Are Passions born or built ?​

Sri City: Two days back, I was lying on my bed with a deep thought in my mind. It was about the courses and the career path that I should choose. By reading books like, Ikigai, “The Japanese Secret to a Long and a Happy Life”, I know how to choose the right career path because it is a  book that beautifully defines ikigai as a “reason for being”. It mainly focuses on four major elements: what you love (your passion), what you are good at (vocation), what the world needs(mission) and what you can get  paid for (profession). Well that was fine, the process seems simple. So I started thinking about my interests and passion both generally and academically, and this process really helped me turn my confusion into clarity and discover my ikigai. Subsequently my mind slowly drifted onto a bigger question of where does our passion or interest actually come from? Have you ever thought about it?  

I have observed that I usually enjoy doing things that are familiar to me, those I have learned, know well, and am good at. They are the things that interest me the most. And I have noticed with time, that by practice, we can get better at anything that we want. Perhaps there are several things that I never learned formally. It's just that I like doing it, for instance, singing and cooking. So I was wondering whether our interests lie in what we are exceptionally good at, or does it come along with our past experiences, or is it what is biologically inbuilt within us ? 

Some people believe that interests are biologically inbuilt, as certain traits naturally incline us towards creativity, linguistics, music, logic, and curiosity. However many  psychologists argue that our interests are shaped by experience and environment. The kind of exposure we receive as children, the opportunities we get, and even the people who influence us, all play a role in forming what we find exciting or meaningful. For instance, someone who grows up in a family of doctors might develop an early curiosity about medicine, not necessarily because they are born with it, but because their surroundings constantly reinforce and normalize that field. Moreover there is also a view that interest emerges from what we become good at, the more we practice and improve at something , the more passionate we tend to become towards it. So here the question is whether our interest originates from a single source or are they a blend of everything, biology, experience and ability?

Have you ever noticed that you tried something new, you practiced hard for a while and performed well, and  you were praised for that, and so eventually you started liking it? This is because if you work hard on something and receive praise or recognition for that, your brain releases some dopamine that gives you happiness and satisfaction which motivates you to keep going. I think these are quite general things that have  happened to me as well. As a first time economics student, I never thought this subject would be so interesting, and fun, because the more I engage with it and practice, the more it fascinates me. Understanding of how economics works in the real world and performing well academically have developed my interest in economics. But I never thought about taking it as a career option before. I think it was just about giving myself a chance to explore something different.

We all are curious and logical to a certain extent as each of us have unique qualities and natural leanings. These traits become our base and  foundation on which we build our interests as we grow. This could simply mean that our passion usually begins with a spark of interest and curiosity that comes from our nature, and grows stronger through our learnings, exposure, and experiences, which is the way we are nurtured. This is how our innate talent (Nature) makes the initial practice loop (Nurture) easier, as small successes feel rewarding, leading to quicker dopamine release and thus faster interest development. 

When I think of passion and learning, I recall how I choose my stream. I wasn’t born loving data and economics but my interest grew from my love for math, my past experiences, learnings  and the exposure I gained while trying to make sense of real world issues. Over time analysing trends and by understanding how logic, patterns and numbers can tell stories about people and society deepened my fascination with the subject. Similarly some artists seem born with rhythm and melody, but even they work hard and  refine it with years of practice. For instance one of the best Indian singers and composers like Lata Mangeshkar or A.R. Rahman, naturally had a great melodious voice. But this was not only the thing that made them famous, it was also their early exposure to different instruments and style , rigorous practice along with their curiosity and dedication that helped them turn their natural leanings to a passion and then to a remarkable career that inspires millions of people today. The same applies to dancers, doctors, teachers, sports players, and writers. Every passion has a story of patience behind it.

Curiosity and the willingness to learn are what bring nature and nurture together. It pushes us to learn new things, explore, fail, and try again. So whether you find your passion biologically inbuilt or you discover it through your past experiences, what matters is how consistent and dedicated you are towards it to keep it alive, because it grows when we nurture it with curiosity and effort.

Passion is not constant; it evolves as we grow older and older. And when our inner curiosity meets the right experience. Therefore, one should not settle on a single thing that you find interesting now.  Interest might change over time. So keep exploring and allow yourself to explore freely without judging your abilities. This is how you may discover something new and more interesting about yourselves.  

I would like to conclude by saying that every new experience, every skill we try to master , carries the potential to turn into something we love. So maybe passion is not something we are born with; it’s something that we discover and build through curiosity, effort, and experience.