DO NOT Follow Your Passions
"Find a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life..."
- Someone who never had to work, probably.
"Follow your passion to find your dream job" is a terrible advice for most people. You don't just find a dream job by following your passion, you build it by becoming really good at what you do.
Here are two scenarios to illustrate this point:
Scenario 1: For The Love of Baking
Emma has always loved baking as a hobby. Inspired by stories of "following your passion," Emma quits her 9-5 job and opens a bakery. However, only a few customers visit her shop, and she starts to feel the strain of financial burden. It turns out that there are many excellent bakeries nearby, with bakers who have formal training and more experience in the field.
Soon, Emma finds herself in another job she dislikes, with more financial uncertainty.
Scenario 2: "I Want That Job"
Noah, a newly graduated lawyer, is determined to find his dream job like his lawyer mentors did. On his first day at work, he tells his employer, "I’m only interested in meaningful cases, I’d like a flexible schedule to maintain work-life balance, and I’ll need two assistants to manage my workload. Oh, and let’s discuss my benefits package."
He gets laughed out the door.
The job market doesn't care about Noah's passions. He hasn’t yet developed the skills and expertise to demand such a valuable job. But what if instead of a new grad, Noah was the firm's most valuable and successful lawyer?
So Good They Can't Ignore You
It's a simple supply and demand. To get what people describe as a "dream job" (which is rare and valuable), you have to offer skills that are similarly rare and valuable.
Both Emma and Noah found out that:
- Following passion isn't enough, and
- Their current skills aren't yet considered rare or highly valuable.
Once you become so good in your field, you can create (or attract) your "dream job", and passion for work naturally follows.
Become exceptional at what you do ➡️ Build a dream job ➡️ Passion comes to you ✔️
Solution
- Correct mindset: No, you didn't choose the wrong career. No, don't quit and open a bakery (unless you're exceptionally good!). You can build a dream job in ANY field by mastering your craft.
- Relentlessly pursue skills development and invest in your own growth.
- Become good & different from others.
- As your skills become more valuable, start advocating for what you want.
Do you feel like there's a big gap between your ideal and current life? That's how I felt for years until I took action. Since leaving my full-time job, I've built a career I feel deeply passionate about, made more time for my loved ones, and began pursuing passion projects (like this blog!).
I created a practical guide filled with actionable, research-backed ideas to help you build the life you want – many of which helped me on my own journey.
The guide is free for members—and signing up is free! Join now to get your copy.
For a further exploration, check out this excellent book by Cal Newport:
Cal Newport
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