Is “Follow Your Passion” Good Advice? Still need skills...

Is “Follow Your Passion” Good Advice?

IT CAN BE GOOD

Pursuing a passion can provide a sense of fulfillment and enjoyment.. Passion often fuels motivation and dedication to overcome challenges. A passion most likely motivates an investment of time and energy into improving the necessary skills to increase the chance of achieving success.



But... It's not always the best advice:

There is no guarantee of financial stability. Some passions may have limited market demand. There are always necessary skills, training, and aptitude to excel in a passion. Sometimes, pursuing a passion may require significant training or development of specific skills. Interests and passions can change over time. Relying on one passion may limit exposure to new experiences and other potential areas of growth.



Combine passion with a realistic assessment of skills

Math skills, business skills, and people skills are necessary.

While listening to interviews with NFL quarterbacks and how knowing how to study has helped them be at the top of their game shows how important knowing how to prepare for tests strengthens their mental ability to bring their best to their job.

So the person who says, "I don't need to study because I'm going to be a professional athlete." should be reminded that every passion requires a variety of skills for success and passion evolves as skills mature with experience. Passion without skills can be limiting.

An interesting book on this topic:

"So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love"