Passion in Your Work is a Choice, Not a Calling
“Passion is too important to be without, but too fickle to be guided by. Which is why I’m more inclined to say, ‘Don’t follow your passion, but always bring it with you.’”
– Mike Rowe, Dirty Jobs
Mike’s right.
“Follow your passion” is not lousy advice because no one should. It’s lousy advice because it can easily be used as an excuse not to take control, start doing something, and get good at it.
Are you bringing your passion to your work, or are you chasing it?
Passion is Not the Same As Purpose
An internet search on passion vs purpose brings about 95000000 results. Take your pick of articles that overanalyze the differences.
For me, I keep it simple:
- Passion is what I feel like doing right now
- Purpose is what I know I should be doing and what ultimately brings me peace and joy and that through which I can make a positive impact
Both are necessary, but you use passion as fuel. It’s fuel for the day and the job at hand.
Passion is the Choice of a Pro
You make a decision each day in how you show up in your job and life.
Seth Godin in “The Practice” says doing what you love is for amateurs. Loving what you do, however, is for the true professional. That love is born out of bringing your passion, rather than chasing it.
You choose to have passion by showing up, caring, and mastering.
The pro makes that choice.
Passion is Caring About Your Craft
“Craft is when you meet up with someone else who’s serious about her craft and you talk for hours about the subtle nuances and acquired wisdom of the work. Craft is when you realize you’re building muscles and habits that are helping you do better whatever it is you do. Craft is when you have a deep respect for the form and shape and content of what you’re doing. Craft is when you’re humbled because you know that no matter how many years you get to do this, there will always be room to learn and grow.”
— Rob Bell, How to Be Here
A craftsman doesn’t follow his passion. A craftsman brings his passion with him.
Think about the best performers and happiest professionals you know.
She probably isn’t afraid to talk about work outside of work.
He’d probably be happy to show you the nuances of his tools, or methodology, or team.
She’s probably stayed late to help someone else get it right.
He probably understands details about his work, and possibly your work, that no one else does.
She probably knows a lot of history about her industry.
A Passionate Craftsman Cares About Details
The passionate cabinet maker cares about how the cabinet looks when it leaves his shop. But he also cares a great deal about how it looks when it’s installed.
Is it level?
Is it placed at the proper height?
Was it cleaned after installation?
The passionate accountant cares about whether she’s got the right answer. But she also cares about the colors, format, and automation she’s built into the spreadsheet.
Does the summary page make sense to someone who is seeing it for the first time?
Do the graphs automatically update without intervention?
Is it easy and obvious how to do what-if analyses?
A Passionate Craftsman Cares About Tools
When a passionate chef shows up at the restaurant, she brings her own knives.
She likely won’t let you use them. She cares about her knives and who uses them because they are an extension of her. They feel familiar and good in her hands. They give her confidence in her ability because of this familiarity. They never distract her.
In reward for their service, she carefully cleans, sharpens, and stores them.
You should ask her about her knives because although she may not let you use them, she’d love to tell you about them. In fact, this is how she knows you care about her.
With her set of meticulously cared-for knives, she starts there and then adapts to the remainder of her surroundings.
A passionate software developer needs administrative credentials on his computer.
He has little regard for the IT department’s rules. The IT department is the enemy.
He’s cultivated a set of tools, applications, and automations upon which he relies to do his best work. The look and feel down to the colors make a difference for him. He works from the command line, knows the keyboard shortcuts, and can intuit his way through new scenarios. He never enables “auto-update” because he wants control over what and when.
When properly configured, his machine feels familiar and good in his hands. It gives him confidence, and never distracts him.
You should ask him about Python vs Java or Windows vs Linux because he’d love to grab and beer and debate. This is how he knows you care about him.
With his platform tuned to his liking, he starts there, and then he adapts to the remainder of his surroundings.
A Passionate Craftsman Keeps Up With Modernity
Even though the chef and software developer want their tools the way they want them, they are also on the lookout for new and better.
Each adapts to new tools when needed or when the benefits become clear. Each takes the industry’s pulse to see if anything new will help them at their craft.
They only adopt new if new brings forward progress. And they discern forward progress from shiny objects.
If you want to know about the latest gizmos, methodologies, and science in your industry, ask a craftsman.
How To Bring Your Passion With You
Ask yourself these questions:
What engages you about the work you do?
Where can you attach purpose?
How best can you make an impact?
What skills or tools would you love to master?
I agree that not everyone can bring passion to any line of work. If you can’t find answers to any of the above questions, it’s time for a change.
Give yourself a chance, however, especially if you feel stuck.
It’s hard emotional work. That’s why so many people wander throughout their professional life complaining about their job, boss, or business. Most people are looking for shortcuts or feel safe and vindicated as the victim. Lack of passion is an excuse.
But that’s not you. Make the choice.
Don’t follow your passion, but bring it with you each day.
