Wake Up Cloud

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How I Found My Passion (And How You Can Find Yours)

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How I found my passion

I didn’t know I’d end up doing what I do today.

I built my first website when I was 14. I started trying to make money online in 2006-2007.

I spent $10,000+ on coaching, courses, and every other product between heaven and earth, looking for shortcuts and secret formulas.

I failed over and over again. Those failures helped chip away what I thought I wanted, and reveal what made my heart sing.

But even with that insight, I was imprisoned by my fears and doubts.

I needed more money. More confidence. More … something.

I paced my imaginary jail cell for years, until something snapped. Enough was enough.

I felt drawn to share what I had discovered in the area of personal growth. It resonated. It felt alive.

I was going to do what I loved, with or without fear. If I ended up homeless, hopeless, and embarrassed, so be it.

The Birth of Wake Up Cloud

In 2009, I started Wake Up Cloud, this blog.

I was out of my shackles, but I was still shaking.

“What if people don’t like what I had to say?”

“What if I can’t make a living doing this?”

“Why would anyone listen to me when there are so many others out there?”

Fears were present, but I now had focus. I realized that I could give in and go back to my cell, or I could challenge my mind, and keep going.

I knew I had found my passion, because it felt magnetic. I felt subtle excitement.

Hello Fear and Confusion

I wrote. I built my readership. I built a business from nothing.

Yet I was still hesitant. Paralyzed even.

But I kept re-focusing on one step at a time, one day at a time.

Living your passion is painted as a utopia, when it’s often more terrifying than a normal existence. Why do you think so many people choose the safe road?

You have to learn how to transcend your mind in order to travel this path.

There is confusion, fear, and everything else, but they are not a problem if you know how to handle them.

If you give in, and take every thought seriously, you end up stopping before you’ve even started.

One Step at a Time

I found my passion by taking one step at a time. I stumbled upon it through making mistakes.

It is through experimenting and observing myself that I discovered how my inner GPS worked.

All you ever need to do is take one step at a time. You don’t have to have the whole map. You don’t even know your final destination, so forget about having a map.

Examine your limiting beliefs. Look at how you put imaginary shackles around your ankles.

You don’t need perfection. You need execution. That’s when you gather real world data. You see how things really work instead of how you think they work.

Notice your fears, then take one step forward anyway.

Do that enough and you discover that your mind cannot predict the future, and doesn’t need to be taken seriously.

Here’s a video I did on this:

9 Years Later

I started in 2009. As I write this, it’s now 9 years later.

Since then, I’ve created products, written books (link to my Amazon page), started a community, and connected with thousands of delightful people all around the world.

You would never have read these words had I not been willing to take that first step.

Even now, I have no idea where my life is going. All I can do is take one day at a time, one step at a time.

I follow what feels magnetic, while tending to the practical needs of my family.

I am not fearless. I am not a genius. I do not have something you don’t.

I am simply willing to put one foot in front of the other.

The Dark Night of the Soul

Between 2014 and 2017, I went through what many call the dark night of the soul.

My life suddenly lost all meaning. Everything seemed pointless and hopeless.

I wrote about it here:

I share this because when you have the right expectations, you are more likely to live a satisfying life.

Living my passion isn’t about escaping life, it’s about embracing it wholeheartedly.

Going through a dark night was brutal, but the rewards are inspiration, clarity, and peace.

I have deeper insight into how my mind works, which means I can help myself, and help you with that much more power.

I am deeply grateful for what I went through.

Wrap Up

I found my passion by making mistakes.

I followed the breadcrumbs life left me.

But I also realized that I had to be willing to step through my fears. I had to be willing to see if my mind was right (it wasn’t).

Fear is a part of this path. And that’s okay. Don’t shrink away from it. Instead, transcend it. Slay the dragon, and capture the treasure which is the freedom to live your life your way.

Forget perfection. Let your journey be a mess.

All you can do is your best. So take one step at a time. Make mistakes. Learn.

Let go of the oars and let the river of life guide you.

Your mind will say what if, but you just say hi, and keep going.

All the best,
Henri

P.S. If you’re interested in diving deeper into exploring your passion, I suggest you check out my popular book Find Your Passion: 25 Questions You Must Ask Yourself.

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Comments

  1. Great encouragement in this post Henri. I too have known my passion for years, but allowed outside “voices of reason” to cause me to push it aside. Listening to that inner voice which pulls you toward your true calling can steer you through the trials. Staring down the fear is an important step; taking the plunge is not nearly as scary as you always imagined it to be. It’s great you have not only followed your passion but are also sharing and helping others like yourself along the way.

    • It never is as scary, and when people realize it they are often surprised at why they didn’t do it earlier.

      Thanks for reading and commenting, Tim!

  2. Henri,
    Sometimes I think that success is merely heading in the right direction and stumbling as we go. Life isn’t easy and simplistic and that needs to be acknowledged and accepted.
    Riley

    • I agree with you, Riley. My own journey feels like just taking things one step at a time and doing my best. Somehow things fall into place. Not as quick as I would want them, but they do fall into place.

  3. Hi Henri

    Wow, your Blog is so insightful Henri – you’ve put into words exactly how I am feeling right now – confused, not good enough compared to all these awesome Blogs and Websites; but wanting to do Something! I guess baby steps is the way forward.

  5. I do. You can probably find them (I have two long since abandoned sites) by doing a simple Google search with my name.

  6. Henri,

    You have a terrific writing style, gets to the heart of the matter without a lot of fuss, kind of Hemingway-esque. Appreciate your thoughts on things and your bravery.

    B

  7. Great article! Thank you for sharing your story. It was very encouraging.
    For too long I allowed my insecurities to keep me from following my passion, and now I am finally trying to move forward in the right direction.

  8. Amazing article. Thank you Henri for sharing it here. Especially I liked these inspiring words “If at first you don’t succeed, keep going, because the only way you can fail is by giving up.”

  9. What a fantastic post! It’s good to read about people’s successes on their blogs, but I find reading about your big pile of failures more motivating because it’s more real and more human. It gives me permission to make mistakes and gives me hope that some day I’ll find the success I’m looking for too. I admire your courage in putting it out there for everyone to read. Thanks!!

    • I’m with you, Ali. It’s much better to show all facets than to try to be superior to someone else. That includes my failures, fears, and the rest of them 😉

  10. Henri,

    Thanks for sharing this. Love to read your journey of finding what you truly love and still making money doing it. Isn’t that the best thing in the world?

    I was wondering, did you spend time on learning to write (taking courses, etc.) before you started this blog, or is it that you already wrote pretty well and then blogging was just sort of natural choice for you at the time?

    • I never took any writing courses. I learned by, as Stephen King recommends, reading a lot, and writing a lot.

      If you go to some of my earlier articles, and compare them to my latest, you will notice the differences. Even before I started Wake Up Cloud, I wrote a lot on other websites.

      The skills come as you move forward.

  12. I believe whole life is a mindset! Money, relationships, health, dreams, life purpose and personal development – I need it, I love it.

    It is only in the moment of chaos we realize what important is to us. We just need the courage to follow our inner GPS.

    Thanks for sharing!

  13. Henry, its been a while since I was here. Lovely post. I’ve found my passion and I love running my web business. I hope to one day make enough money that I would start an office where I can provide opportunities for people to make a living.

  14. Henri,
    I love this article. I’m following the breadcrumbs right now myself. I’ve gone down many different paths, trying to find “happiness.” I thought I’d found my dream life by being a freelance writer. But it was a lot harder than I expected. It’s like you said, I didn’t want to put in the work. I’m just now realizing this. I’m also seeking out jobs that appeal to me. Breadcrumbs. I have NO idea how it’ll all work out… I just keep reminding myself that it WILL.

    Thanks for what you do!
    Sarah

  16. It is all about taking one snap step and seeing where it takes you. I know with just getting back in to my site, I just have to see how I feel, what happens and where it takes me.

  17. Hi Henri

    Thank you for sharing this and for being the huge help you have been in making my dream come true:- building my own business.

    I soon ‘found’ my passion after doing your courses but I am continuing to find more and more of my passion as I go. I keep following my heart and it keeps taking me further and further towards where I feel the most joy. And that’s what I am realising:- you never stop finding your passion. It just keeps getting better and better!

    A BIG thank you to you Henri!
    Jess

  18. Hi Henri!
    Wow! Your story resonates so much with me! And I found your blog at such a synchronistic moment! I started my own blog 4 months ago and I’m now feeling discouraged. I started it with a mixed intention of helping people and making money. I feel like I’m not doing any of that. I also feel that my perseverance will someday pay off. Thanks a lot for your article!
    Martin

  19. Hi Henri,

    This is amazing, and of course oh so familiar, I am on the cusp of following my passion, the inner voice is certainly getting stronger, I have even started a blog to test the waters! I was actually thinking today that I need to let go of the outcome, we play so many outcomes in our head, if not all of them! But they are no use, they are only made up stories, so you may aswell let the feelings that go along with them go and find out the real ending of the story, which then lead me to your blog once again, as I have been here before and now think I need to use YOU more as my mentor!

    So thanks for the inner voice and I will be seeing you soon! 🙂

  20. I remember as a very young child,say age two or three my favorite toy was a garden hose with water pushing through it.I see it in old photographs too.To this day it still fascinates me, I am now interested in farm tractor hydraulics and automobile carburetors.Oh yea, I went to college and finished law school but I never really felt fulfilled.

  21. I’m so grateful you kept following those breadcrumbs Henri other wise we would not have the benefit of learning from you how best to find our own passion. I’ve invested in my share of coaching programs and listened to much advice but no one has impressed me more than you. I’m interested to learn where your inner GPS will take you next. A loyal follower – Larry

  22. Dear Henri

    I am feeling more optimistic since I took action on following my passion. I’m trying not to let the what ifs put me off. I’m saying to myself what ever it is that I think will happen might not happen and if it does such as I will get hurt or lose something I will get through it. I know I won’t forget what’s important to me while I try my passion. What’s important to me will power me through to the finish line. If I win or not I will at the very least have an amazing experience of life

    🙂

  24. I love your writings and videos because you are so real and that makes all the difference. You never try to be perfect and I feel like I know you. It makes me have a lot of confidence in your advice. Such a great job Henri!

  25. omg this is amazing!
    mahtavaa! Luulin että oon ainoo suomalainen ku ajattelee näin! 😀 love finding like-minded souls!

  26. Hi Henri, I have not listened to you for a while, what I love about social media is that I can reconnect with old friends -thanks for your wise words👍🏾