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What do you think of the advice, follow your passion?

Generalist

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Hi, thanks to anyone who responds. So what do you think? Good advice? Cliche? Bad advice? Personally, I don't like it, but has it worn out its welcome? Thanks again to anyone who responds.
 

Metis

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Hi, thanks to anyone who responds. So what do you think? Good advice? Cliche? Bad advice? Personally, I don't like it, but has it worn out its welcome? Thanks again to anyone who responds.

It appears to work for some people, but I don't recall any time that it has ever worked for me. It's the same as following a whim. A specific passion is just a long-term whim to me. In fact, my best career decisions have come from spur-of-the-moment ideas. Long-term dreams or passions have resulted in disillusionment. So it's worse than following a whim.

You can be surprised by what comes out of a route that you follow. What seemed meaningful can turn out to be hollow, and what seemed like a down-to-earth, practical compromise can prove more fulfilling.
 

Lark

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I think the Sunscreen song has good things to say about advice. Have you heard it?
 

I Tonya

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Its good advice, but if you don't have any then you're screwed over, lmao. Passions, I hope they're something you wanna do with all your might and in a timely manner, business don't want you to take forever doing your hobbies. : /
 

Frosty

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I dont jnow tbh. I think if you can find something you both enjoy and that can support you... wonderful.

But I havent been alive long enough to tell whether your passion or money is more important.

Ill learn it when its too late, the answer, like everyone else. When Im 80 and left to look back on what my life was like- and what I feel I missed out on
 

Maou

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I don't have a passion, so its bad. lol
 

Generalist

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It appears to work for some people, but I don't recall any time that it has ever worked for me. It's the same as following a whim. A specific passion is just a long-term whim to me. In fact, my best career decisions have come from spur-of-the-moment ideas. Long-term dreams or passions have resulted in disillusionment. So it's worse than following a whim.

You can be surprised by what comes out of a route that you follow. What seemed meaningful can turn out to be hollow, and what seemed like a down-to-earth, practical compromise can prove more fulfilling.

Great response, I have had similar experiences. So what experience in your life that started out as a practical compromise, but turned out to be very fulfilling? Thank you again for the reply.

- - - Updated - - -

Following your passion is the only way to learn the things you need to learn. What else to live for?

Thank you for the reply. What is your passion?
 

Maou

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Hahaha, I know how you feel. So why do you say you don't have a passion? Lack of excitement?

I just never found something that made me go "Holy shit, this is awesome", everything seems to fall into "meh" or "Im good at this, but I don't think I can do it for a living" kinda field. I am also too keenly aware of other's skills, and it kinda defeats my dream before it begins.
 

Mole

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The best lack all conviction, and the worst are full of passionate intensity.
 

Generalist

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I just never found something that made me go "Holy shit, this is awesome", everything seems to fall into "meh" or "Im good at this, but I don't think I can do it for a living" kinda field. I am also too keenly aware of other's skills, and it kinda defeats my dream before it begins.

You remind me of me and how I used to think about this stuff. I was guilty of being too idealistic and I blew up my whole career search into some quest for the perfect job. After a while I realized I had turned the career search/occupation search into something equivalent to a person searching for their true love. People, obviously have certain fields, interests, skills and stuff that they naturally excel in. We aren't blank slates. But I wonder if this whole passion thing, just causes a bunch of anxiety instead of helping. I think deep down people have a general feeling about what they should be doing, but I have found that the real challenge isn't finding what you should be doing, but accepting it. Have patience with yourself and acceptance of yourself. Along with muffling the anxiety around a career decision. Good luck. Thanks for the reply.
 

Metis

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Great response, I have had similar experiences. So what experience in your life that started out as a practical compromise, but turned out to be very fulfilling? Thank you again for the reply.

I don't want to go into specifics.
 

j.c.t.

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It's good advice if said passion is authentic and true.
 

Cellmold

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Depends on the form of the passion.

I think we come into the world being somewhat undifferentiated (there are some things that are dictated through complex biological events and workings, though I'm not educated enough to really tie them in here) but over time that untapped potential has to give way to a differentiated potential.

I've mentioned this quite a few times before, but there is no reason for people to develop well-adapted tendencies (during development of preference) in their habitual behaviours or preferences, of which passion (is in part) largely formed. People can develop maladaptive tendencies; those that bring no benefit to themselves or others.
It seems very counter-intuitive to think that people can actually have preferences, and through those: passions, that actually don't favour them or manifest in a way that doesn't even seem to serve their own self-interest, let alone other people's.

I would say this also runs counter to the increasingly prevalent mentality of following your passions being a constructive aim that an individual should always aim for. In my mind I picture the kind of person who takes Nietzsche's 'will to power' at it's most literal and infantilised form, bordering on magical thinking, as being someone who risks devolving their passion into a fickle whim. I suppose I might be jumping the gun a bit, though, by framing whim vs passion as separate or opposed, which they definitely aren't.

The truth surrounding a passion for an individual person can only be discovered through the exploration of themselves (introspectively without falling into navel-gazing) and fair interaction with the world, and by extension the feedback that world gives them.

A man might have a passion for violence and become successful in combative sports or armed warfare. Or maybe he might end up getting drunk & fighting, or even becoming a murderer. How that passion develops, is important and goes beyond mere concerns of workplace engagement.

In other words you have to risk becoming overly stretched and unsuccessful in order to find out the truth about your own passions and whether they are worth (or have been earned in the best way) being followed.

So yeah, it depends.

But, as always, we do need something to live for. :sage:
 

Dreamer

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This piece of advice seems to be thrown about so carelessly by people, often with good intentions, and I do think there is a bit of truth to it, or usefulness one can gather from this sort of advice, but the big stick in the mud that I feel is often left out when telling someone this is that while it’s important to find what you’re passionate about in life and in the best and smartest capacity possible, to pursue it, YOU do not exist in a vacuum. This advice to me, should be given with a bolded disclaimer: in the process of discovering your true passion in life, and setting your sights on achieving your goals, to see your dreams realized to fruition, first consider the context of your life at this point in time (do you currently have dependants that rely on you for support and emotional presence, do you have large debts that should not be negated), and second, come to terms with the fact that what you think might be your passions now, could very well end up changing down the road and remain flexible should those passions shift and diverge from your original plans.

Ya, the disclaimer ain’t sexy, but ultimately, it’s absolutely irresponsible to leap off a cliff to go base jumping, without first considering those you are potentially affecting with your actions. One other important thing to consider though, is that many of us can easily get bombarded with the “realities” of a decision-making process and may use that as reason never to move forward on their dreams, that’s not good either. You have to instead, find what OF your current dreams and passions, are you truly yearning for? There is something within those ambitions that is leading you towards that path, and many times, the vision is hardly the only answer, but merely just one path to obtaining what you truly seek.

While it’s just as vague as “follow your passions”, I’m more inclined to suggest to someone, “do now, what will help you to achieve the vision of yourself, in the not so distant future. It’s neither wealth, career, nor status, but you as a person, who do you want to become, and how will you get there?”
 

1487610420

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obviously it's over user. someone needs to keep society running so the worthy ones can enjoy it.
 

Forever

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The passion you can find is what you are most curious to learn and making that a career of what you learned/continuing to learn.

But I think it is more important to prevent any regrets is working in an environment that supports your values in life.

(Note: I'm not speaking just exclusively to Fi doms, if you are prone to oversimplifying it)
 
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