<p>It was addressed to the OP, I was too lazy to read his whole thing so I actually answered the question for both possible cases. No malice intended.</p>
<p>Finding your passion is not something that you can do to impress anyone. If you are looking for something to make your college apps better then you are not in need of a passion in life. For most people what makes a passion is something that comes to them naturally. It is something inside of you that you have to discover. It can also be something that starts as an interest and then develops into something that you love.</p>
<p>Give yourself a chance to develop some interests and see where they go. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy either. If you like to cook sometimes then give baking a chance. You might love it and you might never want to touch flour again. If you think visual art could be an interest then check out some art shows. I don’t mean going to a dusty old museum but instead try going to some student shows and those that attract younger artists.</p>
<p>Don’t get passion and accomplishment mixed up either. Because someone has danced for endless years might mean they are an accomplished dancer and they could be ready to give it up as soon as they are out of their parents house. Get out and get busy so you can find something fun that is interesting to you.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your responses! </p>
<p>I do understand what you all are saying - go out and find something that I love. Basically, I’m trying to kill two birds with one stone: spending my time doing something I love, while impressing colleges. </p>
<p>I’ve been wanting to take a photography class for a few weeks now, and I’m taking Photo 1 next year (11th grade), so hopefully that will develop into something I love. I’ve been playing tennis off and on for 5-6 years, but have never played in a tournament, so I’ll do that too… as well as learning some new piano pieces this summer. :)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your help. :)</p>
<p>I’ve been struggling with finding my passion, and I’m going to college next year! Some things I’ve learned through the years:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>A lot of people who’ve known they wanted to be “a musician since they were five” disagree with me on this. I think there’s too much pressure on picking the “right” passion, job, major, whatever. some people say passion just comes naturally, as if there was a perfect match for you somewhere out there. But I think it doesn’t matter what you pick. Most of the time you start with a superficial interest in something, and if you get a lot of encouragement or become good, eventually it can be called a “passion”. So this takes the pressure off: just EXPLORE, pick an interest and go with it! I actually wrote a college essay on this debate, BTW.</p></li>
<li><p>Relating to my last point, don’t give up until you get to at least a reasonable level of competency. Too many times I’ve tried something, realized I’m bad at it, think I’m not cut out for it, and quit. Maybe if I’d stuck with it, I could’ve developed a true love for it. If you just jump from one activity to the next all four years of high school (like me!), you fall into the trap spreading yourself out too thin and not getting deep into anything. </p></li>
<li><p>Pursuing an interest for fun = intrinsic motivation
looking impressive for colleges = extrinsic motivation</p></li>
</ol>
<p>research has shown that people aren’t as fulfilled or successful being driven by extrinsic motivations as intrinsic. What this means: although we all want both, try your hardest to forget about the second, and you’ll realize you can accomplish both faster. </p>
<p>Lastly, I think you’ll find this link relevant:
[The Minimalist’s Guide to Cultivating Passion :zenhabits](<a href=“http://zenhabits.net/cultivating-passion/”>http://zenhabits.net/cultivating-passion/</a>)</p>
<p>You’re a teenager. You don’t need to have a passion quite yet. Just do what makes you happy and forget about what you think admissions officers want. And if you didn’t already know, they like well-rounded people too.</p>