More On Why Just Following Your Passion Might Not Be Enough

Hey, there!

Awhile ago, I published an post for my clients and students about why I’ve stopped giving the advice, “Just follow your passion.”

And I got a lot of response from that article, some of which was supportive, some not so much.

I recently watched a TEDx talk on the subject. And it was fascinating. Here it is.

Actually, the full piece of advice was “Just follow your passion, and the money will follow you.”

The main reason I’ve stopped saying that is because just following your passion without preparing properly to do that, simply isn’t enough.

And just like when you buy a new car, and you begin to notice a lot more of that car on the road, I’ve begun to notice a lot more people jumping on the “Follow your passion after you’ve done the necessary work to make that passion-following effective” bandwagon.

Check this out. It’s called Don’t Just Follow Your Passion: A Talk for Generation Y: Eunice Hii at TEDxTerryTalks 2012:

Some takeaways I loved:

“Follow your passion, but make sure you do the work.”

“Follow your passion, but don’t count on it being your work.”

“Follow your passion, but remember that following your passion is a privilege.”

“Follow your passion, but follow it with gratitude.”

“Your vocation is where your passion meets the world’s greatest need.”

All excellent extensions of that sage piece of advice.

Thoughts? Let me know in the comments below.

Hope this helps!

David

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  1. Yes, I completely agree. Following one’s passion without proper planning and the right tools is like marrying someone simply because they’re good looking and physically attractive to you, and expecting that will be enough to sustain a marriage. It takes more to make it work, and even more to make it a success.