Here is a great article in the Wall Street Journal that I wanted to share with you:
Scott Adams’ Secret of Success: Failure
It’s written by Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert. Two things that I wanted to piggy back on from his comments which are thought provoking, and accurate:
#1: Passion is important. I still believe wholeheartedly that professionals in career transition need to find the passion. But there are two things to consider here as well. One, some people do not feel passionate about anything, or not very much. The things they do feel passionate about, they do not want to work in because either it will ruin that passion for them by making it a chore instead of a pleasure. Or two, they just do not want to define their work that way. They would rather enjoy their work, be successful at it, and they do not feel the need to be passionate about it. That is okay. More than okay actually. It is about what works for you. How you want to define work, how you want it to fit into the rest of your life, and where you want to derive your fulfillment from every day. It could be in the personal realm, and that is ok.
#2: Passion will wane with disappointment and failure. I would not love what I do as a coach if my business had bombed after five years. It would not be fun anymore; more of a frustration and I would have moved on. A lot of my success is hard work, not just passion, and I have had some luck along the way. Scott is right, you can be passionate about something that just is not a good business idea. You can love to do something you will never make money at. So it is not just about finding the passion, it is about finding something you enjoy, or are naturally curious about, or are great at, and working hard at it.
Combine the passion or enjoyment or curiosity with success and you have a winning formula. I hope this is helpful to you.
Hallie Crawford
Job Search Coach
P.S. Are you in the ideal career for you? Find out if you’re in the right career with our Ideal Career Quiz.
