No. Follow your effort. No one quits anything they’re good at. If I followed my passion, I’d still be trying to play professional basketball. — Mark Cuban

That was Mark Cuban’s response when asked what had been the worst career advice he’d ever received.

The problem with this advice is that most passions are based on interests, not on effort.

On top of that, most of us have multiple interests, especially as “multi-passionate” people, as you’ve probably heard.

There seems to be this distinction that there are those with one single “passion” or “aim” and for those that don’t have this…

Well, we must be multi-passionate folks who can’t decide.

The Pressure to Find Your “Passion”

The notion that there is a singular passion waiting to be discovered can lead to anxiety and a fear of missing out on the “one true calling.”

Some of us simply don’t know. We then question ourselves as if something is wrong.

This can make us feel stuck and puts pressure on us to find that one thing, that true purpose.

This pressure can hinder personal growth, experimentation, and the development of a well-rounded skill set.

And even for those who do stick to one path, this can block them from exploring other areas because there’s this belief that “No, this is my industry, there’s no going back.”

Passion is Ever-Changing

Passions change over time because we change over time. We evolve and change as humans.

What may be our interests or passions now might not be the same in the future.

That’s why relying solely on passion can lead to a lack of planning for the long term and an inability to adapt to changing circumstances.

A career built on passion might actually leave you feeling lost and directionless once that initial enthusiasm fades.

Limited Perspective

The “follow your passion” advice can lead to a narrow focus.

You don’t want to become so fixated on your interests that you don’t consider the broader societal issues and whether there’s a need for it in the current market.

Just because you’re passionate about something doesn’t mean you’ll be good at it.

It also doesn’t always mean that it’ll provide some sort of value.

You need to evaluate your strengths, skills, and current knowledge.

Think about those who’ve changed their careers. The way they speak about their experience makes it seem like their initial chosen career was a mistake and they figured out what they were actually passionate about.

But what if we look at this another way?

Every experience leads us to where we are meant to be.

Maybe at that time in your life, that decision made sense. That choice made sense. Maybe you enjoyed it and felt fulfilled by it until one day, you discovered what else you want to explore and pursue.

The Two Theories of Interest: Finding Your Passion or Developing it?

To understand this concept, let’s take a look at the two theories of interest by Dr. Paul A. O’Keefe, an assistant professor of psychology at Yale-NUS College in Singapore.

Dr. Paul was part of a team in a study in 2018 that explored how different people recognize theories of interest and how they discover new passions.

From this, there are two theories of interest:

• The fixed theory: our interests are stable and unchanging.
• The growth theory: our interests are developed over time.

It was found that those with a fixed mindset on a singular thing tend to lose enthusiasm and interest more quickly. This tends to happen when it becomes too challenging or when major inconveniences occur.

Sometimes a passion is more enjoyable and enough as a hobby but when it becomes your job, when it becomes like a chore, that interest can fade.

This means that those with a growth mindset can develop their passions and interests over time as long as they put in the time and effort.

This also points to the importance of developing skills that make you valuable in the job market.

When you focus on this instead, you will eventually find passion in your skill.

Developing a combination of skills can create synergies for different career paths.

This combination of skills creates value.

Which theory of interest do you find yourself in?

Take a More Balanced Approach

Taking a more balanced approach here is more logical.

Take skill development, practicality, and a broader perspective into accountability.

“Take small steps to improve, learn, and grow, and put some structure around it. You’ll get more enthusiastic the more effort you put in. The more passionate you will become. And in the end, developing talent and experience will help you turn a passion into a new job or business.” — John Rampton

You should strive for a combination of passion, proficiency, and a sense of purpose that aligns with both personal aspirations and market needs.

By doing so, we can avoid the pitfalls of a single-minded pursuit and build a more sustainable and rewarding path to success.

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Previously Published on Medium

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