If you hit the bullseye on this Ven diagram, you earn a living doing what the world needs, what you’re good at, and what you love to do. You are fortunate. Some of us have gotten close, having passion but no income producing profession to go along with it, or a mission that is difficult to accomplish.

Retirees have an advantage in understanding and hitting this bullseye.

After decades of working, learning, and doing life, you likely know who you are, the needs of the world, and what you love to do. In addition, as a retiree, there is little need to worry about getting paid. It’s ironic that when we are no longer working, we might know better how to hit the bullseye for our life’s work. It’s like playing a game without knowing how to win until the game is over.

When I was young, I thought that I was good at some things and not-so-good at others, that I would naturally love some kinds of work, but not others. Work with what you’re good at was the advice I received. So be it. At some point, the theory goes, my job would be fulfilling.

In school, I excelled in math and English. (I never would have made it in a medical field; science was not a strength or even much of an interest.) However, a calculus class in college convinced me that math wasn’t in my future, but I figured that business would be a nice combination of acceptable math skills and an ability to communicate well. It was, I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it.

It takes some trial and error to figure out that which you love to do, what the world needs, what you’re good at, and what will provide an income. Income is necessary, so we generally end up doing what we’re good at, and although there are a few professions that I’m not sure the world needs, most are serving a useful purpose. Learning what you love, what you’re passionate about, and applying that to your work, is another story.

We are not born with a pre-defined set of passions, interests, and skills. They take shape over a lifetime. “How to Really Find Your Passion,” by Olga Khazan, in The Atlantic, points to a study by Paul O’Keefe, Carol Dweck, and Greg Walton that says,

Passions aren’t “found,” they argue. They’re developed.

The article describes starry-eyed students expecting to identify and pursue their passions in college or in their first job. If that job is boring, difficult, or they just don’t like it, then they must not have found their passion. A lot of first jobs are boring or difficult, but they often lead to something much more energizing and satisfying.

Khazan says that,

…the authors delineate the difference between the two mind-sets. One is a “fixed theory of interests”—the idea that core interests are there from birth, just waiting to be discovered—and the other is a “growth theory,” the idea that interests are something anyone can cultivate over time.

I used to have a fixed theory of interests and skills – not sure why – but now I’m a firm believer in the growth theory. My experience has led me down several pathways over the years, some successful and others a setback, and my interests, skills and passions have grown and changed, and they will probably change again.

New knowledge and experience can lead us to surprising expertise, and one day we may realize that we are skilled to address issues we’ve become passionate about and that the world desperately needs. Many of those needs either didn’t exist or we had not encountered them when we were younger.

Some of us will never hit the bullseye. Some of us have gotten or will get close. In this broken world, all we can do is try. About ten years ago, my husband and I had an idea to start a ministry connecting church members with a broad range of parachurch and community volunteer opportunities. After interviewing several pastors and doing extensive research, we realized that there was little interest and no income potential. Sadly, most churches aren’t interested in giving their members opportunities to volunteer with other organizations. We were missing a couple important pieces of the bullseye.

Ultimately, it’s God who gives us the skills, knowledge, and experience to accomplish what he has created us to do. We don’t have to find our passion, for if we faithfully follow him, his passion will find us.

We can make ourselves available to God by discerning what he has given us.

Retirees have a pretty good idea what they’re good at, but they may not have had time to ponder what they’re passionate about or what they’d love to do. If that’s you, think back over your life and work and make a list of what excited you, when you felt most engaged and satisfied, and what you can do for hours that only feels like minutes.

Read it, think about it, and then put it aside for a day or two. Ask God for wisdom and guidance. Then, look it over again and dig a little deeper. Your experience, knowledge, passion, and skills have been put together by God, and he may have a purpose for you in your retirement years.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10).

Have you hit the bullseye? Come close? Have your interests, skills, and passions changed over the years?

Editor’s note: This article has been republished from the author’s blog with permission.