We live in a world obsessed with passion. Everywhere you look, from social media to motivational talks, the message is clear: find your passion and follow it. It\u2019s seductive advice, isn\u2019t it? After all, who wouldn\u2019t want to spend their life doing what they love? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But here\u2019s the catch \u2014 this cultural obsession with passion can be more harmful than helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I was a child, I went through phases like most kids do. At one point, I wanted to be a doctor, then a banker, and, thanks to a convincing physics teacher, even a chemical engineer. It\u2019s funny because none of these ideas came from any deep-seated passion. They were simply reflections of the information I had at the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Class 7 (JSS1), something happened: I discovered I could write with ease. I\u2019d grown up surrounded by books \u2014 my dad made sure of that with his bedtime stories and the ones I later bought myself. But even then, I wasn\u2019t struck by some lightning bolt of passion. It was just another interest, shaped by my environment and experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, is passion something we\u2019re born with, or is it a social construct, designed to make us feel like we\u2019re failing if we don\u2019t \u201cfind it\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s talk about what passion really is. It\u2019s often described as this intense, undeniable force that drives our career and life choices. It sounds wonderful, doesn\u2019t it? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if we\u2019re honest, passion is more often the result of societal pressure than anything inherently real. Media and the self-help industry feed us this idea, convincing us that we\u2019re supposed to find our one true calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2016, I thought I\u2019d found mine. I became deeply interested in young adults and mental health. My autism diagnosis and everything I\u2019d experienced made me think that I was passionate about creating spaces where young people could thrive mentally. But the more I\u2019ve reflected, the more I\u2019ve realised that what I thought was passion was more about empathy and exposure than anything innate. It wasn\u2019t this magical \u201caha\u201d moment where I discovered my life\u2019s purpose \u2014 it was shaped by the challenges I\u2019d faced and the needs I saw in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These days, lots of people are jumping into tech careers. Is that passion? Or is it just that tech is a booming industry with lots of opportunity? More often than not, it\u2019s about exposure \u2014 what you see, what you\u2019re told, and what experiences you\u2019ve had. Passion, in the traditional sense, rarely enters the equation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Passion feels intoxicating because it taps into two powerful human desires: purpose and belonging<\/strong>. It makes us feel like we\u2019re doing something meaningful, something that defines us. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so seductive. Once we believe we\u2019ve found our passion, we experience something called confirmation bias. We actively seek out experiences that validate this feeling. It\u2019s like when you buy a new phone, and suddenly everyone around you seems to have the same one \u2014 it feels like you\u2019ve made the right choice, even if it was arbitrary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there\u2019s the idealisation of passion. We imagine it as this perfect, never-fading force that will guide us through life. But the reality? Passion is fickle. It changes, fades, and is often an emotion that can\u2019t be sustained long-term. Real life is messy, full of ups and downs, and passion alone isn\u2019t enough to see us through the tough bits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So what happens when we put passion on a pedestal? We set ourselves up for disappointment. We start to believe that if we\u2019ve found our passion, life will somehow become easier. But that\u2019s rarely the case. Passion can create unrealistic expectations, making us think we\u2019ll love every moment of our work, and when reality doesn\u2019t match that fantasy, we\u2019re left frustrated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s also the very real risk of burnout. Passion can drive us to go all in, but when that initial excitement wears off, what\u2019s left? If we\u2019re not careful, we can burn out from constantly chasing that high. The truth is, passion may ignite the spark, but it\u2019s discipline and consistency that keep the fire going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, chasing passion can lead to narrow thinking. When we\u2019re laser-focused on one pursuit, we might overlook other opportunities that could bring us just as much fulfilment \u2014 if not more. By clinging to the idea that we must follow one path, we close ourselves off to the possibility of finding happiness in unexpected places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If passion isn\u2019t the answer, what is? The secret lies in focusing on growth, curiosity, and discipline. Instead of chasing a single passion, we should be looking for opportunities to develop our skills and explore our interests. Often, passion doesn\u2019t come at the start of a journey \u2014 it emerges over time, as we become more competent in a field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, think about people who pursue careers in tech. Most don\u2019t start with a burning passion for coding or algorithms. They begin with curiosity, maybe a desire to solve a problem, and as they develop their skills, passion follows. The same can be said for any profession. Passion grows through investment in the process, not from the outset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there\u2019s the role of discipline. It\u2019s easy to be excited when something is new, but what about when the excitement fades? The people who succeed aren\u2019t necessarily the ones who start with the most passion\u2014they\u2019re the ones who show up every day, putting in the work, even when they don\u2019t feel like it. Success is built on consistency, not just enthusiasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the end, the idea that we must find our passion to succeed is flawed. It sets us up for disappointment and burnout. Instead of chasing passion, we should focus on curiosity, growth, and meaningful work. Success doesn\u2019t come from discovering a single, all-encompassing passion \u2014 it comes from exploring, learning, and consistently showing up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So here\u2019s the real challenge: stop chasing the illusion of passion. Embrace the process of growth and follow your curiosity. Passion will follow when you invest in your skills and keep moving forward. Remember, passion isn\u2019t a destination \u2014 it\u2019s something that develops through effort and a willingness to explore new paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re learning, growing, and staying curious, you\u2019re already on the right track \u2014 whether passion is there or not.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Following your passion is often overhyped and misleading. Instead of chasing after it, focus on your growth, as the belief that we must find our passion to succeed is flawed. Discover how here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":831,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[60,61,62,63,64],"class_list":["post-830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-motivation","tag-passion","tag-personal-development","tag-personal-growth","tag-self-improvement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asoebipay.com\/autismthrive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asoebipay.com\/autismthrive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asoebipay.com\/autismthrive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asoebipay.com\/autismthrive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asoebipay.com\/autismthrive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.asoebipay.com\/autismthrive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/830\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asoebipay.com\/autismthrive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asoebipay.com\/autismthrive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asoebipay.com\/autismthrive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asoebipay.com\/autismthrive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The downsides of chasing passion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The aternative to passion: Embrace curiosity and discipline<\/h3>\n\n\n\n