The problem with 'following your passion'
And a why there's a better way to build a successful and fulfilling career
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‘Follow your passion’ might be the worst career advice ever given.
It's paralysing. And it's everywhere.
In this week's Future Work/Life podcast, I reshare my conversation with leadership expert Dorie Clark and we discuss why this seemingly inspirational advice often backfires.
It’s a refreshingly different approach.
The weight of ‘finding your calling’
"We all put so much stress on ourselves when it comes to finding the right thing,"
Dorie told me.
"What's the right career? What's my passion? What am I meant to do?"
It's like expecting to find your soulmate on the first date.
We'd never put that pressure on our romantic lives, yet somehow we demand this impossible standard from our careers.
The power of curiosity
What’s more productive?
I spoke with Tim Harford (FT journalist and author of The Undercover Economist, amongst various other great books) about why curiosity might be a better compass than passion. He explained that curiosity carries an inherent humility:
"Psychologists talk about the information deficit view of curiosity - this kind of itch because you realise there's something you don't know, and you want to figure it out. If you've got no idea what you don't know, you're not curious, and if you think you know everything, you're not curious. But if you know something and also know that there are these gaps, that's when you get very curious."
This connects perfectly with Dorie's approach, and is much simpler: Instead of searching for a perfect path, ask yourself: "Is this interesting to me?"
The power of small steps
Consider Pat Flynn's story.
During the 2008 financial crisis, he followed his curiosity while working as an architect by helping other architects pass their certification exams. He created study notes, shared them online, and eventually packaged them as a PDF. Within months, that side project was earning more than his day job - which was lucky because he was laid off two months later.
Honestly, this approach has served me pretty well over the past 5 years, too.
When I left the company I’d founded 10 years earlier, I was determined to ‘follow my passion’. So began a long and ultimately fruitless process of working out if and how I could make money from cooking and listening to music! While I still enjoy both of those things immensely, it proved a lot easier to say “yes” to ideas and opportunities that I was curious about rather than passionate about.
That’s how this newsletter started. Then the podcast. Then the speaking and consulting. And, ultimately, my book Work/Life Flywheel.
Along the way, I’ve chopped and changed the things I’ve concentrated on, but my interest in how we build successful careers, teams and businesses has only grown.
The Scout Mindset
Tim Harford calls this a ‘Scout Mindset’, borrowing from Julia Galef’s book of the same name.
Taking a Scout Mindset means approaching your career with curiosity rather than defending a predetermined path. Instead of being a soldier defending your position, be a scout exploring the terrain: "Let's see what's out there. Let's map the terrain."
This shift in perspective changes everything.
As Dorie writes in The Long Game:
"A passion for photographing birds may not seem particularly 'meaningful'. But if it's interesting, that curiosity spurs us toward mastery and ultimately may lead in useful directions, such as new personal and professional connections, a book deal, or a successful campaign to preserve local wetlands."
The compounding effect of interest
When you follow what's interesting:
You naturally seek learning opportunities
You build valuable skills without it feeling like work
You remain flexible to pivot when opportunities arise
You create momentum that has "a life of its own"
You develop what Tim calls "the ability to join dots between seemingly unrelated ideas"
Finding your threads
Want to uncover what truly interests you? Here are some reflection points:
What topics do you research late at night?
Which conversations energise you at social gatherings?
What have you been meaning to explore for years?
What do others say you can't stop talking about?
What do you turn to when you have free time?
The liberation of less pressure
When you stop trying to find your passion and start following what's interesting, something fascinating happens:
You often end up more passionate about your work than those who actively sought their passion.
Why?
Because you've built it organically, through curiosity and competence, rather than forcing a predetermined narrative. As Dorie emphasises,
"If it stops being interesting, so what? Pick something else."
A new way forward
Among the many successful people I've interviewed, curiosity is one of the most recognisable characteristics. Some reference it explicitly. Others display it implicitly in how they discuss their interests. It's often the value that motivates them to persist even when the going gets tough.
The next time someone asks about your passion, share what you're finding interesting right now.
Embrace the freedom of exploration without the pressure of permanence.
As both Dorie and Tim suggest, the path reveals itself through exploration, not through perfect planning.
Thanks for reading,
Ollie
Want to hear more? Listen to my full conversation with Dorie Clark on the Future Work/Life podcast, where we explore building sustainable careers and following our curiosity.