Why 'Be Passionate' Is Awful Advice(inc.com)
inc.com
Why 'Be Passionate' Is Awful Advice
http://www.inc.com/millennial-entrepreneurs/why-be-passionate-is-awful-advice.html
16 comments
> 'Be Passionate' is great advice.
I've never understood that. It seams to me that you either feel passion or you don't. If you are already passionate you don't need the advice, but if you don't, what are you supposed to do? say "OK, I'll be passionate from now on"?
Same with "be confident".
I've never understood that. It seams to me that you either feel passion or you don't. If you are already passionate you don't need the advice, but if you don't, what are you supposed to do? say "OK, I'll be passionate from now on"?
Same with "be confident".
you can learn to be confident
and as for "be passionate", I dont see if as something you learn, but if you arent passionate and realise that is an important fact, you can redirect your efforts to something you are passionate about.
and as for "be passionate", I dont see if as something you learn, but if you arent passionate and realise that is an important fact, you can redirect your efforts to something you are passionate about.
"you can learn to be confident"
I agree and if you give someone detailed, effective directions on how to do that learning, you may have indeed authentically given them good advice.
But if you only tell to "be confident" then you haven't really given them the details they can use for anything.
I agree and if you give someone detailed, effective directions on how to do that learning, you may have indeed authentically given them good advice.
But if you only tell to "be confident" then you haven't really given them the details they can use for anything.
I think the idea that everyone has some thing that they are deeply passionate about is rather flawed. I think it's nice to have it but it's not necessary and nobody should let it stop them if they don't.
There's got to be something you're passionate about in life, and if your current line of work is not amenable to it, the advice, heeded or not, is to find a new line of work.
Or if you really don't know what your passion is -- and many don't -- try some things! Particularly if you're young and single; now is the time in life you should be experimenting, unless you're one of the relative few who already know what they want to do.
What that advice really means is that you should find something you're passionate about and do that. Obviously it's hard or maybe even impossible to force yourself to become passionate about something that you are not. But you can find something that makes you feel passionate. And that's what you should work on.
Instead of "be confident" or passionate or whatever, try "act with confidence" or "do with passion". Eventually, by doing so enough times, you eventually will become.
'Be Passionate' is great advice.
Like 'Be Confident', it is not really advice at all.
I'm also tired of passion being thrown all over the place as if that actually helps anyone.
Like 'Be Confident', it is not really advice at all.
I'm also tired of passion being thrown all over the place as if that actually helps anyone.
As someone who gives this "advice" all the time, I know it isn't "advice". My issue is that people seem to have the assumption that becoming great at something is about following some set of steps that can be explained: read this book, take this class, or drink this magic potion.
Instead, the reason people I know are great at the things they are great at is because that's all they do: when they wake up in the morning the first thing that pops into their mind is to grab their computer or violin, head to the library or laboratory, and be "doing something".
These people don't often have much else in common: their methods may even look like madness, with atypical technique permeating their self-taught landscape of awesome. There was not this "moment of hesitation" before they jumped in to do something.
And to me, nothing demonstrates this "moment of hesitation" better than someone who isn't doing something because they feel they aren't ready yet. I've seen people sit around for years, somehow operating under the principal that eventually the magic potion will appear, they'll drink it, and be great.
My contention is that these people will not become great. Now, I /don't/ believe this is incurable, but I believe that it requires someone really passionate about what they do to try to explore that passion with them: to help break down those walls that are keeping someone from "already" being great.
However, even more often, I think these people are in the wrong field, and here is where I believe "be passionate" goes from platitude to "advice": it is the advise to do something else that you are /actually/ passionate about instead of the thing you are currently sitting around talking about.
So, if you are currently languishing trying to build a company: you don't see how other people can spend the time they are doing, you can't bring yourself to occasionally make a fool out of yourself in a negotiation... you simply consider the thing "work" as opposed to "the most important thing to be done when you wake up in the morning", you are starting the wrong company.
This might involve choosing a different area, one you really believe in, but it may also just involve removing road blocks, whether they be external or internal, from the problem so you can relax: maybe you need an assistant, someone who has a passion for organization, to help you out with things you find boring.
Here is where you may then say: "so the real advise is get an assistant; saying be passionate is just some weird cop out". No: being passionate was the only concrete advise; it is the core belief you can use to rapidly take your issue and convert it into an action item. You start with "be passionate", identify why you aren't, and then solve it.
Now, the stupidest part of this is that I actually "agree" with this article, but I still think the author totally missed the point: I'd say this is the checklist used when you /are/ passionate about something to determine "is this a business".
Just because you are passionate about something does not mean you will (or even can) make money doing it. As wccrawford says, if you aren't putting your all into it, you are all the more likely to fail, and the thing that is going to allow you to put your all into it, day after day after painful horrible day, is "passion".
Instead, the reason people I know are great at the things they are great at is because that's all they do: when they wake up in the morning the first thing that pops into their mind is to grab their computer or violin, head to the library or laboratory, and be "doing something".
These people don't often have much else in common: their methods may even look like madness, with atypical technique permeating their self-taught landscape of awesome. There was not this "moment of hesitation" before they jumped in to do something.
And to me, nothing demonstrates this "moment of hesitation" better than someone who isn't doing something because they feel they aren't ready yet. I've seen people sit around for years, somehow operating under the principal that eventually the magic potion will appear, they'll drink it, and be great.
My contention is that these people will not become great. Now, I /don't/ believe this is incurable, but I believe that it requires someone really passionate about what they do to try to explore that passion with them: to help break down those walls that are keeping someone from "already" being great.
However, even more often, I think these people are in the wrong field, and here is where I believe "be passionate" goes from platitude to "advice": it is the advise to do something else that you are /actually/ passionate about instead of the thing you are currently sitting around talking about.
So, if you are currently languishing trying to build a company: you don't see how other people can spend the time they are doing, you can't bring yourself to occasionally make a fool out of yourself in a negotiation... you simply consider the thing "work" as opposed to "the most important thing to be done when you wake up in the morning", you are starting the wrong company.
This might involve choosing a different area, one you really believe in, but it may also just involve removing road blocks, whether they be external or internal, from the problem so you can relax: maybe you need an assistant, someone who has a passion for organization, to help you out with things you find boring.
Here is where you may then say: "so the real advise is get an assistant; saying be passionate is just some weird cop out". No: being passionate was the only concrete advise; it is the core belief you can use to rapidly take your issue and convert it into an action item. You start with "be passionate", identify why you aren't, and then solve it.
Now, the stupidest part of this is that I actually "agree" with this article, but I still think the author totally missed the point: I'd say this is the checklist used when you /are/ passionate about something to determine "is this a business".
Just because you are passionate about something does not mean you will (or even can) make money doing it. As wccrawford says, if you aren't putting your all into it, you are all the more likely to fail, and the thing that is going to allow you to put your all into it, day after day after painful horrible day, is "passion".
> 'Be Passionate' is great advice.
It is awful advice. Find your passion is somewhat less so.
It is awful advice. Find your passion is somewhat less so.
You're right. 'Be passionate' is great advice. But, we need to realize two things:
1. Passion is not something we discover. It's something we cultivate over time.
2. Being effective involves more than being passionate. But, it's nearly impossible to be effective without passion.
http://wayofthescholar.com/passion-misdefined
http://wayofthescholar.com/passion-properly
http://calnewport.com/blog/category/features-rethinking-pass...
1. Passion is not something we discover. It's something we cultivate over time.
2. Being effective involves more than being passionate. But, it's nearly impossible to be effective without passion.
http://wayofthescholar.com/passion-misdefined
http://wayofthescholar.com/passion-properly
http://calnewport.com/blog/category/features-rethinking-pass...
I think he's addressing the "do what you think is great regardless of what others may tell you" style of "be passionate". That is really bad advice.
The crucial thing here is "do a reality check". "Put your all into it" is only, only good advice if you combine that all with a reality check. Otherwise, it's the fodder of wasted lives.
The crucial thing here is "do a reality check". "Put your all into it" is only, only good advice if you combine that all with a reality check. Otherwise, it's the fodder of wasted lives.
I think the author's definition of "passion" is "blind love" whereas the HN definition of "passion" is "drive to do." Sure, if you're terrible and tasteless at something, be passionate about it on the weekends. If you're in the top 50th percentile in terms of ability--and passionate about it--it will work as a job.
"Be passionate", when the statement is unqualified, is bad advice simply because our HN definition of passion as a synonym for having motivation is not the only definition, and it requires more than a bullet point, 2-word aphorism to qualify.
On the contrary, being passionate can make you qualified. (if you put in enough effort and stick with it long enough, which is all kind of bundled into the concept of passion)
I hadn't considered that reading; clarified what I meant.
This is a really awful article (pun not intended, but enjoyed anyway). It is full of straw men, hand waving, and unsubstantiated claims. It is additionally poorly edited to the point of starting a list with "0" and continuing with "2". I suspect that the motivation for writing it was to plug his book, which hopefully was written by someone else. I move for immediate dismissal with prejudice, and I would like my two minutes back, please.
Second the motion.
Yes - while most would argue that some kind of passion is necessary for a successful venture, it is rarely sufficient.
If he writes C like he numbers his bullet points he'll get a whole lot of seg faults...
Don't confuse passion for focus. Passion pulls you. Focus pushes you. You need both.
I agree with the author to the extent that being passionate about an idea is not enough if your goal is to be rich. However, if your goal is happiness, then I can't see a way to devote your life to a job without passion and be a happy person.
My startup is extraordinarily stressful. But I'm not in it just for the money. I was sick of working in a highly paid position in a field that I couldn't muster any passion towards. From the authors perspective, I imagine that my decision to walk away from that salary, and the bonus (oh, the bonus...), was a mistake. But, for all the hard work that I am committing to what we are doing and for all the stress it entails, I'm a happier person.
That's not a bad place to be.
My startup is extraordinarily stressful. But I'm not in it just for the money. I was sick of working in a highly paid position in a field that I couldn't muster any passion towards. From the authors perspective, I imagine that my decision to walk away from that salary, and the bonus (oh, the bonus...), was a mistake. But, for all the hard work that I am committing to what we are doing and for all the stress it entails, I'm a happier person.
That's not a bad place to be.
Though I find little of value in the article, I like the title taken in isolation. Being passionate is key to success in my opinion. Advice to 'Be Passionate' implies that you aren't and can turn it on in some sense. This tends to cause people to act like they're passionate, and when it is pretentious, it is really obnoxious.
It's like working with people who carp about having "a sense of urgency." I always want to set them on fire. We'd then see a genuine sense of urgency. Most of what they actually do is just pestering people.
It's like working with people who carp about having "a sense of urgency." I always want to set them on fire. We'd then see a genuine sense of urgency. Most of what they actually do is just pestering people.
Be passionate is advice along the lines of "be a sea turtle" or "be a tea kettle."
Passion is something you discover, sometimes by accident. Discover passion is better advice — the verb is much more likely to get you moving in the right direction. Once you have a clear understanding of your passion, it's pretty hard not to be influenced by it — the "be" part takes care of itself.
Passion is something you discover, sometimes by accident. Discover passion is better advice — the verb is much more likely to get you moving in the right direction. Once you have a clear understanding of your passion, it's pretty hard not to be influenced by it — the "be" part takes care of itself.
I have been having a discussion with some friends of mine about this topic and I was actually going to write a blog post about it, but now I would just look like a tool if I did so. I'll just summarize what I was going to say here.
I think passion is generally stupid for a couple reasons. First off, we use it as a defense mechanism. "If I am passionate, I won't care about failure because I'll be doing what I love!" Not only will you have a hard time pivoting or calling it quites all together but this mentality already sets you up for failure on a bunch of other levels.
Secondly, how many people have been passionate about their projects that ended up failing? We tell ourselves to be passionate because Zuck was passionate about Facebook or the Groupon guys were passionate about their project, if we're passionate about ours WE CAN'T FAIL!
We don't need passion to succeed, we need brains to succeed. Think critically about what you're doing and you'll be way better off then loving your dumb idea into the ground.
I think passion is generally stupid for a couple reasons. First off, we use it as a defense mechanism. "If I am passionate, I won't care about failure because I'll be doing what I love!" Not only will you have a hard time pivoting or calling it quites all together but this mentality already sets you up for failure on a bunch of other levels.
Secondly, how many people have been passionate about their projects that ended up failing? We tell ourselves to be passionate because Zuck was passionate about Facebook or the Groupon guys were passionate about their project, if we're passionate about ours WE CAN'T FAIL!
We don't need passion to succeed, we need brains to succeed. Think critically about what you're doing and you'll be way better off then loving your dumb idea into the ground.
I think the author is attacking the wrong viewpoint. Being passionate about some idea I scrawled on a napkin at a bar is a great way to start a business.
The phrase "Be passionate" says nothing about discipline or determination. Most of his points seem to focus on these qualities. Sure, I've been part of many passionate conversations that started "Wouldn't it be cool if...?". Many of these ideas never made it past the beers they were shared over. But for the ones that did, passion is a good start.
If you are passionate over a long period of time, you will be good at what you do. This is not the same as making money, but you will be good at whatever it is you do. You can fake passion for a job, but those who matter will notice.
The phrase "Be passionate" says nothing about discipline or determination. Most of his points seem to focus on these qualities. Sure, I've been part of many passionate conversations that started "Wouldn't it be cool if...?". Many of these ideas never made it past the beers they were shared over. But for the ones that did, passion is a good start.
If you are passionate over a long period of time, you will be good at what you do. This is not the same as making money, but you will be good at whatever it is you do. You can fake passion for a job, but those who matter will notice.
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I wish he would have gone after the real culprit: hand wavy advice. Telling someone to be passionate about one's work is about as helpful as telling someone not to set himself on fire.
He should have singled out Gary V to make his point. The guy didn't start with only his passion and a video camera. He started with employees and a multi-million dollar business. Responding to comments is not hustling.
He should have singled out Gary V to make his point. The guy didn't start with only his passion and a video camera. He started with employees and a multi-million dollar business. Responding to comments is not hustling.
I don't think Apple, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Netscape or any company I can think of off the top of my head could answer more than 50 percent of his questions with a high degree of confidence at their outset. That's not to say they aren't important questions, though.
Not valid for programming/developing.
"This sort of advice would have you believe that if you simply put your all into something you will be successful."
... that's not what it says at all. In fact, it says the opposite: If you don't put your all into something, you're much more likely to fail.
'Be Passionate' is great advice.