Heard a great piece on a podcast with Cal Newport who advocates strategic planning when it comes to your career. Passion for your work is to be developed, not discovered like a hidden treasure.
He argues that many people who end up being very happy and fulfilled in their career don't seem to follow their passion. Rather, they rationally look at what is valuable in the marketplace and consider if there is an overlap between their current skill set and the thing the marketplace values. Then they work hard to become very good in this skill set. Becoming highly competent in what you do maximizes your personal feelings of autonomy, impact and connection to people, which, according to Newport, are the key ingredients in personal fulfillment.
He argues that many people who end up being very happy and fulfilled in their career don't seem to follow their passion. Rather, they rationally look at what is valuable in the marketplace and consider if there is an overlap between their current skill set and the thing the marketplace values. Then they work hard to become very good in this skill set. Becoming highly competent in what you do maximizes your personal feelings of autonomy, impact and connection to people, which, according to Newport, are the key ingredients in personal fulfillment.
