Do you believe in yourself? Or have you tried this “self-belief thing” in the past and failed spectacularly …

When it comes to living with passion, the answer may seem so simple. But living life passionately is about much more than simply spending time doing the things you like to do. Living your life passionately is about living as if every single day was your last one here on this earth. What would you like to accomplish? And what’s even more important to ask yourself is what you need to accomplish before your days on Earth are done. Follow these five steps to passionate living to start finding the life you were meant to lead:

• Find what you are passionate about. This first step may seem to be the easiest, but that is far from the case. Many people go through most of their lives before they finally realize what they are truly passionate about. Finding your passion doesn’t mean merely finding something that you happen to be good at. It’s about figuring out what you would do even if no one paid you to do it. It requires you to separate out the things of real importance out from all of life’s extras.
• Get your priorities straight. The moment you realize what you are truly passionate about, you can begin to start straightening out your priorities. It is truly staggering how many people come to the realization at some point in their life that their priorities do not match their passions. Maybe they’ve been chasing after that promotion because they think it’s what they should want, but in reality they want to leave the corporate sphere and start their own business. Everyone’s story is different, and everyone should make sure their priorities align with their passions.
• Set SMART goals. Now that you know what to shoot for, you can set goals that are SMART: specific, measureable, attainable, realistic, and timely. These guidelines will enable you to determine how you are doing on your quest to achieve a passionate life.
• Focus on what you want instead of what you don’t have. One of the dangers of setting goals for yourself is focusing too much on what you don’t have. This is a self-defeating way of looking at your goals that will just lead you to despair. By visualizing what you will look like after you achieve your goals, you create a pathway to get there.
• Reach for the stars! No one was made to go through life just fulfilling the minimum requirement for their existence. We were all made to perform to our maximum capability, and you can’t be passionate about living if you’re happy just settling for what’s “comfortable.” As Nelson Mandela once said, “There is no passion to be found playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”