MOTIVATION: Don't Follow Your Passion. Here's What You Should Do Instead:

You've been told your entire life, to follow your passion. That if you just love the work you do, work won't feel like work at all. And yet, you're sitting at your desk, clock-watching, questioning whether you made the right career choice.  But what if you've been looking at it all wrong?

In today's Monday Motivation, I'm going to convince you why not to follow your passion, and what you should do instead.

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Topics:

Escape the 9 to 5 

Escape the 9-5 

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Episode Transcript

Shure MV7 (00:00):
You've been told your entire life, to follow your passion.

(00:03):
That if you just love what you do,work won't feel like work at all.
And yet, you're sitting atyour desk, Clockwatching.
Questioning whether you madethe right career choice.
You followed your interests?
Maybe even pursued something youonce thought was your dream job.
But now?
You feel stuck in a rolethat doesn't excite you.

(00:25):
You're doubting whether your passionwas ever meant to be a career.
You wonder if you're justnot cut out for this.
While others seem to bethriving in their careers.
And the worst part?
You have no idea what to do next.
Maybe, you think a careerchange is the answer.

(00:45):
Maybe, you've convinced yourself thatyou just haven't found the right one yet.
But what if you've beenlooking at it all wrong?
In today's Monday Motivation, I'm goingto convince you why not to follow your
passion, and what you should do instead.
You're a working professionalstuck in a 9 to 5 job.

(01:08):
You want to find work you actually enjoy.
But the whole, follow your passionadvice, hasn't exactly worked out for you.
The things you are passionate aboutdon't look like they could pay the bills.
I'm career coach, Dr.
Steve Oiley, host andcreator of Escape the 9 to 5.
I help other working professionals likeyou take the next steps in their career

(01:32):
and design a career that works for them.
This week's motivationalquote is by Steve Jobs.
The only way to do greatwork is to love what you do.
If you haven't found it yet, keep looking.
Don't settle.
Sounds inspiring, right?
But here's the thing.

(01:53):
It's not true.
The happiest, most passionate employeesare not those who followed their passion
into a position, but instead, thosewho've been around long enough to become
really bloody good at what they do.
So how did they become reallybloody good at what they do?

(02:13):
They identified their strengths.
They developed them over years.
And became masters of a particular skill.
A skill that was consideredvaluable in that profession.
A skill that pays them well.
And a skill that is consideredso valuable, they get to call

(02:33):
the shots in their career.
Deciding their schedule.
Their hours.
And even how often they haveto come into the office.
Think about any skillyou've ever developed.
Whether it's learning aninstrument, playing a sport,
or even mastering your job.
At the start, it was frustrating.

(02:54):
You weren't good at it.
You questioned whetheryou should even bother.
But as you improved, something shifted.
You started to enjoy it more.
You felt more confident.
You felt more valuable.
That's how careersatisfaction really works.
Instead of searching for a job youlove, focus on building competence and

(03:18):
a role that plays to your strengths.
Because when you're good at something,you get more opportunities, you feel
more in control of your career, and youactually start to enjoy your job more.
This is backed by research.
Research by Northeastern University.
Indicates that individuals with a higherlevel of education See, 57 percent more

(03:43):
job opportunities than non graduates.
What this suggests is that as youincrease in competence and mastery in a
field, you will get more opportunities.
A different study found that higherlevels of personal mastery are
associated with better job performanceand greater ease of re employment.

(04:05):
It shows that as you develop a higherlevel of skill in your work, you'll
not only feel more competent, but italso increases control of your career.
In fact, The more skilled youare, the easier it is to negotiate
work conditions that suit you.
this is why mastery of yourstrengths, is so important.

(04:28):
Research highlighted in the Journalof Applied Psychology indicates
that employees with a strong masteryorientation tend to have increased
job satisfaction, showing that asyou become more skilled in your role,
you'll actually start to enjoy it more.
Passion is not found.

(04:49):
It's created through mastery.
In fact, the evidence shows mosthappy professionals are not passionate
about their work at the start.
They follow an interest, develop it overyears, and then as they become great at
what they do, then the passion arrives.

(05:12):
Karl Newport, author of So GoodThey Can't Ignore You, argues
four key points to a great career.
First, passion is a side effect ofmastery, not the starting point.
He shits on the idea that you shouldstart by finding your passion.
Instead He argues that passiondevelops over time as you get

(05:37):
better at something and gain morecontrol and autonomy in your work.
Research shows that most people don'thave pre existing passions and those who
focus on mastering valuable skills endup more satisfied with their careers.
His His second point isthe craftsman's mindset.
Where the passion mindset focuseson what a job can do for you For

(06:01):
example, Is this my dream job?
This often leads to chronicdissatisfaction because no job is perfect.
Craftsman's Mindset, on the otherhand, focuses on what you can offer.
Becoming highly skilled improving yourcraft and providing exceptional value.

(06:23):
This is what leads to long termcareer success and fulfillment.
is instead of focusing on what theworld can give to you, Focus on
what you can give to the world.
No one owes you a great career.
You need to earn it.
No one owes you a great career.
You need to earn it.

(06:47):
Newport's third point is career capital.
Career capital refers torare and valuable skills.
That make you indispensable in your field.
Instead of chasing your passion,focus on becoming so skilled
that people can't ignore you.
This allows you to gain leverage inyour career, negotiate better roles, and

(07:09):
create meaningful work opportunities.
As he says in the title, becomeso good they can't ignore you.
Newport's final point is controland autonomy are earned, not given.
Every living being wantscontrol over their work.
Flexible hours, meaningful projects,and autonomy of their time.

(07:35):
But Newport argues that controlmust be earned through developing
those rare and valuable skills.
If you try to demand too much autonomytoo soon, Before building career
capital, you risk instability or failure.
Instead, mastering your craftfirst is what allows you to shape

(07:56):
your career on your own terms.
In fact, I believe in this book so much,I'd argue that you might as well stop
listening to my podcast and go and focuson two or three things you are good at
and become great at whatever they are.
Stop chasing passion.
and start chasing mastery.

(08:18):
The more skilled you become,the more control and fulfillment
you'll have in your career.
So, how do you develop mastery?
If you're stuck in a job you don't enjoy,instead of jumping ship, ask yourself, 1.
What am I naturally good at?

(08:38):
What tasks feel effortless to me?
What do people consistentlyask me for help with?
Two, where have I had my biggest wins?
Think about the timesyou've excelled at work.
What skills did you use?
What projects have madeyou feel the most proud?

(08:59):
Three, how can I do moreof what energises me?
Is there a way to adjust my currentrole to focus more on my strengths?
Could I take on new projects thatalign with my natural abilities?
So, leave you with this.

(09:19):
instead of endlessly searching fora job that sparks passion, Start
mastering the skills that set you apart.
Because the better you get at something,the more fulfilling it becomes.
As the research shows, you'll also getpaid better, create more opportunities,
and have more control of your time.

(09:41):
You'll be designing acareer that works for you.
Thanks for listeningto Escape The Nines 5.
If you need help figuring out yourstrengths and how to apply them in
your career, Visit NeXTSTEP careersNZ complete the free strengths
assessment provide your contact detailsand I'll share how I can help you.

(10:04):
I'm career coach, Dr.
Steve O'Reilly, your host, and thanksfor being part of our movement.
See you next time.