When someone in your life is asking the important question “What should I do with my life?” – have you ever told them “Just follow your passion”?
Turn your passion into a job, and the money will follow.”
“Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”
If so, please stop doing that. Yes, completely, and forever. Because it is garbage advice. These sayings sound nice, but unfortunately, they hold little truth for most people. Turning your favorite hobby into a money-maker might seem like a good plan — but it can be a horrible mistake. Here is why:
When you are passionate about something, it is easy to fantasize about doing it every day and watching the money roll in. It will bring meaning to your life, right?
Wrong.
A recent research paper identifies the main flaw of this undead trope: “Finding your passion” presupposes that interests and passions are fixed, rather than fluid and evolving as we age and gain wisdom and experience. Those who follow the fixed mindset are much more likely to give up when obstacles arise. It is said that, “Urging people to find their passion may lead them to put all their eggs in one basket but then to drop that basket when it becomes difficult to carry.”
Here I am Ramanpreet, standing in front of you. Who Ramanpreet? Ramanpreet, a fellow Chartered accountant. While Dance is my passion, being a CA is my identity.
Following your passion presupposes that you have one. Luckily, I have one. But many people do not. While everyone has a unique combination of talents, most people’s inner orchestra does not coalesce into playing a tune they can hear and dance to. So, when you tell them to follow some mystical inner voice that just is not there, you are leaving them feeling unnecessarily inadequate.
It is true that some people hear a calling and indeed can follow their passion. They are in the minority, and they do not need to hear the “Follow your passion” advice, they are doing it anyway and never ask themselves the “What should I do with my life?”. Steve Jobs was one of those people.
Steve Jobs encouraged graduating students to pursue their passion: “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you have not found it yet, keep looking. Do not settle. As with all matters of the heart, you will know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So, keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”
He says, “passion is whimsical” and “follow your passion” sounds a lot like “go do your hobby”. Also, an important thing to keep in mind is that you could ruin your hobby when you turn your passion into a job.
When you turn your passion into a job, it becomes just that: work. You are no longer doing something because you have an overwhelming desire to do it; you are doing it because you have bills to pay and mouths to feed.
Your passion is not something you can let guide you — you must guide it. When you turn your passion into a job, you’ll have a certain amount of work to complete each and every week or you go broke. Period. The first couple of months, you may still feel the passion burning. But after a little while, you may realize that your passion really is not your passion. anymore. You are no longer doing something because you enjoy it; you are doing something because you need money.
For those who were heeding the advice “follow your passion”, get ready for a new school of thought. Experts are saying that following one ‘s passion to achieve success is bad advice because we had it backwards. Instead we should follow our strengths. When we master a skill, the passion follows. In other words, develop a passion, not follow it.
“When you find something engaging, it absorbs you, ignites your enthusiasm, and curiosity, and drives your commitment to mastery. It is not an activity but a combination of characteristics in an activity. That is passion. And it should evolve Continuously.
I am glad I am seeing this advice after years of beating myself up for not having a passion to follow. Because very few of us are born with a passion and have the genius skills to turn it into a record-breaking career like Steve Jobs
In saying all this, even if your passion does not end up turning into a career, it is still an integral part of who you are. Keep being the weird, wonderful creative person you are outside of the 9 to 5. Good luck!