The Problem in Pursuing Your Passion

I recently came across two books that referenced the popular Stanford Commencement Address of 2005 given by Steve Jobs.

One book [1] was very complimentary about the idea present by Jobs that you should never settle for anything less than what you love to do. More specifically, he says that “[t]he only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking… Keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” This first book supports the passion hypothesis that when you finally find your passion, everything falls into place, you are content, satisfied and delighted, and become an instant contributor, maximizing your impact and influence in the world.

The second book [2] took a much more detailed analysis into this speech. Although this second book recognized the extreme success of Steve Jobs, it argued that Jobs did not technically follow his own advice, suggesting that he became passionate in the area of personal computers and technology only after working in the area for some time. This book claims that Jobs was only dabbling in technology when it brought him some quick cash, almost as a side hustle. He also left a leadership position in a computer technology company before starting Apple. Yes, Apple was not his first. There is evidence to suggest that a lucky break and some key funding from investors kept him going in the technology business.

In contrast, during the early years, Steve Jobs was interested in spiritual enlightenment trips to India, Zen Buddhism, and staying at a commune called the All One Farm. This all suggests, that if technology was indeed his passion from the very start Jobs didn’t act like he had found it at that point.

With these anecdotes and other data, the second book rejects the passion hypothesis and claims that “follow your passion” is bad advice. The book further claims that the reverse is likely more probable in that one can find passion in whatever one does after mastering skills, and after a certain amount of time, which could be extensive.

So, which is it? Should we never settle and follow our passion from the very beginning? Or should we take on opportunities and work to become passionate about what we are doing?

The problem with resolving this issue is that we all have stories that support both sides. For example, we hear about that one child who wanted to be a doctor from age three and sure enough, 25 years later, they are performing surgeries and enjoying every minute of it. We also read about those star athletes who knew which sport they wanted to play every waking minute until they stood on top of the podium. Likewise, many books and biographies are disproportionately about people who apparently found their passion early, or, at least, their life stories are presented as such. This all means we may receive a larger than a healthy dose of hearing, repeating, and learning about the few individuals where the passion hypothesis was found to be true.

On the other hand, if we take a quick sampling of our uncles, aunts, parents, friends, and other relatives, a majority of them might hesitate to claim that they knew beforehand in high school or college what they do now. However, they might be just as passionate about their careers and what they are doing despite not predicting it from childhood. Perhaps they fell in love with what they were doing after they found it. Or perhaps they changed jobs once or twice (or thrice) before falling in love with what they do. The passion came but it wasn’t always found, known, or discovered from the very beginning.

What this suggests to me is that there is in fact a range or distribution of experiences and strategies for finding one’s passion, which is why we have books on both ends of the spectrum.

Of course, I realize a “distribution of passion finding” doesn’t sell books as much as definitive guidelines, one-principle-to-rule-them-all, and superlative promises in those same book titles do, but I believe that considering all the possibilities of finding one’s passion as a range, spectrum, or distribution is more realistic.

Finding or following your passion is thus much more complicated than a simple motto found on posters.

I share just a few comments below as I’ve contemplated this interesting and complicated topic.

1.       Passion is as diverse as there are people.

Have you ever come across that person who loved their job but you’d be sure you’d hate it if it was yours? They seem genuinely happy doing what you couldn’t stand doing. Thank goodness that’s the case. We are all different and so having some of us be passionate about different things is a really good strategy for society. It raises the quality for all of us as we take on different positions and roles and expertise with passion. Job specialization is good but job specialization, when those people are passionate about it, is even better. Yes, there are societal trends and influences from technology that shifts the overall perspectives regarding what we are willing to do, but generally, an interest in a spectrum of domains and fields is healthy. Furthermore, the types, styles, or approaches of having passion in one’s career is also very different for different people. I find it interesting for example that some people can love their job because of the people they interact with and some people love their job because they don’t have to interact with people. Both are passionate for very different reasons.

2.       Passion in careers is initially rare but can be acquired.

Instantaneous happiness in a career is surprisingly rare. Usually, there is some tough, uphill work that is necessary to gain credibility among one’s peers and supervisors before creative and innovative ideas are embraced and implemented by others and one’s potential is reached. This may be why after only a few months or years, one can be tempted to think that their current position isn’t their passion. Enough time may have not passed, and enough skills may have not been acquired to reach, not just a functioning, but a flourishing level of competency and thus arrive at a state of true passion.

Of course, the amount of time is different for different fields, and one should occasionally reflect upon if there is a disconnect between where they think they should be in the company and the time to acquire that passion, but generally, one should ask oneself if they’ve become good enough at what they do because they’ve been around long enough and have genuinely tried to grow and improve.

Mastery of skills often comes before passion, not the other way around. The hardest part in finding one’s passion might be the skills acquisition phase during which we don’t always have the discipline to do and therefore miss out on the passion that might be just around the corner. Far too many people leave positions prematurely thinking that if the perfect fit isn’t found immediately, they should move on. That “perfect fit” is extremely rare, and it does a disservice to all of us when we propagate those stories too much.

3.       Passion can be found or followed more than once in a lifetime.

Although there are some real benefits of sticking to a passion once it’s found as long as possible, one’s passion also doesn’t have to last a lifetime. One’s passion is allowed to change. One’s passion can grow and then diminish over time. You and I have likely read and heard about individuals who had a second career, or started a company on the side, or took up a new hobby, or ran for office later in life, etc. This doesn’t immediately mean they are dispassionate about their previous or current careers. Some people are far too critical of anyone with more than one passion. We are sometimes tempted to think that you and I can only have one. Yes, focus, attention, and dedication are likely ingredients for maximizing the benefits of one’s passion but this doesn’t preclude focusing on different passions in a sequence throughout one’s life. For example, we might be wrong to think that someone who had three different 10-year careers was never happy and never found their passion. On the contrary, perhaps that person became passionate about each career and then moved on to something that became their next passion three different times.

In response to this idea, someone could reasonably ask, what about the person who changes their career every year? Are they finding a new passion annually? Although it’s not impossible, I would take the stance that one year is usually not enough time to become a master at the position, see the fruits of one’s efforts from planting seeds, and reach a point where making a difference and/or having job satisfaction becomes a daily occurrence. There are, of course, real reasons one should leave a job (e.g. mistreatment in some way), and we might know someone who probably should leave their current position, but if that’s not the case, we should at least encourage them to ponder on if they’ve given enough time to master the skills sufficiently to reach a state of passion or not.

Note that this is not discussing certain jobs for gaining experience like summer jobs, high-school positions, and internships, which by definition should be short-term. Most people don’t intend to stay in these jobs for more than a few years to get through college, prepare for a career, or save for a big purchase.

4.       Passion might not come for a long time (if ever?)

As mentioned before, I consider the topic of finding one’s passion to be better represented by a distribution. Although some people find their passion right away, maybe even as a child, or in their very first class of university, others, at the other extreme of this distribution, require trying on multiple careers or positions, graduate from university still not knowing what they want to do, or in some situations only finding their passion during retirement in some non-profit organization in which they can put their life’s experience to the best use.

So, here is some bad news: Career passion might never come. I know people who have never been passionate about their job and have never considered a job change (now that’s it been 25 years or more). Their reasons for such a career decision are various and defendable. But, here’s the good news: passion can still be a part of everyone’s life and found in other aspects of their daily lives. Hopefully, one can always find a passion in a hobby, a sport, a talent, or pastime. These are easier to pursue, straightforward to sample, and generally more affordable to try out. However, even these interests will take some time and require a mastery of these skills if they ever rise to the level of passion. Anything worth doing well is worth doing poorly initially.

Conclusion

So, does this have anything to do with design? Absolutely. Just like that first design iteration probably won’t have everything the last iteration will, doesn’t mean one gives up after the first attempt. On the contrary, good design takes time and often the learning and application of new skills, just like finding one’s passion in life. It might take longer and require a more circuitous route, but sticking to the process can result in some great things that we can all be proud of creating whether it’s a design or passion.

Wherever you fall along this passion distribution or spectrum, don’t give up if you haven’t yet found your passion, but realize that “not giving up” can be performed in more than one way. I do agree with Steve Jobs that you shouldn’t settle. But know that you might just find your passion working on it instead of jumping ship every time at the first sight of a storm.

References

[1] Gallo, Carmine. Talk like TED: The 9 Public Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds. London, England: Pan Books, 2017. Print.

[2] Newport, Cal. So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love. New York, NY: Business Plus, 2016. Print.