By Tahlia Mandie, Direction Exploring     If adolescents know where their interests and passions lie, new ideas and sources of motivation can emerge. Interests are those things that appeal to them, that give them a buzz, capture their attention and something they want to devote time and energy to.  Similarly, interests are things that make them happy and smile when they are doing them.

These may include hobbies, sports, social activities and creative pursuits.  It is important for adolescents to have an idea of what their interests are in order to guide them toward their pathway and direction.  Knowing what they like and dislike encourages them to pursue choices that are complementary to their strengths and passions.

Passions differ to interests in that they are those things that they care deeply about and feel strongly towards and evoke a powerful emotional and compelling feeling. Passions are personal in that they come from the heart and inspire us all to lead a life in pursuit of this strong desire.

Leading a passionate life that is also guided by our interests not only motivates us in pathway direction, but equally, motivates positive energy, confidence and aspiration. To help your kids discover more about themselves, some simple questions for them to think about (or for you to ask) include:

• How do you enjoy spending your free time?
• If you had 1 hour a day to do anything you wanted, what would it be?
• If you were really wealthy and money did not matter, what would you do?
• What sort of person do you want people to know you as?

Leading a life driven by passions and interests gives a sense of meaning and direction. Adolescents especially may need extra encouragement to explore the things that really matter to them in order to not only give them a sense of purpose, but help them establish their identity and meaning to who they are.

About the author:

Tahlia Mandie is a psychotherapist, family counsellor and mum who runs her own private practice, Direction Exploring and now runs her own blog, The Parenting Files - because families matter. Discussing all things parenting and family matters to the serious stuff to the not so serious stuff, the parenting files is spoken with a little witt, quirk and humour. Tahlia also writes regular columns and articles for magazines, newspapers and other online forums.

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