Often there are more questions about what we love than what we don't. We seem to be very sure of what we dislike - things, people, habits, situations and so on. But we are less sure about what we like.
Here's the simple litmus test to know whether something has any hope of your love. It has the innate ability to pause all your other thoughts. That's it. Even for a few moments, if you are able to get into a zone where nothing else exists then you've just met what you love.
There are two main variables that skew this: time and space. Time affects all things. What we used to love, we now don't and what we now love, we didn't before. Similarly, how close or how far impacts your interest.
Things that pause you
There are certain things that have the power to overcome all variables and simply bring the chatterbox inside to a halt.
These experiences engage you and draw you in more and more. You can't stop yourself. You never have to justify to yourself why you are doing it. You almost never think about time. For me, it's usually when am creating something. It doesn't matter what am creating or where - a product, a team, a painting, a write-up. I almost never know the time - it flows like water. I get restless when someone interrupts me. I want to get back to it again and again. The days I create sincerely are my happiest and I sleep very well at night. Everything feels a little light. You know exactly what am talking about because we all have those days.
The funny thing is these things happen every other day but our mind tends to overlook them. When we do notice them, we constantly question them. We even educate ourselves to be a little practical because it doesn't exactly fit into our grand plan. Others tell us that we are irrational because it doesn't fit into our plan. Moreover, if you did the impractical stuff then other people would feel very lonely out there. Very rarely do we question the grand plan itself because most of the time the plan has borrowed ideas of other people. It would be too silly to admit to ourselves but inside we know this. (How many of us (leave alone countries) realize when it comes to measuring money that the concept of GDP - a whole country's money - is only 75 years old?) And when it does happen - the grand plan that is - it's not exactly what we want. So what's the problem? If this were a mathematical equation, now's the time to say hence proved - your little grand plan didn't include what you love.
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So the next time you pause just become aware without questioning it. Because these are exactly what you are searching for whether in a job or in people or even in a book. Often people change situations to find things when all they have to do is conduct this litmus test. However, even the pH balance of a litmus paper has to be first neutral before using it to test for acidity. Therefore, neutrality must apply to our brains before we try pouring something on it. Meditation is an interesting start and at another level it can pretty much pause all variables making you find love in the most mundane. Ok, at least go for a run. If all else fails simply do the activity that you think paused you. You'll be surprised, it'll pause you again and perhaps you'll smile uncomfortably now because one little part of you will tell you, you are stupid. Bingo. You've found what you need.
Relax. For now, just know that there's an easy way to find what you love.
