# "Following Your Passion": A Recipe for Disappointment



## HandiAce (Nov 27, 2009)

I see so many on this forum (myself too at one point) fretting and worrying about what they're going to do for the rest of their life. So fixed on trying to find the right living for fear of a miserable existence they feel they don't deserve and getting disappointed when they don't love every moment of the work they are in. I got tired of worrying and perhaps other people are tired too. Read this article. It's called "The Passion Trap".

The Passion Trap: How the Search for Your Life

Most people I have met built satisfying careers not by following some innate passion of theirs, but because they honed a craft and got really good at what they did. One of them I know works for the FAA as an airport safety inspector (that was just one of her position titles). You would think that's a boring job which is a far cry from being a flight instructor (her job before that), but she refuses to retire because she loves her work so much and is well-respected for her experience at the job. 

Of course, these people chose a path they were interested in, but to be interested in an area is only half -- or less than half -- of the battle to building a satisfying career.

Another important extension to the passion trap article:

The Dream Job Delusion


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## jbking (Jun 4, 2010)

HandiAce said:


> I see so many on this forum (myself too at one point) fretting and worrying about what they're going to do for the rest of their life. So fixed on trying to find the right living for fear of a miserable existence they feel they don't deserve and getting disappointed when they don't love every moment of the work they are in. I got tired of worrying and perhaps other people are tired too. Read this article. It's called "The Passion Trap".


I read the article but found the introductory pieces to be rather shaky in terms of data to support the initial claims. One could make a similar argument that because there are so many diet books in the US that Americans should be healthier than ever which isn't the case given the epidemics of obesity and other health issues. Where are the points to demonstrate that a vast majority of Americans can state honestly: "I followed my passions in choosing my work." The reason I ask this is that this isn't even considered that people may grow up in situations where the idea of following one's passions wasn't said and thus it isn't something people may have considered.

There is no passion to be found playing small. | Ignite would be an article that I do find useful though with a subtle reframing point here. Talent can be useful to combine with passion in trying to find what kind of work makes sense.



HandiAce said:


> Another important extension to the passion trap article:
> 
> The Dream Job Delusion


Where does the person in that story work against his passions? As far as I can tell in reading the story, the guy is doing what he loves and thus kind of proves that it can be done. Hard work and dedication are there yes, but where was it said in the passion trap that things were supposed to be easy and never problematic?


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