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This article is the result of greatly over-thinking a good and ultimately innocent thing. "Do what you love" is not the latest Agile methodology. It is not a p

This article is the result of greatly over-thinking a good and ultimately innocent thing. "Do what you love" is not the latest Agile methodology. It is not a political philosophy, or some new moral treatise claiming to be your personal salvation... nor is it an underhanded attack on Labor or the hardworking people your grandfather rubbed elbows with. "Do what you love" is a simple, honest phrase intended only to remind you that you can, in fact, be happy while making money, if you can manage to find work doing something you love. Not everyone can, of course, but that doesn't diminish the meaning or intention of this wall-plaque motto. This journalist needs to start taking some attivan or something. EDIT: The fact that this journalist was paid to write this article, while obviously taking pleasure in over-thinking every possible corner, is proof that you can Do What You Love and the world won't end.

coldtea 13y ago
>This article is the result of greatly over-thinking a good and ultimately innocent thing Something repeated often, writ in books, told in graduation speeches and ingrained in popular culture is not just "a simple, honest phrase" anymore. Believing that such stuff is "over-thinking" is not understanding the power of (seemingly) naive and "innocent" ideas and notions to have great impact on how we live. It's a problem that most people consider thinking about something as "over-thinking" -- they'd rather go with the thought-less, "all is what it is", "what harm can it do" etc defaults. >The fact that this journalist was paid to write this article, while obviously taking pleasure in over-thinking every possible corner, is proof that you can Do What You Love and the world won't end. Well, he didn't say that the world will end. Just that doing "what you love" has certain social implications. And those, only if you do it in the way people like VCs preying on overworked founders and businessmen preying on overworked employes want you to do it. In fact, being aware of the potential issues that arise from the "doing what you love" dictum, as he is, makes it more shielded from the negative implications of it.
equalarrow 13y ago
Yah, I got the same feeling too. Like, the author needs to step back and take a deep breath. First off, I'm not an elite. Second, I don't think 'elites' (whomever they may be) are saying this so people become reality distortion-ified and just zombie off to devalue themselves making straw birdies because they love stick art the most. That's silly. Instead, I look at some people like Elon Musk or Richard Branson or Jobs or Peter Diamandis as ones that have made their own way previously doing or currently doing what they love. For me it seems, once you clear away the FUD, that you are confident on your own self, realize you have little time on this planet, and therefore you see no value in wasting your time helping someone else pursue their dreams. I must also add that this is not just captains of industry either. There are so many doctors, educators, and scientists around the world that I'm sure love what they do and actually do make an impact. I would encourage anyone to go on Youtube or Netflix, etc, and find a documentary about planning a mission to Mars or even launching a satellite. So many of these people think in terms of decades and it's unbelievable that they can create machines, put them into space, and collect data that expands the understanding of all humanity. Any time I watch one of these, I am just blown away by the people who do this. They are truly on another level and thinking in terms of mankind and not just 'me'. I don't see any elitism or devaluing of ones labor or mental faculties at all.. I look back on my life and see two passions that emerged: music and programming. Luckily for me, both of these things are still highly lucrative and highly expressive. I also love astronomy, philosophy, physics, construction, cooking, and more. I could probably pick any one of these and really love doing them (I actually did for construction for a while - building physical things with your hands and tools is awesome). For me, it all comes down to being in love with life. I bet if you ask any person that's excelled in their industry (or like Branson and Musk) what they think about life, they will probably tell you it's beautiful and they love it. Perhaps it's because they're successful, but it doesn't matter. Your mind and your mindset are your greatest tools and channeling creativity and determination through a focused mind can lead to great things. I wonder if the author loves writing? Critiques are fine, but does their story inspire anyone to do anything? Or is it just to help keep people in the same mindset of negativity and division? I've made some negative posts here on HN and I'll be the first one to say, yah, dumb. Whether it's a bad day or just getting wrapped up on others negativity, in the end it serves no purpose to actually bring about any change for good. It just joins the chorus of negativity and goes no where. So, ultimately, I couldn't disagree more with the author. If anything I think people that do what they love (calling them elite's also just serves to simplify and brand as bad) and are successful doing it are some of the highest examples of what we could aspire to be or achieve.
- mempko 13y ago
  Just ask Musk, or Jobs if they would do what they love (running a company) for peanuts while on welfare. They will then spin you a tail that people who own, or who bring "value" should get what they deserve. The thing is, they will choose to work at walmart over living on the street...
- eli_gottlieb 13y ago
  If you live a charmed life, you shouldn't go around preaching that everyone should simply muster the determination and grit to live a life as charmed as yours. You should thank God for your good fortune and do what you can to add to the fortune of others.
pnathan 13y ago
Sorry, nope. It's tripe peddled to high school and college students, who eat it up because, in fact, they have generally not had to make money to survive. So they wind up in ridiculously unemployable fields that are cool and interesting to them. You also wind up - in SW development at least- with a pernicious workplace state where working more is glorifed; where the reality of business (exchange of goods for goods) is obscured by these foggy ideals and pressure is placed to demonstrate your personal devotion to the god of 'loving your job'.
- johnminter 13y ago
  Yup - often peddled by people with conflicts of interest - deriving their income from that education.
  - pnathan 13y ago
    Honestly, I disagree with that. A lot of the time, it's people who have found a comfortable niche (often mediated by decades of experience, giving them freedom of choice which neophytes simply don't have[1]), and want to see others find that comfortable niche too too. "Speaking from privilege" is, I believe, the proper way to describe the situation. [1] This merits a digression. Suppose that your advice-giving friend is a stonemason in his 40s. At this point, he has about 20 years of experience, along with a solid professional network. He works hard, but is paid well for experience and expertise. If there is work to be had, he will likely get tapped as a lead on the job, due to his 20 years of experience. He is trusted and capable; he likes his job well enough. He advises you to follow your dreams (he has a good life and enjoys it). You decide to follow his example... Regrettably, you find in your first summer doing stonemasonary that you lack his 20 years of experience; literally are fetching and carrying, doing backbreaking work and being paid poorly. You are not trusted; you have no freedom to pick and choose, and you're the back of the line for jobs. His experience means that you have to crank down his advice to the entry level world and what that's like, not the place of experience, trust, and competence that the advisor lives in.

coldtea 13y ago

>This article is the result of greatly over-thinking a good and ultimately innocent thing Something repeated often, writ in books, told in graduation speeches and ingrained in popular culture is not just "a simple, honest phrase" anymore. Believing that such stuff is "over-thinking" is not understanding the power of (seemingly) naive and "innocent" ideas and notions to have great impact on how we live. It's a problem that most people consider thinking about something as "over-thinking" -- they'd rather go with the thought-less, "all is what it is", "what harm can it do" etc defaults. >The fact that this journalist was paid to write this article, while obviously taking pleasure in over-thinking every possible corner, is proof that you can Do What You Love and the world won't end. Well, he didn't say that the world will end. Just that doing "what you love" has certain social implications. And those, only if you do it in the way people like VCs preying on overworked founders and businessmen preying on overworked employes want you to do it. In fact, being aware of the potential issues that arise from the "doing what you love" dictum, as he is, makes it more shielded from the negative implications of it.

equalarrow 13y ago

Yah, I got the same feeling too. Like, the author needs to step back and take a deep breath. First off, I'm not an elite. Second, I don't think 'elites' (whomever they may be) are saying this so people become reality distortion-ified and just zombie off to devalue themselves making straw birdies because they love stick art the most. That's silly. Instead, I look at some people like Elon Musk or Richard Branson or Jobs or Peter Diamandis as ones that have made their own way previously doing or currently doing what they love. For me it seems, once you clear away the FUD, that you are confident on your own self, realize you have little time on this planet, and therefore you see no value in wasting your time helping someone else pursue their dreams. I must also add that this is not just captains of industry either. There are so many doctors, educators, and scientists around the world that I'm sure love what they do and actually do make an impact. I would encourage anyone to go on Youtube or Netflix, etc, and find a documentary about planning a mission to Mars or even launching a satellite. So many of these people think in terms of decades and it's unbelievable that they can create machines, put them into space, and collect data that expands the understanding of all humanity. Any time I watch one of these, I am just blown away by the people who do this. They are truly on another level and thinking in terms of mankind and not just 'me'. I don't see any elitism or devaluing of ones labor or mental faculties at all.. I look back on my life and see two passions that emerged: music and programming. Luckily for me, both of these things are still highly lucrative and highly expressive. I also love astronomy, philosophy, physics, construction, cooking, and more. I could probably pick any one of these and really love doing them (I actually did for construction for a while - building physical things with your hands and tools is awesome). For me, it all comes down to being in love with life. I bet if you ask any person that's excelled in their industry (or like Branson and Musk) what they think about life, they will probably tell you it's beautiful and they love it. Perhaps it's because they're successful, but it doesn't matter. Your mind and your mindset are your greatest tools and channeling creativity and determination through a focused mind can lead to great things. I wonder if the author loves writing? Critiques are fine, but does their story inspire anyone to do anything? Or is it just to help keep people in the same mindset of negativity and division? I've made some negative posts here on HN and I'll be the first one to say, yah, dumb. Whether it's a bad day or just getting wrapped up on others negativity, in the end it serves no purpose to actually bring about any change for good. It just joins the chorus of negativity and goes no where. So, ultimately, I couldn't disagree more with the author. If anything I think people that do what they love (calling them elite's also just serves to simplify and brand as bad) and are successful doing it are some of the highest examples of what we could aspire to be or achieve.

mempko 13y ago
Just ask Musk, or Jobs if they would do what they love (running a company) for peanuts while on welfare. They will then spin you a tail that people who own, or who bring "value" should get what they deserve. The thing is, they will choose to work at walmart over living on the street...
eli_gottlieb 13y ago
If you live a charmed life, you shouldn't go around preaching that everyone should simply muster the determination and grit to live a life as charmed as yours. You should thank God for your good fortune and do what you can to add to the fortune of others.

pnathan 13y ago

Sorry, nope. It's tripe peddled to high school and college students, who eat it up because, in fact, they have generally not had to make money to survive. So they wind up in ridiculously unemployable fields that are cool and interesting to them. You also wind up - in SW development at least- with a pernicious workplace state where working more is glorifed; where the reality of business (exchange of goods for goods) is obscured by these foggy ideals and pressure is placed to demonstrate your personal devotion to the god of 'loving your job'.

johnminter 13y ago
Yup - often peddled by people with conflicts of interest - deriving their income from that education.
- pnathan 13y ago
  Honestly, I disagree with that. A lot of the time, it's people who have found a comfortable niche (often mediated by decades of experience, giving them freedom of choice which neophytes simply don't have[1]), and want to see others find that comfortable niche too too. "Speaking from privilege" is, I believe, the proper way to describe the situation. [1] This merits a digression. Suppose that your advice-giving friend is a stonemason in his 40s. At this point, he has about 20 years of experience, along with a solid professional network. He works hard, but is paid well for experience and expertise. If there is work to be had, he will likely get tapped as a lead on the job, due to his 20 years of experience. He is trusted and capable; he likes his job well enough. He advises you to follow your dreams (he has a good life and enjoys it). You decide to follow his example... Regrettably, you find in your first summer doing stonemasonary that you lack his 20 years of experience; literally are fetching and carrying, doing backbreaking work and being paid poorly. You are not trusted; you have no freedom to pick and choose, and you're the back of the line for jobs. His experience means that you have to crank down his advice to the entry level world and what that's like, not the place of experience, trust, and competence that the advisor lives in.