Many of us want to pursue our passions… Viewing passion as able to be developed, as a challenging ongoing process, and as something that may lead you astray may help us better achieve our goals.
Jon M. Jachimowicz, Assistant Professor, Business Administration, Organizational Behavior Unit, Harvard Business School
Takeaways of Note:
To pursue passion, research suggests 3 key things:
1) passion is not something we find, rather, it’s something to be developed;
2) it’s challenging to pursue our passion, especially as it wanes over time;
3) passion can lead us astray – it’s therefore important to recognize its limits.
Thus:
1- Don’t Wait to Find Your Passion… don’t assume passion is something to be discovered, instead focus on actively developing a passion (i.e. 1-spend more time exploring tasks you’re more passionate about; 2-get to know what others are passionate about & why; 3-find time & space to pursue activities you’re passionate)
2- Focus on What You ‘Care About’, not on ‘What Is Fun‘… focusing on what we ‘love’ associates ‘passion’ with what we enjoy & makes us happy; whereas focusing on what we ‘care about’ aligns passion with our values and the impact we want to have.
3- Overcome the Limits of Passion… studies have shown:
– passion is only linked to better performance when (a) others agree with what one is passionate about and (b) when passion is expressed in an appropriate context;
– may lead to us being more likely to be exploited by others – because we’re seen as enjoying work more;
– may lead to being more likely to be overconfident – an inflated view of abilities & output.