Returning to Yourself: How to Reignite Your Authentic Passion
Posted on May 06, 2025 by Nives Radan, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.
A gentle reminder that your passion never left—you just need space, silence, and permission to reconnect with your authentic self.
When we’re overwhelmed with daily responsibilities, work demands, and other people’s expectations, it’s easy to lose touch with ourselves. What we once loved doing, what made us happy, what we regularly made time for—over time, all of it gets buried under layers of “shoulds” and “musts.”
It happened to me, too.
Twenty years in the corporate world, in a managerial role, slowly pulled me away from myself. I was so focused on goals, strategies, and results that I stopped feeling. When I started searching for work that was truly mine—something aligned with my purpose—I couldn’t even remember what genuinely excited me. I had a vague idea, but I couldn’t access that spark, that joy I once felt. It was like the part of me that knew what I loved had vanished.
But the truth was—it had never disappeared. I just needed to feel myself again, allow the emotions to surface, and trust what my body was trying to tell me.
When I was a student, I had so many hobbies people used to ask how I managed them all alongside studying and work. I was full of life—I danced, acted, played bridge, painted, wrote. I felt fulfilled. And then, the obligations took over. The serious career came. And one by one, all those joyful parts faded away.
I see the same pattern in many of the women I work with.
Only when they allow themselves to slow down and drop the pressure do they start to remember what once brought them joy. Sometimes it’s small things—writing, sketching, having inspiring conversations. Sometimes it’s bigger—dreams they’ve carried for years but never dared to follow.
So, if you’re searching for that something to fulfill you, maybe the answer isn’t in another strategy or business plan. Maybe the answer is within you—in what you once loved but forgot.
Give yourself permission to pause. To relax. To remember.
A simple practice that can help: take just 10 minutes a day in silence. No phone, no tasks—just you and your thoughts. Ask yourself:
“What used to make me truly happy?”
Then listen. Don’t analyze. Don’t plan. Just feel.
Over time, these quiet moments become precious windows into your authentic self. And just like many of my clients, you may discover that what you’ve been seeking isn’t so far away after all.
Because your true passion never left—it’s simply waiting to be remembered.
