Finding Your Passion?

July 23, 2018

I just read an article based on a new study. The gist of the article is that while finding your passion is what most hope to do to be successful, success really comes from developing various skills, even ones you are not passionate about. The study was done with undergraduate college students.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2018/07/23/find-your-passion-thats-bad-advice-scientists-say/?utm_term=.affc0702e94c

In some ways that seems obvious, right? You need a range of skills to see what mix ends up working for you.

But their main point was that those who ONLY focus on what they are passionate about end up dropping it if/when the going gets tough in that area. As if to say that the whole passion search is a waste of time.

But I disagree, and I feel that the study should not detract from the importance of following a passion. Rather, really the study simply confirms what most of us know: even when doing work you love, you have to work at it. It’s never just handed to you easy as pie. And it makes sense to get good at a range of skills, if for nothing more than having a fallback should your passionate industry fall flat.

Anyway, I remain passionate about encouraging people to find their passionate work. And I remain passionate about advising those same to plan on some hard or challenging work to get there!

Michael

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10 Responses to Finding Your Passion?

  1. George says:

    Great post, Michael. Got me to think about my skills and how to increase the range of them.

  2. Francis says:

    It can be so frustrating when people advise you, “Just follow your passion!” Yeah, sure, you’d love to—if only you knew what your passion was. http://conscioused.org/wiki/purpose/

    • Michael Linenberger says:

      You might look at this book:
      “The Passion Test: The Effortless Path to Discovering Your Life Purpose”
      I can’t personally attest to it, but I know the authors and they are good people.
      Michael

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  5. Finding your passion is a deeply personal and often transformative journey. It involves discovering activities, interests, or pursuits that truly resonate with you on a profound level, bringing you joy, fulfillment, and a sense of purpose.

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  7. Jack Wissom says:

    I just read an article about a new study and it got me thinking. The main idea of the study is that people who focus exclusively on their passion may give up when faced with problems in this area. And this brings me to the point where I would like to suggest that we consider the power of persuasive language. A persuasive speech can be a persuasive tool for communicating these ideas to a wider audience. It can ignite motivation, inspire action, and highlight the importance of balancing passion with a diverse skill set. So, if you want to share this message with others, I strongly recommend that you write me a persuasive speech . This can be a transformative way to communicate these valuable ideas.

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