Networking to a Better You

Ted Response – Don’t Follow Your Passion

Brett Rich with B. Rich Consulting offers his perspective on following your passion as a response to Benjamin Todd’s Ted Talk, Don’t Follow Your Passion.

In this video:

In his video Benjamin claims that conventional wisdom that “Matching your career with your passion leads to success, which leads to a fulfilling career” is flawed. His states, “If you follow your passion you will probably fail,” and, “We think our interests matter because we don’t realize how often they change.”

His solution: Do What’s Valuable

Benjamin’s formula for success is:

  1. You Must Explore
  2. Get (high demand) Skills and go after them, which requires passion consideration
  3. Go find the biggest, most pressing problems in the world and go after solving them

 

It is true that conventional wisdom is an incomplete formula. Finding a fulfilling career requires doing something worthwhile. Fulfillment comes from finding and following your Purpose. Your purpose can be determined by following your Passion to do something Worthwhile.

But, like our passions, the needs of the world change and so could your purpose. Don’t ever expect it to be set in stone.