Beyond Passion

Finding a fulfilling job requires attention to detail.

Apple Computer did not result from passion but instead from a lucky break, a "small time" scheme that unexpectedly took off. He eventually became passionate about his work.

One student asks Andrew Steele (an astrobiologist) if he started his PhD program "hoping to one day change the world."

"No," Steele responded, "I just wanted options; I had no idea what I would do."

Telling someone to follow their passion is not just innocent optimism but potentially the foundation for a career riddled with confusion and angst.

Should we move from one career to another, waiting for one to succeed?

How do we find work we will love?

How do we know when to stick with a project or when to move on?

In all of these quests, what we are looking for is not a job (a way to pay the bills), not a career (a path toward increasingly better work), but a calling (work that is an important part of our life and a vital part of our identity).

The end to this cycle is discovering your calling, using your potential, and applying principles for success.