Why is there so much bullshit about “finding your passion”?
Kevin here.
The other day I was reading Alden Tan’s blog about passion. And I agree with Alden. There’s so much mudda bullshit “finding your passion”. Do a quick google search of “how to find your passion”. What do you see?
Some other things that Alden mentions “experts” say…
- “Quit your job. Follow your heart!”
- “Do what you love. It’ll never feel like work again!”
My favorite thing that Alden mentions is this…
“And then, we have tons of entrepreneurs who constantly talk about how their passion is to help people…
… and then they slap a ridiculously high price tag on their products or courses…
They then make it worse by advocating so-called values of passion which misleads people into thinking that passion is all about becoming rich, doing what you love every second of your life and becoming the best at it”
Am I the only one who immediately thought of Tai Lopez?
It seems like everyone is spewing out the same bullshit… over and over again.
Out of all the questions I get on Refugee Hustle, “how do you find your passion?” is the most asked question. And honestly I’ve done you guys a disservice. Most of you guys need help finding this and I haven’t been talking about this.
Before we talk about what passion is, let’s talk about what it isn’t. It’s not about being the best “expert”, getting rich, or shooting rainbows out of your asshole because you’re happy everyday.
So what is passion really then?
Here’s a quick story.
I’ve always been the guy who was interested in 100 different things, but never was a master at anything. And they’re all totally fucking different. Don’t believe me?
Hip hop, beat making, dance, MMA/martial arts, yoga, entrepreneurship/business, videography/YouTube, dieting/nutrition, powerlifting, books, picking up girls, Pokemon…
And I’m probably missing a lot more. But through trying a lot of things, it’s not the interests or career that determines passion. Interests just help us discover our passion.
Whether it’s jiujitsu, YouTube, or powerlifting I found myself asking these 3 things…
- Do I make money on all these interests?
- Am I an expert or the best at this?
- Do I quit on days when I don’t want to do anything?
The answer? No.
But at least I felt fucking excited to be alive. No matter what I would show up everyday even when I didn’t feel like it. Passion isn’t what your job is or what you do. It’s a feeling.
And you want to know the crazy thing?
You can take the most boring thing ever and still find your passion.
Let’s take pharmacy. It’s not as exciting as sky diving, but how do you unlock the “passion” with that?
There’s a lot of bullshit I take in pharmacy, but every job has it’s bad days. We’re human. Let’s focus on the best parts.
- I support people during their different life stages (newborn, cancer, pregnancy scares, herpes, etc…)
- I get to help the community and do the mudda bonding time with interns at health fairs
- I created a YouTube channel dedicated to help give pharmacy a real voice and personality
What do all these things have in common?
It was through all these things where I realized I love connecting with people, seeing personal growth, and I feel like my purpose is bigger than just counting pills.
So how do you find your passion?
Ready for the easiest guide?
- Try things out that you’re interested in
- See if you keep on doing it
- Don’t stop
And when you do find yourself doing something everyday ask yourself this…
- Do you show up everyday unconditionally… especially when you feel like ass?
- Do you learn something new and get to create?
- Is it your lifestyle? Something that you’re not willing to give up?
That’s passion. See? It doesn’t have to be so damn serious all the time. Have fun.
This is how you find something meaningful in your life. Treat this like a date for yourself. Give yourself the time to explore. Stop letting society and other people tell you what to do.
…and you get to do this. All while keeping your job and staying in school.
So what do you think about passion? What have you tried looking for your passion?
Let me know how it goes and what you find. I’ll feature top comments in the next post.
Until next time,
Kevin Yee
PS… here’s some earlier articles about passion.
What a wonderfully thought-provoking post, Dr. Yee!
Here is my current take on passion:
Passion is a sustainable form of energy that drives you on the long run. For me, passion is conditional on first being mentally and physically healthy such that I am fit enough to pursue any interest at any time. Passion manifests through relentless dedication towards achieving a set of goals. Defining your goals can efficiently channel your passion into tangible progress and perhaps success.
My current passions are fitness and mental health. I strive to engage in consistent amounts of daily self-care by exercising, reading, and spending time with my friends & family. Although my passions may sound rudimentary, I found that attending to life’s basic needs serves as the foundation for sustainable efforts in future pursuits. Moving forward, I hope to find additional passions to showcase my personality that supplement my current roles of being a student pharmacist and mental health advocate.