Find some 'problem' in your own life that you can solve with programming. While it's easier said than done, I'll give you an example. I received one of those calendars with a word jumble on it for every day of the year (real). I like word puzzles and such (passion) and at the time I had been wanting a project to dive into python with. So I created a simple commandline script to solve the jumbles with a sqlite backend, and I've been doing quite a bit with python ever since. The project is as finished as I want it to be, I still add on things to it and continue to improve and add to it, but it served its purpose as a starter project for me. So I really think the trick is to find something that you can work at that is easily and directly connected to your everyday life.
