tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post6768174105879540788..comments2024-03-26T06:17:49.527-07:00Comments on Had Enough Therapy?: Charting the Course of Your LifeStuart Schneidermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-66849902705848063012012-01-16T08:59:56.579-08:002012-01-16T08:59:56.579-08:00Stuart -- Thanks for your thoughtful response. Def...Stuart -- Thanks for your thoughtful response. Defining "passion" the way you do, my views are quite close to yours. <br /><br />Your discourse on "fine art vs. design" strikes especially close to home. It reminds me of many conversations I've had with my son, the designer, whose views on the subject mirror yours (and mine) perfectly.JPL17noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-58757571568423541842012-01-16T08:27:29.324-08:002012-01-16T08:27:29.324-08:00Personally, I believe that love and satisfaction d...Personally, I believe that love and satisfaction derive from finding something that one is good at and succeeding at it. <br /><br />Happiness is getting great at what you are good at. It is not getting good at what you are mediocre at. <br /><br />For the record, I think that Peter Drucker explained this well in his booklet on "Self-Management."<br /><br />When I use the word passion, I am using it the way Segovia does, and the way more classical authors do, when they see it as almost a maniacal pursuit of something that will never succeed. I see it as akin to obsession. <br /><br />Someone who thinks he is a great artist and who has no success at it probably does not have the talent to be great in fine art. If he persists beyond the verdict of the marketplace, then he is running on passion.<br /><br />Without any clear success to provide him with satisfaction, he will probably burn himself out and end up frustrated and bitter.<br /><br />He may have begun his career thinking that he loved art, but, after a time, that love will turn into something darker.<br /><br />In some cases these people do have some artistic talent, but they would do best to deploy it in a field like design.<br /><br />After all, in the art world very, very few people really succeed in having satisfying careers. This is especially true when it comes to fine art.<br /><br />I think that love and satisfaction must be built on a foundation of talent, but that they need to be directed toward activities where they are needed and acknowledged and rewarded.Stuart Schneidermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-71458749686174981332012-01-16T07:42:15.734-08:002012-01-16T07:42:15.734-08:00Stuart -- Granted that "passion" is a lo...Stuart -- Granted that "passion" is a loaded word that's been grossly overused. But what if we banned that word from the career counselor's lexicon, and replaced it with something less loaded? Would you agree that one of the first steps in determining a career path is to list activities that one "loves," or that provide one with "satisfaction"? And that figuring out what one is good at, and what skills society needs, can follow that step? <br /><br />The reason I can't dismiss "love" or "satisfaction" as first steps in career planning is that I have too many friends and relatives who failed at various careers until they realized they hated "X" (e.g., selling life insurance) and loved "Y" (e.g., preparing good food), and then developed and pursued a realistic plan to get themselves from "X" to "Y." <br /><br />My career also falls into that pattern. I've been happily practicing law in specialty field "Y" for the past 24 years, after unhappily practicing "X" for the 8 years before that. It's no coincidence that I happen to love and am very good at "Y," and loathed and wasn't particularly good at "X." <br /><br />So I'd be curious as to your thoughts on where "love" and "satisfaction" (vis-a-vis job activities) fit into career planning.JPL17noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-56848162012807497132012-01-15T06:25:43.119-08:002012-01-15T06:25:43.119-08:00What amazes me about the "passion" idea ...What amazes me about the "passion" idea is that it has made its way into the worlds of business and finance. If it were simply something that college professors drone on about, that would be one thing. But it has infiltrated the minds of people who really ought to know better. That's just a bit frightening.Stuart Schneidermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-23523017902620519122012-01-15T06:09:44.687-08:002012-01-15T06:09:44.687-08:00I was at a party this summer and a guy in a white ...I was at a party this summer and a guy in a white suit (red flag right there) was chatting me up. We made small talk and I described my job to him, how I've been a freelance writer and editor for years and love working for myself because I'm free to go to the gym or go out to lunch.<br />He frowned and gave me an intense look.<br />"But what's your PASSION in life?" he asked earnestly.<br />I excused myself and went to get some more guacamole.Tilda Tally-honoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-52762466609661527882012-01-14T11:35:56.746-08:002012-01-14T11:35:56.746-08:00I've seen this particular theme addressed nume...I've seen this particular theme addressed numerous times here at Had Enough Therapy, and always had a slight quibble with it. Granted, "following one's passion" clearly isn't a <i>sufficient</i> condition for happiness -- the story in the article about the woman who spent 7 years pursuing her Ph.D. is an obvious enough example of that -- but is it a <i>necessary</i> condition? To some degree, I think it is.<br /><br />In particular, when considering a career or trade, I think one <i>must</i> figure out which activities provide one with the most satisfaction, and then look at occupations in which those activities are important. For example, if one gets great satisfaction from working with materials using one's hands, or doing calculations with numbers, I think it would be a big mistake <i>not</i> to consider occupations in which those activities are important.<br /><br />The problem with "following your passion" arises, I think, if one's thought process stops there. I.e., if after identifying the activities that provide the most satisfaction, one charges headlong into an occupation without considering at least 2 more factors, then one's future happiness is unlikely.<br /><br />The other 2 factors one <i>must</i> consider are the 2 identified in Stuart's post: namely, "What am I good at?"; and "Will the market need people with that skill by the time I can acquire it?" Without answering these 2 questions, I agree that simply following one's passion is folly. But I also think it's essential to know (and give due weight to) the activities that give one the most satisfaction.<br /><br />I think the article Stuart cites sums it up well: "Happiness comes from the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, and what the world needs."JPL17noreply@blogger.com