Look, Steve got a lot right in his life, that's for sure. But there is one big thing that he was totally wrong about, basically confusing a whole generation.
As a father of 3 teenage boys, that's a big deal to me and I just have to get this off my chest.
What am I on about?
Let me explain…
Read any self-help book, listen to any motivational guru, and there’s a common theme these days:
Passion is the key to success and happiness.
You’ve got to “follow your passion”. If you’re not jumping out of bed every morning ready to ninja-kick a hole in the day, you’re in the wrong vocation.
The key to success is to find what you love, and find a way to do that for a living.
It sounds about right. It certainly feels nice. But I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that it’s a load of crap. And if you follow this particular advice, you’re probably going to end up broke and unhappy, with some sort of mild infectious disease.
Ok, that’s a bit harsh. But I think this is one of those seductive new-agey things that plays straight to our need to be a special princess.
And it’s not just guru-wannabe’s and tarot readers. Has anyone else seen the video of Steve Jobs talking to a graduating class at Stanford University back in 2005?
Look, a lot of it is pretty good. But about a third of the way through he delivers this little gem:
You've got to find what you love…. The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking, and don't settle.
Naaww. What a nice guy. He wants me to be happy. I’m going to write him a letter and see if he’ll buy me a pony.
But don’t listen to him. He’s lying.
Steve Jobs is one of the most iconic figures of the century so far. A great leader by any measure. An incredible innovator. A phenomenal mind for business. The epitome of success.
And how did he get there? Well, if you follow the logic of his advice, he found out what his passion in life was (computers, the business of computers) and put all his energy into building a great business around his passion.
Sounds like a pretty good strategy right? That’s certainly what we assume most successful people have done.
Only this just isn’t what Steve Jobs did. Almost the opposite.
Jobs dropped out of a college degree in History, Dance and Eastern mysticism. He took a job with Atari, and spent most of his spare time at the All-One Farm – a Zen commune near San Francisco. Then he packed it in to float around India for a while.
When he came back, he helped his old friend Steve Wonzniak (who actually was a computer whiz) manage a business relationship with Call-in Computers. But in 1975, he just packed it in again, without telling anyone, to go and spend summer back at the All-One Farm. They didn’t hang on to his job for him.
This hardly sounds like someone with a passion for computers or the computer industry.
But this was only a year before he founded Apple. His passion was for Zen and meditation (or farms?). He was only interested in computers for the cash.
And it was that passion for cash that launched Apple.
Jobs initial pitch to Wozniak was to build kit computer circuits to sell for $25 a piece. It was a just a low-risk side-project to make a bit of cash. But when the local computer shop asked them for fully developed computers instead, Jobs saw an opportunity, and Apple was launched.
The rest is history.
This is not the story about a man having a dream and pursuing it against all the odds.
This is a story of a man looking to make a bit of cash to support his hippy lifestyle. But of course that doesn’t lend itself so well to sloganeering.
“Tune in, drop out, and make a bit of cash where you can, leaders of tomorrow.”
If Jobs had truly followed his passion in the new-agey sense, he would of become a meditation teacher in California. Not a captain of the electronics industry.
The key mistake we make I think is confusing “passion” for “area of interest”.
Passion is a way of being, not a topic.
I think we can definitely say that Steve Jobs was a passionate person. He lived his life with passion. But to say he had a passion for ‘electronics’ is just too simple.
Jobs probably had a passion for the challenge of Apple – of building something lasting. The competition of a cutting edge industry. The vision required to stay ahead of the technology curve.
Jobs’ passion was in the way he lived. Not where he chose (or fate chose) to apply his talents.
I think it’s useful to remember where the word passion actually comes from. It comes from the latin root for ‘pain’.
(This, btw, is why the last moments of Jesus’ life are called “The Passion of Christ”.)
So our passion is not the things that make us happy. Our passion is the things that we would endure pain and hardship for.
(Maybe this is why my wife says I’m a ‘passionate’ lover… I usually get a leg cramp.)
So while we might like sitting on tropical beaches, we can’t really say we have a ‘passion’ for it.
If you want to live your life with passion, you actually need to go towards those things that are difficult – to those things that challenge you. It’s an active thing.
And passion is where the investment of hard work and difficulty finds equal reward in inspiration and fulfilment. But the hard work comes first.
(This is why I’ll never make it as a self-help guru. All of my blogs end in telling people they need to stop being a princess and embrace hard work.)
And my advice to young grads? Be like Jobs. Don’t worry about what field you end up in. Wherever you are, always apply yourself fully to the activities that inspire you.
Apply yourself. Passion is something that you create. Not something that is given to you.
So pull your finger out, leaders of tomorrow.
Do you think that passion is all that is required to achieve financial success?
Have you been passionate in any area of you life and eventually felt unfulfilled?
Or,
Does passion and success go together?
Have I lost the plot and Steve was right… Passion is how you achieve greatness?
Your turn…
Sowrabh Behl says
“Our passion is the things that we would endure pain and hardship for.” Amen.
However, I think ‘find passion in your work’ is a bit over rated in society.
You obviously need to enjoy what you do, but many people get stuck on thinking that they absolutely need to find this ‘passion’ or else they will lead a hopeless, meaningless life.
Passion of life is important, doesn’t mean you have to be 110% passionate about your job. But I’m not saying to find a job you hate either.
Find something you enjoy, and find a passion that keeps you motivated to keep going. They can be two separate things and you’ll still be loving life.
Lynda Bundock says
Hi John – love your Friday blogs. I have reflected on this issue a lot, as I’m now a Job Coach (what I love to do, and am passionate about), and get asked this question often. But I’m also in my late 40s, so it’s taken me a long time to get there, and working hard and earning less than I ever did before…..but that will come. I also had a whole other career and life before here. I had a successful career in marketing (20 years), a child, and then HR (a few more years) and now learning and development and my own business. I had many fantastic jobs, in Australia and overseas, and great times along the way. I also spent many hours sitting in solitude completely disillusioned by my choices and career path. I think we need to educate people (young adults and also more mature people who feel a transition is necessary) into shifting their paradigm. It’s OK to try out different career paths. It’s OK to change careers if you feel it doesn’t ‘fit’ properly, and it’s OK to have a ‘job’ and a passion that’s not your job. Life has phases, interests change, jobs are held for a huge variety of reasons (family, children, location, work colleagues, convenience, money, hours of work, opportunities for growth), and these too change over time. Companies and roles change. To use a cliche – it’s a journey. And like any journey, it’s what you put into it that makes it richer, but some stuff is also out of your control. I agree that hard work, pain, risk taking and resilience are necessary to really find out what something is like. I’m a huge fan of Sir Ken Robinson, and his book ‘The Element’. Some people find their’s early in life, and it takes others of us a lot longer. BUT, when you look back, there are always lessons in everything – you just have to develop the awareness to see them. I don’t think you’ve lost the plot. I think that we’re now in an instant society that wants everything now, and where commitment and dedication have been replaced by instant fame, or the latest fad for short attention spans. Most ‘overnight’ successes have put in the hard yards, but they’re often not the ones promoted. It’s all about life being easy…and we know the answer to that one. Good topic.
Lynda Bundock says
Apologies – Jon!
Al says
Hahaha so Friday!!! Princes and Princesses – please give me a job because I am entitled to work for you and I will honour you with my presencce, but don’t ask me to work for my pay! There are exceptions of course as there always have been. You can work for years at your hobby, but because you love it doesn’t mean it will make a living; that’s why it is called a hobby. Some do make it into a great living, but it has to come out of the “hobby’ status and become a real ‘passion’ as you have reclarified. Enjoy your weekend.
Flamingo says
Jon, you are priceless. I always love reading your Blogs and today I felt I just had to tell you I had a laugh out loud moment at the leg cramp lover point. This didn’t diminish the overall message, which was refreshingly ‘real’, so … Hear! Hear! and keep ’em coming. Love it!
Toni says
Ditto LOLOL
And spot on about ‘stop being a princess and embrace hard work’. The other unfortunate influence on the younger generations today, are most of the self-centered celebs. Only in America can a family like the Kardashian’s become so successful. Not on talent or work, though to be fair – do have skills with selfies, instagram, and photoshopping.
ron says
i agree with you jon..i get leg cramp too..my wife says…whats wrong?….nothing dear. also, it doesn’t matter what job you are doing…do it well…with pride..;you should see my wife clean the house! she’s a specialist, cheers, ron
Rosemary says
Jon, I often disregard your No BS Fridays and barely read them as I frequently find then too flippant. However you have nailed it this time. Too many people these days expect instant success and too many people constantly quote clever sounding little cliches (often regarding passion) with no real grasp of what is entailed in being successful.
Nicho says
Leg cramp !!!……..I actually snort laughed on a crowded train reading this!! Love it!
Tom says
Good one, ‘Jake The Peg’ Giaan.
Just because Steve’s formula for success did not really apply to him (or you) does not necessarily mean it would not apply admirably for some others. We are all different – Thank Gaia!!!
I have only known one person who, from childhood, knew exactly what he wanted to be and thereafter made that his passion in life. Most of us train in one area and end up working somewhere entirely different. Chance encounters have more influence than plans.
Apart from bouts of adolescent fervour, living Beethoven’s Fifth and young love, I personally have never experienced anything which could be described as ‘Passion’.
I think the old text books described my personality type as ‘Phlegmatic”; and I am fascinated by some folk who are like the toys we had as kids – Wind them up and they go like crazy! Go! Go! Go! Balls of energy.
I have yet to find anything which can inspire me to do anything much beyond going with the flow.
Procrastination is my middle name!
I’ve forgotten what a well-earned, worthwhile leg cramp feels like!
I think I’ve still got my marbles – once again ‘Thank Gaia”!!!
Is there any hope for me?
Vesta says
I’ve been advising people for years that just because you graduated with a certain degree, and began a career in a certain field, doesn’t necessarily mean you need to spend your whole life there. I mean things change, circumstances , relationships, demographics, age, eating habits etc… Why can’t our passions & interests change too? You were once an eager 18 year old, passionate about getting behind the wheel of your first car… doesn’t mean you’ll be driving that for the rest of your life! You upgrade, change vehicles and move on. So to is life 🙂
Damon says
Wow Rosemary, was your your first sentence in this forum response actually necessary. Try reading back your comment without the first sentence and see how much nicer it sounds. Did anybody else see what I saw in the first sentence. Certainly- smacks of being flippant with words to me.
Damon
Yoriko says
I agree exactly what Jon said about the meaning of passion. I finally find my talent & passion in my 50s from difficulties but I`m happy that I found it. A big challenge is ahead of me but I believe that my passion will help me to reach the goals & grab success in my business. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about passion.
Mark says
Jon, i agree 1000% with this article!!
Mark
jh says
Hope your passion isnt maths!
BusterBuster says
I had to have a laugh about this. It’s easy for people like Jobs to encourage people to “follow their dream” when they have so much money themselves they can do what they want without any limitations and they forget what got them there. I compare it to Rock Stars whom carry on about Climate Change and Global Warming before stepping onto their private plane to burn more than their own weight in jet fuel to get to their next concert. The Reality Disconnect seems to cut in shortly after the point where the espouser of {insert view here} is suddenly no longer one of the Commoners. We recently had a hoo-ha at work where the senior management were carrying on about people with “Passion” for their work and how much they loved them. What a load of Cr@p. They loved the big pay packets and share options these people generated for them, not the people themselves nor their dedication to their work. I found it downright patronising. Next time there’s a new change in management or another department is outsourced those same people with “Passion” will be walked out the door along with the others – except the senior managers of course whom were spouting this bull**** in the first place. The duplicity of these people is appalling. It doesn’t mean you should not follow your dreams; just realise that they may not be what generates the pay packet for you to do so, – and you need to analyse the motives of those spouting their theories of how you should run your life.
Jenni says
As a high school teacher this “crap” has bugged me for years. There are many people who follow their passion (eg. art/ music/ acting) who can’t survive financially as our society does not value such activities compared to say being a footballer or swanning around as a CEO. Yet they are successful artists etc …. what is success? Being rich is sadly what our consumerist society values, and pushes down our throats as THE way to be. And the kids believe they’ll get rich by being dumb and pretty (Kardashian inspired), or by playing football. Then there are the stupid people who carry on that school should be fun for the little princes and princesses!!!! Well – most of real life isn’t fun, and the biggest lessons in life are the most painful!! Pampering them is supposed to protect their precious sense of self esteem … but self-esteem comes from achieving the things that are personally challenging. And the “challenge’ of abseiling/ high ropes ‘leadership’ courses is momentary and not related to real life ….. oh I can run a company because I abseiled a cliff !!!! Not likely!!! Work is called work …. it is not called fun. Oh and the great majority of teachers DO have a sense of realism, and have a hard time counteracting the “crap” from the media/ pop psychologists and the parents who believe the pap they are fed. The media industry want the populace to be dumb, unquestioning and compliant.
PS – After the years of hard work, I am now following my passion – patchwork and painting. People only want to pay $50 for a piece that took weeks to create … where our values are skewed! With my hubby (who doesn’t get leg cramps!!!!) we have also been property investors …. and quite frankly I now hate it!!!! Yes we have done well with it over the years, despite all our mistakes, But I have seen the “prince and princess” attitudes in tenants get worse (one wanted rescuing from ants!!!) – and it has soured the ‘passion’ I once had for property investing. Time to indulge ourselves – not the whining and ungrateful!!!!
Macca says
I found this piece quite liberating. I’m a successful professional in a respected and well rewarded field, and I’m doing something I have no passion for whatsoever. In fact it has always left me stone cold – even though of course I have to play the game and pretend otherwise. But I’m good at it, and it supports a family and pays for private schools and nice overseas holidays and all the rest. Yet up till reading this I always a little guilty, a bit of a fraud. Thanks Jon, a real breath of fresh air.
Peter says
My Dad always said “An overnight success takes about ten years”. Leg cramp Jon, Ha. Wait until you do a hammie. Love your articles and I send them to my children.
hidflect says
Another article I read debunking the “passion” meme points out that many publicly exposed professionals either can’t or don’t want to say how they got their success. Are they really going to admit they got success because Daddy loaned them their $20Million seed capital or that they’re simply smarter than the average person? Or a college buddy from Yale found them their first job? Etc. So their PR handlers tell them, “Passion!” And that becomes the story to sell.
Ken says
Hi Jon, and all replies, Too many people here trying to out do each other in head shrinking. None of this is going to make anyone any money. Pain to me was reading this stuff. I believe if you lack the common touch, you are doomed. I would like to see more of the practical stuff. This, and this only will make all things worthwhile.