#27 Find Your Passion

Finding your passion is often valued for three popular reasons:

First, following your passion can lead to a fulfilling and meaningful life. Second, pursuing your passion eliminates the notion of work. And third, when Artificial Intelligence liberates us from mundane tasks, we can immerse ourselves in what ignites our souls.

But, there is a fourth, simpler, and arguably better reason why unleashing your passion is a good idea.

Exploration of the First Three Reasons

1. Finding meaning through passion

Having passion for something means being deeply invested and enthusiastic about a particular thing. While it can bring a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction when your actions and values align with your passion, a meaningful life needs more than that.

A meaningful life is built on three pillars: relationships, social circles, and professional life.

Achieving a deep sense of fulfillment and meaning requires all three pillars to be strong and healthy.

Integrating your passion positively into all these areas of your life can be extremely challenging, if not impossible.

A simple example every passionate surfer knows just too well:

It’s the day of the biggest swell of the year. Perfect conditions. Too bad it’s the birthday of your daughter. You must choose.

Another example from my personal life:

Pilates is my passion. However, when it comes to the Reformer, my partner only touches it to help me move it. And my family and friends persist in thinking that what I do is similar to Yoga, which, to be honest, freaks me out every single time I hear the word “Yoga.”

Often, our passion is something we pursue individually and for ourselves, making it difficult to share with those closest to us.

2. …never work a day in your life

The famous quote,

is often misunderstood. While doing what you love may make work feel less like a burden, but it doesn’t mean you won’t have to work hard.

Passion is not a skill.

And passion alone is not enough to become an expert at something. To be successful, you need to be good at what you do and be willing to make sacrifices, work hard, accept failure, and overcome setbacks.

Unless born into a super-rich family, work is inevitable regardless of your love for the job.

3. Artificial Intelligence - our slave or master?

With the rise of AI and technologies like ChatGPT, an optimistic group of people believe that we will finally be relieved from mundane tasks and have more time for things we truly enjoy. However, while this may seem like a possibility in theory, it represents only one side of the story.

Let’s imagine a scenario where robots and programs successfully take care of most of the labor as we know it today in a positive and productive manner. Undoubtedly, this would bring significant changes to everyone’s lives.

However, humans are generally not good at handling major changes within a short span of time.

During my research for my Master´s Thesis, I delved deeply into the challenges of implementing new software systems in companies. Surprisingly, it often turns out that it’s not the technology that hinders positive changes but rather the human condition.

As Louis Hyman, a historian specializing in the history of labor and technology, wrote so accurately in his essay in the New Your Times:

Thus, whether we are truly ready for such transformative changes is uncertain.

Furthermore, if AI were to take over most of our daily tasks, we would relinquish self-responsibility and control. Reflecting on current technologies, it’s unclear to me who holds the power and who is the slave.

We haven’t quite managed to use social media responsibly and in a way that supports and encourages our passions. I would even go so far as to say that social media has pulled us away from discovering our true love.

Given these circumstances, it becomes challenging to believe that a much more powerful system like AI will do a better job of addressing this issue.

So, why is it then crucial to discover your passion?

A Fourth Reason

In simple terms, finding your passion can bring you happiness. But there’s an essential condition attached:

To truly experience happiness, pursuing your passion authentically and without any hidden agenda is crucial. Using “passion” merely as a facade to chase other desires, such as external validation, is like making a pact with the devil.

Passion is pure. Passion is joy. And passion is hard work and sacrifices.

However, if you’re willing to endure the challenges and embrace the necessary hardships to pursue what you love, it can bring immense beauty into your life.

Conclusion

Don’t make “passion” bigger than it is

Instead, focus on building a strong foundation in your life first. And yes, this means boring stuff like earning enough money to make a living. And it means taking care of practical responsibilities like supporting your family and nurturing your relationships by being present and not prioritizing personal desires.

Passion tends to be self-centered in many cases. And while it’s a beautiful notion to share your passion with someone, it can be challenging in real life. And while I embrace my deep passion for various things, life has taught me that passion is a profoundly personal and intimate experience. And that’s ok.

My advice to young people

It´s unrealistic to expect that you’ll know exactly what you want to do with your life at 18. I didn´t. The idea of having your life path figured out at that age is outdated and no longer applicable in today’s world.

Instead, go and explore. Go out into the world and discover what resonates with you. Many answers will follow along the way. Every experience counts, especially the difficult ones.

Don’t stand still or hide from the world, as doing so will prevent you from being part of it. As a young adult, your most important obligation is to explore and learn. And through this exploration, you’ll get to know yourself better.

Explore, take on responsibility, and develop the ability to stand on your own feet.

And the rest will fall into place.