In the early 1970s, psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan developed a concept called self-determination theory that forever changed how the scientific community viewed motivation. Deci and Ryan found that, contrary to common wisdom (both then and, to a large extent, now), one’s drive to pursue activities is not predominantly reliant on

A better approach to finding your passion is to lower the bar from perfect to interesting, then give yourself permission to pursue your interests with an open mind.

couldn’t possibly do this” syndrome only grows stronger with age. It also creates a formidable sense of path dependency, or the narrative that you are on a certain path, and the best—if not only—option is to stay on it. But path dependency prevents you from exploring opportunities that could lead to a better and more fulfilling life. You’ll never

passion isn’t so straightforward. Yes, passion can be a blessing; it’s a hallmark of mastery and a precursor to great success. But if it’s not pursued thoughtfully and handled carefully, passion can quickly become a curse, something that is far more destructive than it is productive.

There is, of course, a different—and far better—kind of passion. It emerges when you become wrapped up in an activity primarily for the joy of doing the activity itself. When you experience success with humility and failure with temperate resolve. When your goal becomes your path and your path becomes your goal. When your passion is fueled by deep

Some studies show that up to 40 percent of our personality may be inherited. Professor C. Robert Cloninger, a psychiatrist at Washington University’s School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, recently developed a system for evaluating the heritable part of personality, referred to as temperament. His research suggests that there is a link between

“I was just letting my curiosity take me forward and engaging in the things I enjoyed and found interesting.” Fast-forward five years, and Neuman had paid off her law school debt (she was fortunate to have received a scholarship, so the debt wasn’t that massive) and found herself applying to PhD programs in philosophy.

“Interest” is really just another way of saying that something captures your attention. When you come across an activity or idea that subtly pulls you toward it, you are faced with a choice: Do you grant yourself permission to lean in and further explore? Or do you let it go, ignoring it and writing it off as a momentary blip of intrigue? If you

We don’t get hooked on the feeling associated with achievement, we get hooked on the feeling associated with the chase. Dopamine is the molecule of desire and motivation. This simple yet powerful biological truth is responsible for some of history’s greatest achievements, from the survival of the human species yesterday to groundbreaking scientific