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Anyone who thinks about it critically knows that "Follow Your Passion" just won't work for the vast majority of people. What I have found, though, is that expe

Anyone who thinks about it critically knows that "Follow Your Passion" just won't work for the vast majority of people. What I have found, though, is that expertise breeds passion. Anything can become enjoyable once you become really, really good at it! Most people do not enjoy the early stages of learning something new. My advice: pick something you find reasonably interesting, is potentially profitable, and that you have a good aptitude for, then aggressively pursue mastery of it.

untothebreach 14y ago
The flip side of that is, turning a passion into a career is not always a good thing. Before I got into engineering, I thought it would be a great idea to turn my passion for making music into a career. Unfortunately, sometimes when something goes from "I love to do this" to "I have to do this," passion can be lost. I like knowing that whenever I want to make music, I can, but I also like knowing that if I get up tomorrow and don't want to make music, that's ok too.
- npsimons 14y ago
  As an amateur musician trying to push my abilities, I have to agree, but I think there's another factor at work: How often do we see the glamorous side of musical performance and how often do we see the tedious play it over and over and over until it's perfect practice sessions? If anything, even at the higher levels, the repetitive practice doesn't go away, it has to increase to see ever decreasing return on time invested.
  - untothebreach 14y ago
    That's very true, but at least for me, being an amateur makes the repetitive practice sessions much less boring, and even more importantly, much less stressful, than they would be if I was (still trying to be) a professional. If I hear a song/piece/solo/part that I want to play, I practice it till I get it right because I love it and being able to play it correctly would make me happy. As a professional, you wouldn't (always) have that, you would feel pressured to get it right so you can collect your paycheck at the end of the day. I guess it all comes down to mindset, but I don't tend to _excessively_ push myself when I'm just playing for myself. Yes, that probably means I'm not reaching my full potential, ability-wise, but it also means that I can continue to enjoy playing and making music.
jacques_chester 14y ago
Is the satisfaction of exercising mastery the same as passion? Serious question.
- bjhoops1 14y ago
  Perhaps a suitable-enough replacement? :)
  - jpwagner 14y ago
    I think Stephen Stills (of Crosby Stills and Nash) would agree.
- yen223 14y ago
  Maybe that's what passion really is - the satisfaction one gets from 10,000 hours of sweat and tears.
- ryusage 14y ago
  I don't think so. Passion, in this context, generally means an intense motivation and desire to engage in some activity because it gives you some kind of enjoyment. Since people usually get much more enjoyment from an activity they've mastered than one that they are very clumsy with, they're likely to become more passionate about it as they become better at it. That isn't a guarantee, though. It's entirely possible to be very good at something but not really enjoy doing it.
digitalengineer 14y ago
"Most people do not enjoy the early stages of learning something new." I feel most people do, but than fail to proceed all the way and actually finish and master something. They'll start new things indefinitely over and over.
- DigitalJack 14y ago
  Guilty :) That's where the discipline comes in. When the excitement of the New abates, sometimes you just gotta buckle down and get it done.
ritchiea 14y ago
This is huge. It really annoys me when people say "well I've always loved programming." That's great, but you're the exception, both in that you always loved programming and in that the thing you love is quite lucrative. I know a ton of people who are very intelligent and talented that have had to go through a trial and error process of figuring out how their talents will lead them to a career. Telling them to "follow your passion" is putting the cart before the horse. In my experience people find their passion by working hard at something with reasonable potential. If you work hard at something it may not turn out to be the thing you love but it will expose you to other people who value your work, as well as their own and you can find ways to pivot.

untothebreach 14y ago

The flip side of that is, turning a passion into a career is not always a good thing. Before I got into engineering, I thought it would be a great idea to turn my passion for making music into a career. Unfortunately, sometimes when something goes from "I love to do this" to "I have to do this," passion can be lost. I like knowing that whenever I want to make music, I can, but I also like knowing that if I get up tomorrow and don't want to make music, that's ok too.

npsimons 14y ago
As an amateur musician trying to push my abilities, I have to agree, but I think there's another factor at work: How often do we see the glamorous side of musical performance and how often do we see the tedious play it over and over and over until it's perfect practice sessions? If anything, even at the higher levels, the repetitive practice doesn't go away, it has to increase to see ever decreasing return on time invested.
- untothebreach 14y ago
  That's very true, but at least for me, being an amateur makes the repetitive practice sessions much less boring, and even more importantly, much less stressful, than they would be if I was (still trying to be) a professional. If I hear a song/piece/solo/part that I want to play, I practice it till I get it right because I love it and being able to play it correctly would make me happy. As a professional, you wouldn't (always) have that, you would feel pressured to get it right so you can collect your paycheck at the end of the day. I guess it all comes down to mindset, but I don't tend to _excessively_ push myself when I'm just playing for myself. Yes, that probably means I'm not reaching my full potential, ability-wise, but it also means that I can continue to enjoy playing and making music.

jacques_chester 14y ago

Is the satisfaction of exercising mastery the same as passion? Serious question.

bjhoops1 14y ago
Perhaps a suitable-enough replacement? :)
- jpwagner 14y ago
  I think Stephen Stills (of Crosby Stills and Nash) would agree.
yen223 14y ago
Maybe that's what passion really is - the satisfaction one gets from 10,000 hours of sweat and tears.
ryusage 14y ago
I don't think so. Passion, in this context, generally means an intense motivation and desire to engage in some activity because it gives you some kind of enjoyment. Since people usually get much more enjoyment from an activity they've mastered than one that they are very clumsy with, they're likely to become more passionate about it as they become better at it. That isn't a guarantee, though. It's entirely possible to be very good at something but not really enjoy doing it.

digitalengineer 14y ago

"Most people do not enjoy the early stages of learning something new." I feel most people do, but than fail to proceed all the way and actually finish and master something. They'll start new things indefinitely over and over.

DigitalJack 14y ago
Guilty :) That's where the discipline comes in. When the excitement of the New abates, sometimes you just gotta buckle down and get it done.

ritchiea 14y ago

This is huge. It really annoys me when people say "well I've always loved programming." That's great, but you're the exception, both in that you always loved programming and in that the thing you love is quite lucrative. I know a ton of people who are very intelligent and talented that have had to go through a trial and error process of figuring out how their talents will lead them to a career. Telling them to "follow your passion" is putting the cart before the horse. In my experience people find their passion by working hard at something with reasonable potential. If you work hard at something it may not turn out to be the thing you love but it will expose you to other people who value your work, as well as their own and you can find ways to pivot.