From a young age, you've been trying to find your calling or ignite a passion, but to no avail. Everything only mildly interests you. Nothing truly excites you. There isn't one hobby that transcends you more than another, and in social situations, admitting this is almost shameful. While some people have strong passions that resonate with them every day, you can't say the same. And rest assured, this isn't a sign of being jaded.<\/p>\n
You enjoy drawing, but only to alleviate boredom. You read occasionally, without necessarily being enthralled by words. In short, you don't have any apparent passions, except perhaps drinking on a terrace or stroking your dog. That famous passion, the one that's supposed to make you forget everything else and flood you with dopamine. More than an option, it seems almost required to shine in social situations.<\/p>\n
It's a question that comes up constantly, from job interviews to dates<\/a> . And if you deign to answer in the negative, you risk coming across as boring or unpleasant. So, you cheat by inventing a keen interest in cinema when you haven't seen a third of the classic films. You suddenly discover a passion for photography when the only photos you own are poorly framed or completely blurry.<\/p>\n Having no passion in your life is almost shameful. And everyone around you keeps saying "it'll come" as if your passion were simply "dormant." Except that after participating in creative workshops, trying writing courses, and taking acting classes, you haven't had that "aha" moment. While some people find fulfillment in sewing, literature, gardening, or horseback riding, you've never had that "spark."<\/p>\n Eric B\u00e9nevaut, a psychoanalyst specializing in creative existential therapy, puts this reality into perspective. "There are few people who are not interested in anything, except those who are depressed. On the other hand, there are countless people who do not want to delve deeper into subjects or activities, either because it is in their character, or because they do not want to cut themselves off from this diversity of possibilities,"<\/em> he explains in the pages of Madame Figaro<\/a> .<\/p>\n In an age where passions are displayed as proof of success on social media, it's easy to feel guilty and inferior. When you see a girl knitting a cardigan on the subway or a man devouring a book with palpable fervor, you feel an inner unease. You wonder what you did to deserve such a judgment. Yet, you may not have a single passion, but you're interested in just about anything, whether it's cooking, volleyball, music, or dance. In short, you don't let a single passion define you; you prefer to explore and keep other avenues open.<\/p>\n You don't fully commit to a hobby; you're constantly experimenting. Instead of throwing yourself body and soul into a single pastime, you prefer to broaden your horizons, to test, to discover. And first of all, why should one passion be more legitimate than another? How is collecting corks less "marketable" than painting random lines? Watching kitten videos online or doing puzzles, even those labeled "suitable for ages 3 and up," could easily be "enough." Except that in a society that demands productivity even in leisure time, it isn't.<\/p>\n For the psychoanalyst, a passion can be "an exclusive occupation, which can be all-consuming and which corresponds to a real desire", but also "a way of preventing oneself from seeing another, more painful reality".<\/p>\n In other words, passion isn't always an indicator of happiness or success; it can be an escape, a refuge from chaos. It's no coincidence that artists are often described as tormented souls. And if you lack a passion, it's not necessarily a deficiency; sometimes it's a sign that you're fully present in your daily life, without needing an emotional crutch to fill your hours.<\/p>\n In our society, passion has become an implicit obligation. Social media is overflowing with photos of lush vegetable gardens, detailed travel journals, DIY workshops, and intense workout routines. Creativity and productivity are glorified, even in leisure time. As a result, if you don't strive for excellence in a particular area, you feel guilty about "wasting" your time. "In our economy-driven society, companies crave people who see things through to the end, like top athletes, because it implies total commitment,"<\/em> argues the psychoanalyst.<\/p>\n This injunction is illusory and counterproductive. There is no universal standard for how to spend your free time. Trying out several activities without ever being completely passionate about them doesn't mean you're lazy or superficial; on the contrary. It reveals a constant curiosity, an open mind, and an ability to savor life in all its forms, without limiting yourself to a single path.<\/p>\n You can be fully yourself, happy and fulfilled, even without a single, all-consuming passion. Sometimes, the greatest luxury isn't giving everything to a hobby, but being able to explore freely, laugh, wander, and savor the small joys of each moment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From a young age, you've been trying to find your calling or ignite a passion, but to no...","protected":false},"author":8340,"featured_media":437755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_msn":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1784],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-437750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-confiance-en-soi"],"image":{"medium":["https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pas-de-passion-200x113.jpg",200,113,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pas-de-passion-500x281.jpg",500,281,true]},"custom":{"td_video":"","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pas-de-passion.jpg","author":{"name":"\u00c9milie Laurent","avatar":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-2f5d8c00d5d5c27f8ce4d9b3f9015467-96x96.png"},"categories":[{"term_id":1784,"name":"Self-confidence","slug":"confiance-en-soi","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1890,"taxonomy":"category","description":" The Self-confidence section of The Body Optimist helps you build self-esteem day by day, whatever your body, age or background. Practical exercises, clear explanations of patterns like imposter syndrome and stories from people who learned to speak up: everything you need to move forward without waiting to \u201cearn\u201d the right to feel good about yourself.<\/p>\n Self-confidence grows mostly through action: every small win is concrete proof of what you can do, far more convincing than a positive affirmation repeated in the mirror. A few strategies psychologists often recommend:<\/p>\n Here, self-confidence isn\u2019t reserved for people who are thin, young or \u201cperfect\u201d: it doesn\u2019t have to wait for weight loss or for some supposed flaw to be fixed. Our articles favor concrete tools over promises of overnight transformation, and remind you that low self-esteem isn\u2019t a personal failure. When distress sets in (anxiety, dark thoughts, isolation), a psychologist or therapist can support you: our content is here to inform, not to replace professional care.<\/p>\n Self-esteem is the value you place on yourself as a person; self-confidence is the belief that you can act and succeed in a given situation. You can feel competent at work while judging yourself harshly as a person. Both can be built, often together, through action and self-compassion.<\/p>\n Imposter syndrome is the persistent feeling that you don\u2019t deserve your success, along with the fear of being \u201cfound out.\u201d First described by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes, who called it the impostor phenomenon, it isn\u2019t a mental illness but a common thought pattern, including among highly competent people. Listing your achievements objectively and talking about it helps defuse it.<\/p>\n Listen without minimizing what she feels, point out specific qualities rather than vague compliments, encourage her to try things without doing them for her, and avoid comparisons. If her distress lasts or gets worse, gently encourage her to talk to a mental health professional.<\/p>\n Keep exploring: find all our psychology topics<\/a>, learn to see your body differently with Body positive<\/a>, explore family life in Parenting<\/a>, and build healthier relationships in Love life<\/a>.<\/p>","parent":6138,"count":380,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":1784,"category_count":380,"category_description":" The Self-confidence section of The Body Optimist helps you build self-esteem day by day, whatever your body, age or background. Practical exercises, clear explanations of patterns like imposter syndrome and stories from people who learned to speak up: everything you need to move forward without waiting to \u201cearn\u201d the right to feel good about yourself.<\/p>\n Self-confidence grows mostly through action: every small win is concrete proof of what you can do, far more convincing than a positive affirmation repeated in the mirror. A few strategies psychologists often recommend:<\/p>\n Here, self-confidence isn\u2019t reserved for people who are thin, young or \u201cperfect\u201d: it doesn\u2019t have to wait for weight loss or for some supposed flaw to be fixed. Our articles favor concrete tools over promises of overnight transformation, and remind you that low self-esteem isn\u2019t a personal failure. When distress sets in (anxiety, dark thoughts, isolation), a psychologist or therapist can support you: our content is here to inform, not to replace professional care.<\/p>\n Self-esteem is the value you place on yourself as a person; self-confidence is the belief that you can act and succeed in a given situation. You can feel competent at work while judging yourself harshly as a person. Both can be built, often together, through action and self-compassion.<\/p>\n Imposter syndrome is the persistent feeling that you don\u2019t deserve your success, along with the fear of being \u201cfound out.\u201d First described by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes, who called it the impostor phenomenon, it isn\u2019t a mental illness but a common thought pattern, including among highly competent people. Listing your achievements objectively and talking about it helps defuse it.<\/p>\n Listen without minimizing what she feels, point out specific qualities rather than vague compliments, encourage her to try things without doing them for her, and avoid comparisons. If her distress lasts or gets worse, gently encourage her to talk to a mental health professional.<\/p>\n Keep exploring: find all our psychology topics<\/a>, learn to see your body differently with Body positive<\/a>, explore family life in Parenting<\/a>, and build healthier relationships in Love life<\/a>.<\/p>","cat_name":"Self-confidence","category_nicename":"confiance-en-soi","category_parent":6138}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8340"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=437750"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":438161,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437750\/revisions\/438161"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/437755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=437750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=437750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=437750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} Proof of great curiosity and an open mind<\/h2>\n
But it's also a question of temperament<\/h2>\n
Developing a passion, yet another social pressure<\/h2>\n
What you\u2019ll find in the Self-confidence section<\/h2>\n
\n
How can you build self-confidence day to day?<\/h2>\n
\n
Our approach to self-confidence<\/h2>\n
Where to start<\/h2>\n
\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
What\u2019s the difference between self-confidence and self-esteem?<\/h3>\n
What is imposter syndrome?<\/h3>\n
How can you help a friend who lacks self-confidence?<\/h3>\n
What you\u2019ll find in the Self-confidence section<\/h2>\n
\n
How can you build self-confidence day to day?<\/h2>\n
\n
Our approach to self-confidence<\/h2>\n
Where to start<\/h2>\n
\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
What\u2019s the difference between self-confidence and self-esteem?<\/h3>\n
What is imposter syndrome?<\/h3>\n
How can you help a friend who lacks self-confidence?<\/h3>\n