Interview with Barrie Davenport on How to Discover Your Passion

You might have heard a lot these days about discovering your passion in life.  Once you have discovered it, then follow that passion and live a life of eternal bliss.  Not that easy I’m afraid – Why? Well how on earth do you find your passion in the first place?

I have asked scores of clients what is it you really want to do, what is your passion, and a lot of the time the answer is ‘I don’t know’.  A lot of us haven’t really thought about something we’d really love to do.  That might be because we haven’t allowed ourselves to dream, or we don’t know ourselves well enough to answer the question.  It’s like going into a sweet shop as a child, and being told you can have anything you want – you’d explode with excitement and probably not be able to make a decision.  That’s kinda what it’s like when you are asked what is your passion, what do you really want to do, you internally explode and answer – ‘I don’t know’.

I have a very good friend who has brought out a course called Discover Your Passion (yes folks it’s an affiliate link, I have to feed the family but rest assured I wouldn’t put my reputation on the line for a few quid, I think you’ll love this course)

As you know I don’t recommend products without getting to know more about the author and the product itself and I have to say I loved this course from start to finish.  I loved it so much I had to get the author on for an interview.

So here is the Barrie Davenport interview on How to Discover Your Passion

A lot of CYT readers will know you already, but for those who don’t can you tell us a little about yourself.

Sure Steve. I’m a personal and career coach, partnering with people to help them make significant, positive changes in their lives. As an extension of my coaching work, I created my blog, Live Bold and Bloom, in order to connect and share with a much larger group of people. I’m also the editor of another blog, The Daily Brainstorm, which features some of the top bloggers in the world, including you! I was a public relations professional and consultant for many years in New York and Atlanta, working primarily in fashion, hospitality, the arts, and non-profit. Most importantly to me, I’m a mom of three teenagers who challenge me to use my coaching skills every day! I live in Roswell, Georgia – a suburb of Atlanta. Aside from those boring details, I have a bawdy sense of humor, I love to travel and eat dark chocolate, I am a voracious reader of just about anything, I don’t like to get up early (which is why I need your book!!), and I speak 8 languages (just kidding).

Why did you start the blog LiveBoldandBloom.com?

I first started it as a marketing tool for my coaching business. But once I started blogging and took a course on how to create and build a blog (the A-List Blogging Bootcamps), I discovered another passion. Blogging was no longer a means to an end. It became a primary part of my career and coaching work. It has allowed me to synthesize so many things that I love – connecting with people, writing, creating, serving, collaborating. When I receive an email or comment from a reader saying that something I wrote touched them or inspired them or helped them in some way, it makes me incredibly happy and fulfilled. Also, there’s something about blogging that is so compelling  related to the anonymity of it and the ability to connect with anyone in the world. I live in Georgia in the U.S. You live in Glasgow, Scotland. We have never met, yet we have become great friends. That wouldn’t have happened if we weren’t bloggers.

Okay, You’ve written a guide, or rather manual for life, called Discover Your Passion.  What inspired you to write it?

The main inspiration was my own journey to discover my passion. At the time, about five years ago, I didn’t even know I was on a journey. I just knew that something was missing and I felt like I was living a life of endless tasks. I wasn’t enthusiastic about my PR work anymore. I couldn’t get engaged in what I was promoting for my clients. It felt inauthentic. But I had no idea what I wanted to do. That was really scary and depressing. I felt really trapped and stuck. When my oldest daughter left home, I really started trying to learn more about myself. I did a ton of internet research. I took assessments, workshops, read books, and talked to people. Two careers kept jumping out at me, counseling and coaching. I didn’t know much about coaching, but after researching it, I knew it was the right fit for me. The idea of helping people make huge positive change in their lives was thrilling. I immediately started the certification program. Through my coaching work, I started a workshop to help groups of people who were looking to make big life changes. The workshops were a way to reach more people. But once I started blogging, I realized that I could reach thousands of people if I was able to transform my workshop into a self-study course. So that’s how it began!

One thing I love about the guide is that you don’t dive into Discovering Your Passion straight away, you want people to discover themselves first.  why do you think that’s important?

It’s essential, because most of us don’t have a passion fall from the sky and hit us over the head. Sometimes we don’t realize what our passion is because it involves skills and interests that we take for granted or don’t apply to significant areas of our lives. For example, it never occurred to me that my strong intuition or love of helping people could translate into a successful career. You have to really know yourself – what you value, what you’re good at, what you like, and what you don’t like. You also have to know what’s standing in your way. Often it is your own limiting beliefs and fears or wounds from the past. It is very hard to move forward when you have emotional barriers. Recognizing those is the first step in overcoming them. In order to live authentically, fully, and passionately, you have to know who you are, want you want, and what’s standing in your way. Then you have to take the actions to remove the barriers and go after what you want. This course helps you to do all of those things.
What if someone doesn’t have a passion?

I believe everyone does have a passion. But sometimes you have to grow into it. And you have to stay open to huge shifts in thinking and to various possibilities. You have to learn about yourself and what you love to do, and then think creatively about ways to apply that knowledge to areas of your life which will significantly impact your level of happiness and fulfillment. There are certainly very real impediments to living out your passion – financial, timing, family difficulties, health, etc. But even small changes in the direction of your passion can make a huge difference in your sense of freedom, control of your life, and happiness. Maybe you can’t afford to leave your boring job now to write your novel, but you can start planning, saving money, writing  your outline, researching publishers. Every small action you take is moving you closer to your dream.

What are you passionate about?

Connecting with people, inspiring and motivating them to live better lives, writing, creating, learning, and continuing to explore possibilities for new passions.

I notice 3 different price plans on the guide, can you compare them briefly for us.

The first package includes the 116-page, 7-module course plus some bonus materials (including my 72-page guide, The Bold Living Guide: 7 Key Ingredients for a Meaningful Life). This is for someone who has the self-discipline to go through the course and stay on-track with the action steps and exercises. It provides everything you need to learn more about yourself and to take the actions necessary to move you toward your passion.

The second option includes the course, more bonus materials, and the ability to work with me through email coaching. I can provide support and accountability for you as you move through the program, answering questions and helping you stay motivated.

The third package includes everything mentioned above, plus I provide personal, one-on-one telephone coaching. This is for someone who wants to move forward quickly and take advantage of some laser coaching that will help propel them to the next level with my support, focused questions, challenges, and accountability.
Lastly Barrie, what will readers get from this guide when they buy it?

They will get the tools they need to discover their passion. If they do the work in this course, and follow through on the actions they create for themselves, they will get a happier, more fulfilling, and passionate new life!

Check the course out by clicking on the banner below.