"Follow your passion" doesn't work
Readtime: 3 minutes
I used to think "follow your passion" was good advice.
Until I realised it doesn't work for most people, because most people don't have a passion.
Or if they do, it's not one they can get well paid for.
So the advice either leaves them feeling like something is wrong with them, or it sends them chasing something that was never going to support their lifestyle.
The usual alternative is "get good at something useful". And I think that's much closer to the truth. If you build real skill in something the world values, and you stick with it long enough to see meaningful progress, the work does feel good, or at least better.
Your confidence builds. People start to rely on you. You get more interesting opportunities. And over time, the thing you're good at starts to feel like something you actually care about.
But there's a step most people skip. And it's the one that matters most.
The step people skip
Before you decide what to get good at, you need to understand who you are first. Because you can be competent, productive, even respected, and still feel like something’s missing if the work doesn't fit who you are.
When the work doesn't match what you value, or your character strengths, you'll always have a sense that it's a bit of a waste of time. That you're solely doing it for the money. And that feeling is really hard to shake off, no matter how successful you look from the outside.
So before you pick the next thing you want to get good at, take a step back. What are your values? What are your character strengths? What kind of work actually gives you energy?
Let me show you what I mean.
What this looks like in practice
For me, three of my top character strengths are Hope, Honesty, and Social Intelligence.
Coaching needs all three. I have to believe in a better future for my clients (Hope). I have to call them out on their BS every now and then (Honesty). And I have to read what's going on underneath what they're saying (Social Intelligence).
The work fits me. It still feels like work, but it's work I believe in. It doesn't feel like a waste of time, and I'm not doing it solely for the money.
I worked with a Managing Director recently where a similar pattern was clear for her. Leadership, Judgement, and Perseverance were her top character strengths. And her role needs all three constantly. Setting direction for a large team through real uncertainty (Leadership). Weighing competing priorities across the business (Judgement). Holding her nerve before the results start to show up (Perseverance).
She used to think she was just "good at her job". But what she actually has is a job that fits who she is. Which is why she can sustain the effort without burning out.
Something interesting happens when the work fits. Over time, you start to care more about doing it well. You genuinely want to. And that's usually the point where people say "I think I've found my passion". Or at least they now have some purpose.
But notice the order. The passion only shows up once the fit is in place.
This isn't a one-time exercise.
One more thing worth saying. You don't do this once early in your career and then forget about it.
People change. What energised you at 28 probably won’t energise you at 48. Your values shift. Your strengths develop. What felt like a great fit ten years ago probably won’t feel right now, because you've grown into a different person.
So it's worth revisiting every few years.
Who am I now?
What do I value now?
What kind of work fits the person I've become?
The good news is that the process gets easier each time, because you've got more self-knowledge to work with and a clearer sense of what actually matters to you.
This is also why some people make significant mid-career changes. Who they are has changed, and the work that used to fit the earlier version of them doesn't fit the current one.
The options are broader than we often think:
Optimise your current role.
Move to a different role in the same company.
Move to a similar role in a different company.
Move to a different role in a different company.
Start your own business.
Retire…?
Making a change can be daunting, but pretty much everyone I know who has done it is much happier than they were.
I think the key thing is to understand who you are right now. Then get good at something useful that fits the current version of you. And let the passion follow from there.
And be willing to go through the whole exercise again when the fit starts to feel off. Because at some point, it probably will.
Thanks for reading.
Mostyn
P.S. Something I've been working on for six months is almost ready. It's an AI-powered version of Atomic Ambition, my flagship programme that helps people get clear on who they are, what they actually want, and how to build a life that delivers it. Same transformation, much more accessible price. More very soon.
P.P.S Found this useful? It would mean the world to me if you’d write me a one-line review. Reviews go onto my website homepage.