people are looking around for their passions in their living room, as if they’re going to find ‘em stuffed in between their dog’s asshole and a deflated throw pillow. But, that doesn’t mean you stop answering the question. Instead, you just keep looking for clues. Inspiration requires interest. What do you gravitate toward? What tiny, little weird things interest you? What do you find yourself noticing? Where do your eyes go? What does your heart scream? PAY ATTENTION. Sometimes I think people are missing their passions simply because they’re too busy to notice. But, of course, even when you do find something you’re interested in, you're the first person to tell yourself why it can’t work. You’ll find every reason why it’s unrealistic, why it’s too big, why you’re too old, why you can’t possibly do such a thing. Please, I beg you: just shut the fuck up. Let your wisdom do its job. Stop ruining everything for yourself. It’s a new day and the possibilities are full of magic. Give yourself a chance. SPEAKING OF WHICH— Today’s the day!!!! [Tough Titties, my new favorite book, is out!]() 💥 The subtitle says it all: “On living your best life when you’re the f-ing worst.” The author is one of my bestest dearest friends, Laura, and it’s about being a late bloomer—and finding your passion late in life. (She made her first million at age 50—after years of finding herself indifferent to most typical jobs.) I’m super jealous: I was supposed to be celebrating her book launch in Manhattan with her but LIFE has prevented me from flying up to New York. So instead, I’m going to celebrate by telling everyone I know that, if they like bright, witty writing full of effervescence, sarcasm, and personality, Tough Titties is a must. Here’s what I Voxxed to Laura when I read the advance copy and couldn’t put it down! ​ If you haven’t been able to make it through a book lately because the writing is bad and your eyeballs want to go on strike, this is the one you need. Laura could write to me about dirty socks and I’d be like, ‘SIGN ME UP!’ But, it’s even better if you’re feeling MEH because you’re in a funk and you’re going through a transition and you don’t feel like you’re passionate about much, these days, and you’re kind of just exhausted??? Like, who are you? Will you ever figure it out? What are you doing with your life? Are you ever going to pull it together? Or are you going to end up sitting on your sofa for all of eternity next to some dog’s asshole and a deflated throw pillow? You need [Tough Titties](). I’m pretty sure mine are way tougher already. 😉 ​ ​ ​ How to live & work from anywhere in the world and enjoy your life again ​ WITH ASH AMBIRGE + Sweary outbursts + Unpopular opinions about crustaceans + New ideas about ways to earn a living that don't require you to be a sucker + How to actually enjoy your life while working less and visiting Ireland more + A real zest for extreme pearl wearing + Favoritism for bars with scary-ass mafia pool rules (MY QUARTERS WERE THERE, SON) + Zero ambition to be a good girl who bakes casseroles & smiles politely + BUT ALSO: a creepy affection for small-town Main Streets & freshly-mowed lawns + Currently searching for the most livable places in the world (and looking through people's windows) + Unbridled enthusiasm for storage units and guys named Bob + Deep fear of waking up and not having any water on the nightstand + Entirely unbalanced accounts of everything, including my morals + At least three Freudian slips around my true feelings about bracelets (They make your arms look like baby wiener sausages at an Italian wedding) P.S. Have you read [my book on living & working differently]() yet? It's a real blast to have on the coffee table when the in-laws come over. ​ ​[Change Newsletter Topics]( | [Unsubscribe from All]( ​ ​ 177 Huntington Ave Ste 1703, Boston, MA 02115