So Good They Can't Ignore You

Conclusion #3: Passion Is a Side Effect of Mastery

These stories, which are increasingly common at all ages, from college students to the middle-aged, all point toward the same conclusion: The passion hypothesis is not just wrong, it’s also dangerous. Telling someone to “follow their passion” is not just an act of innocent optimism, but potentially the foundation for a career riddled with confusion

At the time, I had recently started a blog called Study Hacks,

I shared the details of Steve Jobs’s story, because when it comes to finding fulfilling work, the details matter. If a young Steve Jobs had taken his own advice and decided to only pursue work he loved, we would probably find him today as one of the Los Altos Zen Center’s most popular teachers. But he didn’t follow this simple advice. Apple Compute

One of the students asks Steele if he had started his PhD program “hoping you’d one day change the world.” “No,” Steele responds, “I just wanted options.”

Compelling careers often have complex origins that reject the simple idea that all you have to do is follow your passion.

In other words, you need to be good at something before you can expect a good job. Of course, mastery by itself is not enough to guarantee happiness: The many examples of well-respected but miserable workaholics support this claim.

Self-Determination Theory (SDT), which is arguably the best understanding science currently has for why some pursuits get our engines running while others leave us cold.8 SDT tells us that motivation, in the workplace or elsewhere, requires that you fulfill three basic psychological needs—factors described as the “nutriments” required to feel intri

I liked that phrase—the tape doesn’t lie—as it sums up nicely what motivates performers such as Jordan, Mark, and Steve Martin. If you’re not focusing on becoming so good they can’t ignore you, you’re going to be left behind. This clarity was refreshing.

Conclusion #2: Passion Takes Time