If we all followed our passions when we were 20 years old,
we’d all be musicians, actors, bartenders, artists, professional surfers, baristas
and fashion designers.
I think there is a big piece missing in all the hype around ‘following
your passion’, and that is, it takes a long time to learn how an industry
works, and master the skills of your calling.
Most of the examples of passion used in business articles
are like those mentioned above. They are based around simple systems where you,
as an individual, have a high level of control over activities.
However, the chance of ongoing success in those callings are
vanishingly small – yes, some people succeed, but the thumping majority don’t.
In the modern workplace many of us work in large workplaces,
which have complex structures, selling products into a complex market, all
sitting in the backdrop of a complicated regulatory environment and changing
economic conditions.
It takes 10-20 years to master an understanding of your
profession as well as how the industry works.
Many of the large companies that hold up as examples about had
founders who had been working for more than 10 years. They understood the industry,
they understood the end users, they understood what the problems were, and they
had a passion for solving those problems.
I think that passion is something that develops as you gain
more experience and know yourself better.
The common refrain about following your passion is overstated, and potentially
leading many people away from what their real calling could be as is really a
simplistic refrain telling us to pursue our adolescent dreams.
After all, there’s nothing wrong with having a passion for
ensuring that the accounts are balanced, or that employees are treated fairly,
or any other career. Only time will show whether it really was passion or just
an impulsive interest.
