Things to Think About 096

"American culture is obsessed with the idea that we need to find our ‘passion’ in order to be happy and successful. But there’s a problem: “It’s an astonishingly bad piece of advice,” Cal Newport

“Passion should be a by-product of working towards the pursuit of a skill (or skill set), in my opinion.” Colin Shillingford

The topic of passion is so important, and so misunderstood, that I thought it deserved two quotes. In the first quote, Cal Newport, describes the condition of people searching to find their passion, and if it doesn’t appear quickly, their off on another search. I have heard many times over the years from people I’ve worked with, “I just don’t have any passion for what I’m doing…” When I hear this, I frequently ask, “What are you doing to earn the passion you’re looking for?” That’s when I usually get a blank stare in return. Colin Shillingford, in the second quote, brings us to the solution of the passion dilemma for so many. Passion is the result of investing yourself in something, engaging in something—that’s how we discover passion. Passion must be earned; it must be paid for with one’s determination, hard work and dedication to discovery. It doesn’t descend on one, out of the blue, with no effort or discipline.

Good luck on your journey.

Till next time…