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“Follow Your Passion” is reductionist drivel.
Yet, people get MAD when you tell them that this is terrible advice.
One of the most important factors in a satisfying life is developing a career you enjoy.
Cal Newport provides us an approach that *actually* works.
A thread
Yet, people get MAD when you tell them that this is terrible advice.
One of the most important factors in a satisfying life is developing a career you enjoy.
Cal Newport provides us an approach that *actually* works.
A thread
First, here's the conventional wisdom touted by the pundits and talking heads:
Step #1: Find your passion
Step #2: Match passion to job
Step #3: Immediately love your job
People love this notion that we all have One True Calling and when they "find" it, they'll be happy.
Step #1: Find your passion
Step #2: Match passion to job
Step #3: Immediately love your job
People love this notion that we all have One True Calling and when they "find" it, they'll be happy.
Spend a couple of years in the workforce and you realize how many people are desperately unhappy and still searching for that elusive "passion".
Thankfully, Cal has spent years research and writing about this phenomenon and has provided us with a strategy that actually works
Thankfully, Cal has spent years research and writing about this phenomenon and has provided us with a strategy that actually works
Step 1: Identify a Target Lifestyle (not a Target Job)
Determine what you want out of life: Freedom? Power? Respect? Work/Life Balance? A certain location?
Keep these general. Many different fields should be able to lead you to your target lifestyle.
Determine what you want out of life: Freedom? Power? Respect? Work/Life Balance? A certain location?
Keep these general. Many different fields should be able to lead you to your target lifestyle.
Step 2: Find a Supporting Job (from Among Many Such Jobs)
Find a job/position/role that can lead you to your target lifestyle under the condition that you first become extremely valuable.
If you want a valuable lifestyle, you must possess rare and valuable skills.
Find a job/position/role that can lead you to your target lifestyle under the condition that you first become extremely valuable.
If you want a valuable lifestyle, you must possess rare and valuable skills.
Step 3: Cultivate a Rare & Valuable Skill
Once you've determined the lifestyle and the job that will help get you there, it's time to earn it.
How?
Identify a small number of specific skills that are demonstrably valuable to your field and train these skills until you're great
Once you've determined the lifestyle and the job that will help get you there, it's time to earn it.
How?
Identify a small number of specific skills that are demonstrably valuable to your field and train these skills until you're great
Step 4: Leverage your Value
Once you’ve built up these rare and valuable skills you need to then use them as leverage to gain the traits you originally identified in your target lifestyle in step 1.
Use your target lifestyle as your personal North Star and negotiate accordingly
Once you’ve built up these rare and valuable skills you need to then use them as leverage to gain the traits you originally identified in your target lifestyle in step 1.
Use your target lifestyle as your personal North Star and negotiate accordingly
Conclusion
Being passionate about your work is a worthwhile goal, but identifying it in advance & matching it to a job is a poor strategy for most.
A better strategy is to work backward from a target lifestyle, pick a supporting job, cultivate a skill, then leverage your value.
Being passionate about your work is a worthwhile goal, but identifying it in advance & matching it to a job is a poor strategy for most.
A better strategy is to work backward from a target lifestyle, pick a supporting job, cultivate a skill, then leverage your value.
Cal is one of my favorite thinkers. He's not on Twitter, but you can find his work here: https://www.calnewport.com/
If you want a more in-depth look at this approach, I recommend his book "So Good They Can't Ignore You."
My favorite takeaways here: https://ryanstephens.me/so-good-they-cant-ignore-you/
If you want a more in-depth look at this approach, I recommend his book "So Good They Can't Ignore You."
My favorite takeaways here: https://ryanstephens.me/so-good-they-cant-ignore-you/
