So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love

by Cal Newport

When it comes to creating work you love, following your passion is not particularly useful advice.

“Studio musicians have this adage: ‘The tape doesn’t lie.’

There are two reasons why I dislike the passion mindset (that is, two reasons beyond the fact that, as I argued in Rule #1, it’s based on a false premise). First, when you focus only on what your work offers you, it makes you hyperaware of what you don’t like about it, leading to chronic unhappiness. This is especially true for entry-level positions, which, by definition, are not going to be filled with challenging projects and autonomy—these come later. When you enter the working world with the passion mindset, the annoying tasks you’re assigned or the frustrations of corporate bureaucracy can become too much to handle.

This, then, explains why Jordan left me in the dust. I played. But he practiced.

“I develop muscle memory the hard way, by repetition,” he said, echoing Jordan’s long, skill-stretching practice sessions. “The harder I work, the more relaxed I can play, and the better it sounds.”

if you just show up and work hard, you’ll soon hit a performance plateau beyond which you fail to get any better.

This explains a lot about my skills. I plateaued in weightlifting and building muscles. I am currently stuck at Muay Thai.

When deciding whether to follow an appealing pursuit that will introduce more control into your work life, seek evidence of whether people are willing to pay for it. If you find this evidence, continue. If not, move on.

The first control trap notes that it’s dangerous to try to gain more control without enough capital to back it up. The second control trap notes that once you have the capital to back up a bid for more control, you’re still not out of the woods.