Wow your comment is so hypocritical :) You're saying he isn't opening his mind. while you on the other hand are not even open towards his thoughts, about God in this case. Just delete your comment, you're making yourself look like a fool, which you probably are, judging by your comment.
One of the best advice Ive ever got was to keep MOVING, if you are lost or trying to "figure things out". That movement will make thing clear than passivity ever does.
I liked your advice however, I found the best way to find your "passion" is to work at a job that you absolutely hate. Every minute that you will be working at that job, you will dream about things that you actually want to do. In my case, I worked at a coffee shop as a cleaner for 7 dollars an hour, washing dishes and cleaning garbage cans that I had to climb in to clean. I hated every moment in that job. I decided to become a cardiologist and I made that decision while scrubbing old coffee out of garbage cans. College was so much easier, because every time I thought about giving up I remembered that without acing a course I will be scrubbing garbage cans. Now I am in med school, and am enjoying every second of it because as cheesy as it sound medicine is my passion.
+Dana Poke my experience is pretty similar! I wouldn't advice people to purposely try to get a job they hate, but I do think people who find themselves in bad jobs will benefit a lot from learning about what they DON'T like to do. The summer internship I did was much like your coffee shop job; even though my coworkers were cool and the benefits were nice, I absolutely couldn't stand the work. And that made me work so much harder on the things I really did care about.
SO TRUE I was ready to just accept that my dreams weren't for me until It hit me that I'm gonna have to have a career and I realized all of this in my worst subject ...math class lol
I like this advice! sounds like a great motivation. i remember watching a ted talk and the speaker was saying she grew up in a rough neighbour with family problems, problems at work really don't seem like a big deal at all.
a third category: you latch on to something as your passion and it takes years for you to admit to yourself that you aren't as passionate as you think you were. true story.
I've always had the problem of being an extremely well-rounded person and student. Which...sounds good in theory, but I have so many things that I love to do. Even if I could pick one thing to focus one, I would miss the other things I love to do! I admit, I'm not exactly good at anything. It would be great if I could pick something and get good at it...but I'm just not sure what to pick. I wish I could do everything. Like, if I'm passionate about many different (completely unrelated) things, should I give some of them up? Focus on one thing? Wouldn't I miss my other interests? I don't know.
+Adele Poling I had a similar problem :) I can't focus on just one thing either... that's why I ended a triple major :) Don't worry too much about what you pick, it doesn't matter if you change your mind. And don't worry about not being good enough. If you love to do it you'll be willing spend time on it and gradually become better. I found keeping some of my interests as hobbies and leaving others to maybe pick up again sometime in the future helpful :)
+Adele Poling I feel this too. I can imagine myself doing several different things, it's not like I want to be something forever. I don't think I'm good at anything either which kinda sucks because if you don't have any one particular interest, you look at what things you're good at. Then you have to consider the long term outcomes like employment and the type of work you'll end up doing, how long it'll take for your to progress etc. It's all so difficult. Eg. In my last year of high school I wanted to be a counsellor but was also fine being a librarian or work with animals, maybe even doing biology or something like that. My parents said I had to go to university and being a counsellor didn't suit me at all so they suggested teaching because it was "easy" and the hours were good and whatnot. I ended up doing teaching for a year and hate it. University doesn't seem right for me and I don't know what to do now. Oh well, gotta figure stuff out.
+Adele Poling I feel this too. I can imagine myself doing several different things, it's not like I want to be something forever. I don't think I'm good at anything either which kinda sucks because if you don't have any one particular interest, you look at what things you're good at. Then you have to consider the long term outcomes like employment and the type of work you'll end up doing, how long it'll take for your to progress etc. It's all so difficult. Eg. In my last year of high school I wanted to be a counsellor but was also fine being a librarian or work with animals, maybe even doing biology or something like that. My parents said I had to go to university and being a counsellor didn't suit me at all so they suggested teaching because it was "easy" and the hours were good and whatnot. I ended up doing teaching for a year and hate it. University doesn't seem right for me and I don't know what to do now. Oh well, gotta figure stuff out.
I second the idea of doing a degree that is a hybrid of different areas. I myself am doing a science-business one with a specialization in my personal favorite strand of science, chemistry, but I also get to take economics, physics, and business management workshops, to name a few. Very diversified and satisfying.
It's like RPG games. Your first 10 levels come out of nowhere, then it get's harder and at some point, you need to start farming, which is annoying and boring most of the time, but if you wanna win the game you gotta keep doing it.
I think you reached me with this video. Everyone in my family don't understands that finding one's passion is really hard and pursuing makes it harder again. It's not only about finding it ...
Good advice and good timing. I spent about 30 minutes, 30 minutes ago thinking about what I'm passionate about. I was surprised nothing came to mind that would give me that ooze. There are many interesting things out there..I'll take the advice of being involved in activities that interest me, and the bigger picture should get clearer. Thank you!
Isn't there something you kinda like to do? It doesn't even have to be "oh man! I like to do this sooooo much!". It's perfect if it's just "yeah you know, I find this nice, I like it". Per example, a school subject (history, arts, languages, maths...). Then, pursue this interest (you could maybe study in this field). Keep it cool and simple
@@arianelaverdiere125 Yeah, I'm studying music technology (basically audio engineering), taking extra programming classes, doing professional video work with friends, currently work as a VFX lead on a music video, and the list goes on. I'm spread way thin and picking just one of these things is extremely difficult. It's all really fun, though, so it's a nice problem to have, haha.
I chose my major based on what I was interested in and good at which was drama. Then when I started my first semester one of my professors would hand us lists and lists of careers inside the realm of dramatic arts, and I felt super overwhelmed! I had this mindset that I had to pick ONE thing and really just put the blinders on and do that ONE thing only. But now I find myself wanting to get more training in directing and playwriting not just acting. And possibly some more technical stuff like lighting design and sound design. I ended up writing a play in two weeks for my university's writing contest and I discovered that I love it even if it is pretty difficult! A famous playwright came to do a talk and I found that talking with professionals in your fields of interest really helps to get you motivated! The next playwriting contest is a province-wide one and I figure entering as many as I can could help me make some money on the side while I am still in school, plus maybe one or two could take off! I think it's good too If you are interested in your major you will find even more options within that major that you are also interested in!
I was not born wanting to be a nurse, I went though wanting to be an artist, an art teacher, an astronaught, a princess, a dancer, to breeding animals, to being a vet and then a doctor and then a paramedic and was in my way but fell into nursing by accident. When I began training it was out of a need for productivity and to be on the road to a career. I didn’t know if it was the right choice and here are parts of it I definitely do not like. But I get to help people improve their health every day and I get to save the occasional life. If you had of asked me when I was a kid of a teen if nursing was appealing I would have said of course not. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else.
I wish I had discovered my skills earlier in life. I didn't really have any skills until I was about 19. At that age I learned how to troubleshoot computer problems and build computers, install OSs, etc. I also learned how to operate a sound board and mix a live band, and how to play bass guitar. These are the skills I've spent the last 8 years developing. I try to spend a lot of my free time on developing skills, but I can feel myself in that dip in a few areas.
Many people in comments write as if he doesn't encourage to follow Passion. They do not get that he asks to dig deep, work hard, experiment on things which interest you. Build your passion, and once you have got it, follow it thoroughly. However, if you don't find it yet, it is not necessary to stress about finding a passion, but becoming the person of your interests is the main goal to keep you going.
I 100% agree. For me, the key to this comes right toward the end 5:55, something "that has the potential to become useful to other people in the future." That's the key. Some people are passionate about shopping or their phones or some leisure activity but those activities don't really add value to others. We have to be back to adding value and move away from "passions" that involve consuming.
Thank you so much for this video. When everyone is telling you to follow your passion, but no matter how hard you reflect on your skills and talents, you never get that one true feeling of passion that you "should" have, you start to feel insufficient. I'm currently stuck in a job, that is fun, but I'm not passionate about it. I thought about changing fields so many times, because I felt the need to fix my "insufficiency". But now I realised, that it's much smarter to invest in the one job that I have and that I'm interested in. Maybe it will become my passion someday. But at least I'm gonna be awesome at it.
+Helensche heck yeah! I don't think any job will ever be fun all the time. Even making these videos can be frustrating and boring at times. If you haven't read it already, though, I'd recommend reading So Good They Can't Ignore You. Newport really fleshes out the Adjacent Possible concept, and gives examples of people who successfully utilize the skills they built in previous careers to move into fields that share at least a few similar elements.
I don't feel as I get better at working in the factory that I feel more passionate about it. I feel more like my humanity is dripping out of me and I am becoming much more cold and machine like. Efficient and precise but so very apathetic.
Next year I'm going to college, and this was just what I needed to hear to stop being afraid about choosing a major. So... I finally can say that I'm going to study chemical engineering without worrying too much about my future. Thanks you! Greetings from Paraguay! -and sorry if I have bad english-
Hey! I'm studying chemical engineering as well. This is going on my second semester in college. I hope you enjoy your time learning about the ends & outs of the ChemE field :)
+Jade D. terrific bro..even, I am also studying chemical engineering... did you already finished or are you still studying?.. let me know it bro... it would be interesting to know it... greetings from mexico :D
This is partially semantics. It's better to do what you love to do and be poor than to spend most of your time doing a high-paying job that you hate. Sure, whatever you do will have to pay the bills. The advice about finding something you "are interested in" IS advice to follow a passion. Most people don't know their true interest at first, and you should drop a field you find you really dislike if you realize it's not what you wasn't to do. Ultimately this advice is good, but in the end, you should be following your passion - just don't assume you know what your passion is.
+M Lunar lots of lazy people invented things to be able to be even more lazy. I guess we have to do something productive to be able to be more comfortable and lazy in our life, unfortunately. or we just end up working super hard anyway with something very very unsatisfying just to be able to pay rent and food.. :( learned from experience.. sounds pretty obvious but most people have to learn from experience to really understand, I think.
Use that laziness to your advantage. Find the easiest possible way to produce results. If there's no way out, find a way deeper in. Get so fucking lazy to the point where you can literally get something for nothing
When I started college, I was a programming major. At first it was so cool and fun, but then it became difficult. So difficult that I kind of gave up and failed my classes. I'm pretty sure I hit that dip hardcore. So much that I quit my major and started over. Now I'm again at that happy, fun place with my new major, but I know the dip is coming. Hopefully I can survive it this time.
I can feel you, I failed my major in programming too. I just want to stop going to college because of it. It gives me stress and pressure. What's your current major anyways?
Dude you pack in a ton of helpful content into short videos. You've helped me realize to just get to the point in my videos and give as much actionable material as possible. Good stuff as usual Thomas. Thanks!
Thanks Thomas. I really enjoyed that video. For the majority of my life I had to push myself to learn how to write, read and learn how to do basic stuff that is taken for granted by people who do not have any type of intellectual disability. You were able to validate my own art of writing. I do have a learning disability myself and have pushed through the odds. I have been watching your videos for some time now. I am happy to say I will be graduating with my B.A. in Communication next year. Thank you for posting these videos. They have been a great help to me. Plus your research, flow of videos (as far as editing and transitioning through a video), and communication skills are impeccable. Keep it up. Let the haters hate.
The simplest thing is - 'If we get good at something we start living it' Which was shown the end . I think this is not seen by many . I knew it before like If I picked up any skill I wanted to do and pushed myself to do it for a month , I didn't liked it at first but as I became good at it I loved it . For eg I tried drawing etc. One of my friends didnt liked chemistry but few months ago he recently discovered that he loves it , why? Because of his new teacher who teaches it in a way so he understand it and because of practicing he got good at chemistry and now he likes it .
You have helped me so much man. I'm studying computer programming. At first it was really fun but I think I've hit the dip because I have ZERO motivation to continue and I've considered dropping out all together. Now I know I just need to study differently and push though. Thanks again!
This makes me feel so much better. I've been stressing about what I'm gonna do for a while now, and It's nice to think that I'm not the only one. I'll be sure to try this. :D
You make videos on topics I've always wanted to share with people. I am/was a victim of someone who loves the idea of following your passion, but at the same time am aware that I'd hit the dip someday... which happens all the time. I'm in a phase of climbing out of that dip, so this video was really timely. Thank you! You're awesome.
My passion was playing guitar, for seven years, until ~midway through my first year in college I decided I didn't want to continue with music production anymore and remembered that I've always had a more than mild interest in science. I'm majoring in physics because it will give me the broadest foundations for anything I want to do in the future. Hopefully I'll get accepted to UMD and then I'll really start hauling ass; I quickly found out this year that a full science and maths course load is way more difficult to keep up with than I would've thought and I plan on using spring break as a buffer as to actually catch up.
Interesting Video. I have 2 things going on that started as interests. One is programming. I liked technology as a kid and after a failed university attempt changed the direction and learn to programm and am working for a company now. I getting better gradually and it feels good but I am nowhere near were I can say that I have developed a burning passion for it. But I like it and keep going this way. The other thing is japanese. I started learning more than 2 years before as a interest because I watched a lot of anime and wanted to understand it without subs. And now I dont have that much time for watching animes but I am still learning japanese and I like it more and more the more I am able to speak. But I had a quite a few dips where I nearly did almost nothing for months. But I somehow got through it and now I am at a point where learning is a habit that I dont even question any longer. I just do it like brushing teeth every day and it makes fun. + you go to places for instance tokio, meet new people and life gets slowly more exiting. So the buttom line is passion is not in the beginning it develops gradually and until you get it you have to make a commitment and put a lot of effort for the chance to be passionate one day. Its not a gift its something you work hard for it.
Everything you said in this video is so very true. "Finding your passion" became such a cliche and it really doesn't help anyone trying to figure out what they want to do in life. I'm glad you uploaded this because you're actually helping people out there like me.
What a spot on Title. It made me stop and think..... as most popular belief will tell you to find your passion. Even I used the word "passion" to describe the feeling of fulfilment and drive you get when you find your "passion" what learnt after watching your video was that I wasn't being specific enough to people that were seeking my help. Thank you for the enlightening video. Keep up the amazing work you are doing from something extraordinary.
My take away (conclusion) from the video is this: Just pick an interest you have that has the potential to be useful to other people in the future and then go after it with as many smart training techniques and as much sheer determination as you can muster. Thanks for the content! It has expanded my perspective and helped me to reflect on what I want to do next
1. What if, along the way of pursuing your passion and whatever it is you're interested in, you find yourself losing interest? 2. What if you have lots of interest in plenty of stuff but you don't know which one suits you? I sometimes can't help but feel that I'm at average in almost everything I do.
Internships, part time jobs and talking to people already in these careers can help you out. My husband and I were just taking whatever jobs we could after school and ended up being offered a chance to work at a camp for a year. We had never considered that kind of work, but both loved the outdoors and were interested in gaining more skill in wilderness activities. We found out it is completely our passion to work with youth in outdoor education which we would have never figured out if we had never taken a chance on that job. Sometimes you just have to try a few things first.
you're right actually, telling someone to "find your passion" is a very vague thing to say. but if you say, pick a subject you have interest in and being good at it, it might become your passion. that's actually right.
It would cool if you could do a video on Science and Math majors versus majors in the humanities and the social sciences. For example would you advise someone to not major in English, History, or theater but instead go into Business, Engineering, or Biology? Should the major you choose even matter or does success just depend on the interest and hard work you out into it? Thank.:)
+Julian loza to be honest, my original intention this week was to do a video on how to choose your major... I ended up writing so much that I decided to break it down into parts. I figured the Passion vs. Effort question would be a good place to start. I can't advise people what to major in on a general level because I can't know each person's individual level of motivation and drive. But here's what I do know: Certain majors have easier or more well-defined tracks to good-paying jobs. These types of majors teach "hard" skills that are in relatively high demand. For the type of person who is just going to put in the baseline effort, and who isn't really willing to think outside the box, innovate, or be willing to forge their own path, a major like this is more likely to lead them to a comfortable life. I wish them the best. However, I'm far more interested in guiding the people who are willing to do whatever it takes to pursue their interests and to make things work out in their favor. For these types of people, the answer is far fuzzier. "Soft" majors all contain elements that can be combined with other skills and experiences to create one hell of an awesome skillset. Using myself as an example, I can tell you that most of the knowledge I've shared on my channel and site has been learned on my own time. So imagine if I had majored in acting or speech, rather than MIS? I'd bet I'd be able to make even better videos than I do now. The only word of caution I'd put on people pursuing less well-defined majors is to be very cognizant of the financial aspect. "I'll be rich from my awesome job after I graduate," is not a sufficient justification for taking on $80,000 in debt. Even if a person really does have the grit and ingenuity to make a softer major work, there's no guarantee the road will be short or easy - and graduating with unmanageable debt could be a huge roadblock to future progress.
Yes and no. I think that a better twist on it is "Find a job to support your passion and lifestyle". If you really love making art, make sure you find a job that can support you making good art. Like being able to travel for inspiration, or where you use your artist skills, or where you have a reach to other artists. Do not just see the "Work with what you love" part, that is extremly limited. Instead, expand it to work that complements or supports your lifestyle and the idea of who you want to be and what your strengths are. Do you love to travel? Maybe journalism is your thing. Do you love networking with people? You can become a communicator for companies. Or just something that has nothing to do with what you love, but enables you to do what you love. If you love the city nightlife, work on strange hour schedules to support that; maybe in tech-support, or whatever. Life is not working, but if you cannot do what you love or become who you want to be because of your job, then you are doing something wrong. With that said, yes he is totally right. My 2 cents
Thomas, you're good man! You earned a subscriber. You deserve a million followers. I truly mean that. It took me all of my 20's to figure this out. I am now 32 and finally understand that I was living this fallacy regarding "follow your passion".
Who says that passions are innate? That sounds like a straw man to me. If you spend your life lying to yourself that a mild interest is a passion, you're going to always resent yourself, thereby decreasing happiness. Happiness is only achieved in a mental state free of contradictions/conflicting beliefs. Rather than settling--which is what you're advocating--create a realistic/attainable plan of achieving your potential, and that would include a life revolving around your passion. Of course, one also has to evaluate his passion to ensure it's rationally conceived; as you know, passions can be changed.
Thank you soo much for this video!! I've been studying for a year, and while I've been enjoying large parts of it, I was looking for 100% contentment with my choice, which I, obviously hardly found. Your video reminded me that I need not be satisfied with every morsel, and it instantly restored some of the calmness I'd been looking for in quite a long time.
No, because passions are when you are good at something. I remember the other day I HATE English when I was younger but I worked consistently so I enjoy it as my passion.
Honestly.. this was extremely helpful and insightful. Thank you :D Keep up the good work it is extremely inspiring and I'm sure you've already reaped so many benefits from all the hard work you're putting in. Keep going buddy.
I have found my passion....yes am now a successful person...you need not to find your passion it will come to you in time but only you have To do is work hard and try different things
Honestly such a helpful video, you gave a very logical perspective while also not completely shutting down the theory of doing passionate work most suggest when they say "don't find your passion". Thanks !
Oh well, I am a really a hugh fan of your work and I applied a lot of things you teach about studying, but on this one I have to strongly disagree with you. Follow your passion is what FOR ME life is all about. I dont think that this means that you just sit around and wait til something hits you like you define passion. All people who are doing what they love only can do it because they tried out things and the result was that they found out what they really are passionate about. For me YOUR passion is efficiency and to get the most out of things. So being effective while being efficient ist your passion :). But no matter what, I am still your fan :). Hope that I made my point. Greetings from Austria!
+Janette Piechota from what you wrote, I don't think you're actually disagreeing with me here ;) There's a reason I said "Find your passion" is bad advice, rather than "Follow your passion" - what I'm refuting in this video is the idea that you can just figure out what your passion is *without* work and experience (though in practice, I think people typically mean the same thing whether they use the word "find" or "follow"). As you said, people who love what they do all discovered what that is through trying things out. Once they discover it, they're following their passion. For some people, a passion might be uncovered pretty soon after trying something. For others, there's going to be a lot of time and effort put in - and a lot of experiences that only teach them what they DON'T like to do. In either case, the main point here is that it's ok if a passion doesn't stick out to you right now - because you most likely have an interest in something that, once pursued, may become a passion.
+Thomas Frank thank you to for getting back on this. I appreciate it very much. I got you: finding/following passion: the devil's in the detail :). To be honest I never looked at it that deep. I guess it's like with the ''what you see is what you get''-thing. You can go with Tina Turner and say that there is nothing more to a person than the ''icing'' or you can also express authenticity with it. But I guess the majority would go with Tina :). Thank you again- you rock.
+Thomas Frank Trying something would be an interest not a passion. To truly find what you are passionate about you must know your authentic self. You firstly need to do the inner work. I spent a year seeking to find out who I really was. Only now am I discovering what I'm truly passionate about. You need to remove the conditioning of society and others to rediscover who you really are. If we are not doing what we love what's the point?
+Janette Piechota There is simply a little bit of understatement here ;) Cal Newport mentions in his interview (one of Tom's podcasts, highly recommended) that there are people who have their passion (as a noun, one specific thing), most usually found it early and then followed it BUT there are very few of them. Which, by the way, may be confusing for the rest of us who haven't encountered one specific activity which would hold our attention. Thomas simply suggests that we shouldn't assume that there is this Holy Grail SOMEWHERE and we just need to find it. If you somebody cares so much about one specific passion, then I'd personally add that some things depend on your age. You can go ahead and look for your "passion" very actively when you're 15. When you're over 20, not so much ;) because at that point most probably you had already made some desisions about your education (you had to). It's more like: - don't get stressed because you don't have one specific passion and "there is something wrong with you"l you're just like 95% of the population or so ;) - just because you chose your major/profession, doesn't mean you have to do this for the rest of your life (big one for me) - chose something you have interest in, even mild, and as you proceed and are persisten, good things will happen ;) - there is Holy Grail for some of us, but for most there is not; it doesn't make a person less happy, there is just a bit more thinking, struggle, sometimes maturity (before they realize what Thomas just explained); and it helps you keep an open mind ;) Take care ;)
This was one of my favorite videos! I have a passion for many things and practice them all equally. Finding my passion started at an early age and it's been tough sticking to it throughout the years and I'm happy to have you as a guide to many things I could use help in! Thanks would love to be friends :)
i've been struggling with this issue for around 6 months and it gave me depression and mental health issues until i just didn't care about anything in life it had been a while since i saw anything passion related when i found your channel and this video . i felt the gym part with all of my bones . It really helped me man thank you . keep up the work !
great video Thomas. I just finished my GCE O-Level exams, and deciding if the Junior College route is the right one for me, and which course should I take... This video really inspired me and tells me that it's okay if I don't really have a passion at the moment (: I just need to work harder this year, as Junior College is going to be tough... Hopefully, I can get into a Local University after Junior College, like National University of Singapore (NUS). All in all, it just depends on sheer hard work and determination.
Great video, glad you tackled this view of "Find Your Passion"! I think the combination of passion and practicality is a good view on it for those who "must follow their passion." Yes, you need to enjoy what you do but whatever you are pursuing should be practical. Many people chase impractical passions. And then they are disappointed when they do not see the results they had expected. Also, great part on talking about the dip. It's definitely there in any skill worth pursuing and those who push past it are that much stronger.
Now once you find a way to combine as many of your interests into one highly complex career you will be incredibly specialized. You can probably start your focus with which interests have even a shade of overlap and pursue that then branch into the separate parts that don't overlap entirely then when you've gotten the credentials and experience in those areas and have started a career you can return to the ones that didn't overlap in any way. At least that's how I plan to tackle that problem FYI: French, Architecture (at least looking at the buildings and floor plans), fashion (more in looking at it and making clothes in order to avoid shopping), & good fanfiction that demonstrates various interpretations of the same information depending on the differences of experiences unique to each writer (I KNEW this would be key to figuring out my passion/interests 6 years before finally figuring it out). There were other random bits that when I started looking into it resulted in being a subsection of sociology. So my goal is to study Folklore (how stories affect and continue to impact and shape cultures) with the backup being sociology
Maybe they all have a trait in common! Perhaps find a field that includes as much of them as possible. If you like business, psychology, programming, creative writing, and sound design, consider getting into the video game industry.
That's solid advice, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I want to make and pursue. I kept seeing people making awesome things on UA-cam and other platforms and I knew that's the direction I wanted to go, but I couldn't figure out what "my passion" was, what do I want to make videos about and try to build a business around. Eventually I just started, I picked doing TV reviews because I enjoyed it and it fits well into the time I have, and in that process I've learned so much about the things I'm good at and the things I want to do.
passion is something more than interest, it involves emotions such as enthousiasm and excitement. When you find something interesting it might mean that you would like to learn more about it or do it more if it is an activity. A strong interest on something can become a passion. for me if you are really passionate about sth it means that you can't live or be happy without it :)
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was this. And I can't for the life of me remember who said this or where I heard it, I've tried to look for it before and can't find it anywhere, but it's a quote that really impacted me and it goes like this "Find something that you love doing and get so good at it that somebody will pay you to do it"
Kitty Bruno no new interests or jobs. that'll only prolong the pain. I've actually been forcing myself to learn the more intermediate/advance stuff these past few days. it's easier now because I have shut down many distractions. so I'm going to power through. ☺️
You cannot understand how much you have helped me Frank--or maybe you can. I've literally had this internal conflict for years. I've found so many things interesting enough to consider as potential careers, but remain hesitant because I wasn't "passionate" about it. I thought I had to find this passion, that I didn't have due to my lack of experience, first. you have immensely helped me. .
No joke. This video saved my damn life! This video legit speaks the TRUTH for all of us...thank you for speaking on this specific topic. Thanks so much, man!
The difference is the added component of the emotion toward your interest. Frankly, just picking an interest isn't any better or more helpful advice than find your passion.
LivingAsLynn yes but if you are stuck trying to find a passion maybe just picking one of your interests and trying to see where it gets you will have some results, either good or bad. if bad, it means it wasn't the right choice and you reject it from now on.
I'm at the opposite end of the timeline. I just retired and after *DECADES* of being told to just shut up and do your job, I finally have an open field of opportunity. And I'm drawing blanks.
what would you say to the average college student who is in college but still not really invested or secure on their decisions for a major? maybe, stop going to college until you find what you like? a lot of students who start work early on also slip into to the attachment short term rewards of a job, getting a pay check every couple weeks vs going to school long term for a better reaping reward.
what i've found for myself is you can find clarity through trying a lot of things while you're in college. so like joining clubs or getting a part-time campus job where you can learn some skills and meet new people. it's not practical for everyone to just quit college and "find themselves". i regret not having tried enough things while in my undergrad. if i had jumped at opportunities that were there, it wouldn't have taken me this long to know what i want.
I actually dropped out of college like a month ago because I wasn't sure about my major and now I'm dealing with stress and anxiety 24/7 (thank god I can still sleep for like 6h straight and eat at least 1 meal a day) so nope, not recommended at all.
Thank you so much for posting this video! I actually found myself miserable for days trying to find what my true passion is. I guess I don't have enough experience or knowledge to fully discover that yet. This really helped me clear my mind and know more about myself.
Thank you!! Im sick of youtubers, saying "just find your passion and go and do it". If you dont have a special talent and have not the same interests as these masses of zombies everywhere it wont work for you.
PapaSmurff660 you had one to begin with, and congrats on not messing up so you can utilize it well. But what about those clueless ones not(yet) having any passion at all?
PapaSmurff660 I already kinda found it, but sadly, unlike you, I didn't get to utilize it and got a high-burden, wrong major instead. Anyway, I was mentioning other people that I know, including those who might not even bother to find their passion and just try their best at whatever they got.
Viyus Avery Nature vs Nurture is an age old argument. As someone who has traits off a father who I didn't know had those traits as well as traits off a man who is as good as a parent, nature and nurture are both equally important. So yeah, you are born with a personality, but it is also something that can be influenced
you're born with your temperament which has an impact on your personality/personality traits. Personality is something we don't know much about yet, we mostly just rely on theories. Freudian theories are the most popular (and odd) regarding personality.
Oh man thank you so much ! I've been looking for so long for that thing that i could call " My passion ", but in vain. I only recently discovered your channel ( to me it was like finding a gold mine ), but i can't really describe the happiness and sense of relieve your words ( and your quotes ) in this video have brought me, especially since i have discovered it as i am reaching moment of my life where i have to choose. Thank you so much, i love your videos, best of luck for your future.
People around me are bullshit, they think the things I'm focusing on are just my passion rather than opportunity-given skill. They think of that just because what they do is different of what I do. But don't worry, I don't listen to the, I'm. the one who knows what's best for me.
Hey, friend. I often don't "like" videos and much less often comment on them, but this one made a difference. It hit me right where I was, and I appreciate the time you put into making this. Hope you have a great rest of your day.
Wow.. I just thoroughly disagree with this on a spiritual and philosophical level. I'm a thousand percent do what you LOVE mentality - I don't want any part of my life to feel like WORK in the sense that it's grueling and unpleasant and just something you have to force yourself to do. I think the advice this guy provides may be extremely helpful for certain types of people - but it just doesn't happen to align with my beliefs regarding life. Like at all lol. But keep doing you man!! You've accomplished a lot, looks like. Peace to everyone. :)
i think the idea is that no matter how much you love something, at one point it'll probably suck. but that's when you have to push through and keep working hard on it so you can get past that point and keep enjoying doing what you love. i think that's what he meant about putting in the work.
Flora Pan Ah, a see your point. Personally I like to always maintain a positive outlook, and if I find myself falling into negative thought patterns I do my best to address that, find some happiness and ease in everything even if it is difficult at times. But I see what you're saying. Hope you're having an awesome day, my friend! Good luck with anything you pursue:)
Michelle Mellard I don't mean to sound harsh, as I agree with your sentiment, but cleaning the house, taking care of life stuff, and maintaining your health all get annoying and grueling from time to time and it just needs to be done. One cannot just live under a mountain of dishes because she finds them unpleasant. (I am saying this from a perspective of needing to clean house and feed the offspring of other adults who find life tasks so unpleasant that they just ate cereal for dinner and vegged in front of the TV all afternoon. I'm sorry but your son needs more than pop tarts and hot pockets to sustain him let alone do well in school.)
I see the light. I agree with this concept now. I find encouragement from the fact that once I become good at an interest, I'll become more passionate about it, and get even more good at it in the process. Warning to final year students, you may feel like you've chosen the wrong path, like I have, and perhaps want to give up. Don't give up, press on, become good at that initial interest; new unexpected and good opportunities shall come your way. God bless!
Thank you so so much for this, I think if you have a passion and you know you want to pursue that and all that jazz then yeah, go for it, that's good for you, have fun. but I've been told by everyone my entire life to follow my passion and as great as that sounds in theory it does actually kind of suck when you really just don't have one... someone acknowledging the fact that not everyone has some secret purpose their meant for or something takes a lot of pressure off for me. If I find something later down the line that really fires me up I want to go for it but for now, thank you for making me not feel so bad about being a little boring- I'm sure many passionate people would've loved to have had the childhood I did but honestly it just made me feel pressured to be special when I really didn't feel that way at all.
I'm graduating from university soon, and i still have no clue as to what i'm actually interested in or what i ultimately want to be. Your video helps to put things in perspective, thanks man.
I wasted time on watching motivational videos, speakers always said that one of the most important thing to achieve your goal is finding Sth you do love.I didn't know what was that, but now I think that it is clear for me.I'm a student, so I have to learn a lot and after a while when I'll become good at sth and it will become my passion.Thank you so much.
Thomas Frank, thank you for all the time and effort you've put into you videos, blogs and website, you've completely changed my way of being over the last few months. Thank you for introducing me to resources, and giving me advice that have become vital and wholly integrated into by habits, and day-to-day life. Through a stronger work ethic, more motivation and an improved focus on what I want to achieve, my productivity has increased exponentially, and I'm now on track to achieve to my full potential in my A-level exams this summer, and I largely attribute this to your guidance.You're fantastic at what you do; please keep growing your recognition because I believe that almost all students can benefit from what you post on this channel! Marcus
+LOLLYPOPPE then you need lots of money. investment banking, go to law school or learn to sell anything..preferably real estate :D true story.. amongst other things..
I had this exact question today, and for awhile now. Thanks for clearing this up for me. I was in some serious brain bog wondering "What is my passion" even though I have a full-time career I already enjoy and am pretty decent at. I'm gonna stop searching and double down on what I'm already good at.
don't I just love you, you've lifted up my spirit , cuz I honestly don't even know what my passions are, and truly the only thing I enjoy doing is watching movies especially in my house and alone, lol. but this video will help me settle for something eventually. thanks Thomas.
I have been very careful about what my passion truly is. For me, the words " follow your passion" doesn't really come to my mind until I am facing difficulties doing something. So, sometimes, when my mind is yelling out " follow your heart, what you are doing might not be suitable for you.", this is actually a sign that my will is diminishing and I wanna quit.
Thank you so much for this video. I needed this grounded, realistic advice that's actually helpful to me and not just a platitude. I'm saving this to rewatch later when I start doubting things or I'm in 'the dip'. I really love what I'm studying but I'm horrible at sticking with decisions. I keep thinking about other possibilities
This is VERY good! The word "passion" is thrown around alot and "dream." Thomas answer my question in how do you know what it is. You have to keep fanning the flames to push ahead!
Beautiful vide, there is this line that teri trespicio said in her ted talk "stop searching for your passion" She said "Passion is not a plan its a feeling, and feelings change" !!! So amazinggg Good job thomas
"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."
- George Bernard Shaw
supernova god created you.
stfu idiot, this channel is too intellectually superior for you to watch, go watch religious videos if you're not interested in opening your mind
Wow your comment is so hypocritical :) You're saying he isn't opening his mind. while you on the other hand are not even open towards his thoughts, about God in this case. Just delete your comment, you're making yourself look like a fool, which you probably are, judging by your comment.
"Creating yourself" based on what criteria though?
What you want from life.
One of the best advice Ive ever got was to keep MOVING, if you are lost or trying to "figure things out". That movement will make thing clear than passivity ever does.
Really good advice !
I liked your advice however, I found the best way to find your "passion" is to work at a job that you absolutely hate. Every minute that you will be working at that job, you will dream about things that you actually want to do. In my case, I worked at a coffee shop as a cleaner for 7 dollars an hour, washing dishes and cleaning garbage cans that I had to climb in to clean. I hated every moment in that job. I decided to become a cardiologist and I made that decision while scrubbing old coffee out of garbage cans. College was so much easier, because every time I thought about giving up I remembered that without acing a course I will be scrubbing garbage cans. Now I am in med school, and am enjoying every second of it because as cheesy as it sound medicine is my passion.
+Dana Poke my experience is pretty similar! I wouldn't advice people to purposely try to get a job they hate, but I do think people who find themselves in bad jobs will benefit a lot from learning about what they DON'T like to do. The summer internship I did was much like your coffee shop job; even though my coworkers were cool and the benefits were nice, I absolutely couldn't stand the work. And that made me work so much harder on the things I really did care about.
SO TRUE I was ready to just accept that my dreams weren't for me until It hit me that I'm gonna have to have a career and I realized all of this in my worst subject ...math class lol
+Dana Poke this sounds very much like casey neistat ;D
+Dana Poke Casey Neistat?
I like this advice! sounds like a great motivation. i remember watching a ted talk and the speaker was saying she grew up in a rough neighbour with family problems, problems at work really don't seem like a big deal at all.
a third category: you latch on to something as your passion and it takes years for you to admit to yourself that you aren't as passionate as you think you were. true story.
you look like a very realistic cgi character.
Thought the same thing:
pre09.deviantart.net/2783/th/pre/f/2012/089/4/4/commander_shepard_by_donabruja-d4ufsdh.jpg
shieet nice find
Commander Shepard
HAHAHAHAH
that surely is a nice thing to say!
I've always had the problem of being an extremely well-rounded person and student. Which...sounds good in theory, but I have so many things that I love to do. Even if I could pick one thing to focus one, I would miss the other things I love to do! I admit, I'm not exactly good at anything. It would be great if I could pick something and get good at it...but I'm just not sure what to pick. I wish I could do everything. Like, if I'm passionate about many different (completely unrelated) things, should I give some of them up? Focus on one thing? Wouldn't I miss my other interests? I don't know.
+Adele Poling I had a similar problem :) I can't focus on just one thing either... that's why I ended a triple major :) Don't worry too much about what you pick, it doesn't matter if you change your mind. And don't worry about not being good enough. If you love to do it you'll be willing spend time on it and gradually become better. I found keeping some of my interests as hobbies and leaving others to maybe pick up again sometime in the future helpful :)
+Adele Poling I feel this too. I can imagine myself doing several different things, it's not like I want to be something forever. I don't think I'm good at anything either which kinda sucks because if you don't have any one particular interest, you look at what things you're good at. Then you have to consider the long term outcomes like employment and the type of work you'll end up doing, how long it'll take for your to progress etc. It's all so difficult.
Eg. In my last year of high school I wanted to be a counsellor but was also fine being a librarian or work with animals, maybe even doing biology or something like that. My parents said I had to go to university and being a counsellor didn't suit me at all so they suggested teaching because it was "easy" and the hours were good and whatnot. I ended up doing teaching for a year and hate it. University doesn't seem right for me and I don't know what to do now. Oh well, gotta figure stuff out.
+Adele Poling I feel this too. I can imagine myself doing several different things, it's not like I want to be something forever. I don't think I'm good at anything either which kinda sucks because if you don't have any one particular interest, you look at what things you're good at. Then you have to consider the long term outcomes like employment and the type of work you'll end up doing, how long it'll take for your to progress etc. It's all so difficult.
Eg. In my last year of high school I wanted to be a counsellor but was also fine being a librarian or work with animals, maybe even doing biology or something like that. My parents said I had to go to university and being a counsellor didn't suit me at all so they suggested teaching because it was "easy" and the hours were good and whatnot. I ended up doing teaching for a year and hate it. University doesn't seem right for me and I don't know what to do now. Oh well, gotta figure stuff out.
I second the idea of doing a degree that is a hybrid of different areas. I myself am doing a science-business one with a specialization in my personal favorite strand of science, chemistry, but I also get to take economics, physics, and business management workshops, to name a few. Very diversified and satisfying.
Alex Clover same
It's like RPG games. Your first 10 levels come out of nowhere, then it get's harder and at some point, you need to start farming, which is annoying and boring most of the time, but if you wanna win the game you gotta keep doing it.
Omg underrated comment
I think you reached me with this video. Everyone in my family don't understands that finding one's passion is really hard and pursuing makes it harder again. It's not only about finding it ...
Ameruchan i have the same problem and i have like hit a bump in My life becuase of that
My problem has always been that I have way too many interests
"Don't follow your passion, take it with you." -Mike Rowe
Yes, I LOVE that!
Good advice and good timing. I spent about 30 minutes, 30 minutes ago thinking about what I'm passionate about. I was surprised nothing came to mind that would give me that ooze. There are many interesting things out there..I'll take the advice of being involved in activities that interest me, and the bigger picture should get clearer. Thank you!
5:55 "JUST pick an interest" yeah because that's just nice and simple, ya know
Picking ame interest isnt hard, picking a marketable one is.
Isn't there something you kinda like to do? It doesn't even have to be "oh man! I like to do this sooooo much!". It's perfect if it's just "yeah you know, I find this nice, I like it". Per example, a school subject (history, arts, languages, maths...). Then, pursue this interest (you could maybe study in this field). Keep it cool and simple
@@arianelaverdiere125 Oh, yeah, and much more than that! I've got a list of about 20 tings which I LOVE to do.
@@sanjacobs6261 woah that’s cool!! Do you study or work in one of the items of your list?
@@arianelaverdiere125 Yeah, I'm studying music technology (basically audio engineering), taking extra programming classes, doing professional video work with friends, currently work as a VFX lead on a music video, and the list goes on. I'm spread way thin and picking just one of these things is extremely difficult. It's all really fun, though, so it's a nice problem to have, haha.
I chose my major based on what I was interested in and good at which was drama. Then when I started my first semester one of my professors would hand us lists and lists of careers inside the realm of dramatic arts, and I felt super overwhelmed! I had this mindset that I had to pick ONE thing and really just put the blinders on and do that ONE thing only. But now I find myself wanting to get more training in directing and playwriting not just acting. And possibly some more technical stuff like lighting design and sound design. I ended up writing a play in two weeks for my university's writing contest and I discovered that I love it even if it is pretty difficult! A famous playwright came to do a talk and I found that talking with professionals in your fields of interest really helps to get you motivated! The next playwriting contest is a province-wide one and I figure entering as many as I can could help me make some money on the side while I am still in school, plus maybe one or two could take off! I think it's good too If you are interested in your major you will find even more options within that major that you are also interested in!
+KaylaNoelle1 Awesome!
I was not born wanting to be a nurse, I went though wanting to be an artist, an art teacher, an astronaught, a princess, a dancer, to breeding animals, to being a vet and then a doctor and then a paramedic and was in my way but fell into nursing by accident. When I began training it was out of a need for productivity and to be on the road to a career. I didn’t know if it was the right choice and here are parts of it I definitely do not like. But I get to help people improve their health every day and I get to save the occasional life. If you had of asked me when I was a kid of a teen if nursing was appealing I would have said of course not. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else.
I wish I had discovered my skills earlier in life. I didn't really have any skills until I was about 19. At that age I learned how to troubleshoot computer problems and build computers, install OSs, etc. I also learned how to operate a sound board and mix a live band, and how to play bass guitar. These are the skills I've spent the last 8 years developing.
I try to spend a lot of my free time on developing skills, but I can feel myself in that dip in a few areas.
This video was exactly what I needed. I was at a loss as to keep on going or change majors. I think I'm in the dip now so I'll stick with my major
This is very relevant to me right now. Thank you!
+IizUname me too!!!
same
same
Agreed
IizUname agreed
When you said 'buzzfeed quizzes', it was too real man lmao
LOL I know right? haha
+Renee I. Petranovich yep XD
Many people in comments write as if he doesn't encourage to follow Passion. They do not get that he asks to dig deep, work hard, experiment on things which interest you. Build your passion, and once you have got it, follow it thoroughly. However, if you don't find it yet, it is not necessary to stress about finding a passion, but becoming the person of your interests is the main goal to keep you going.
I 100% agree. For me, the key to this comes right toward the end 5:55, something "that has the potential to become useful to other people in the future." That's the key. Some people are passionate about shopping or their phones or some leisure activity but those activities don't really add value to others. We have to be back to adding value and move away from "passions" that involve consuming.
Thank you so much for this video. When everyone is telling you to follow your passion, but no matter how hard you reflect on your skills and talents, you never get that one true feeling of passion that you "should" have, you start to feel insufficient. I'm currently stuck in a job, that is fun, but I'm not passionate about it. I thought about changing fields so many times, because I felt the need to fix my "insufficiency". But now I realised, that it's much smarter to invest in the one job that I have and that I'm interested in. Maybe it will become my passion someday. But at least I'm gonna be awesome at it.
+Helensche heck yeah! I don't think any job will ever be fun all the time. Even making these videos can be frustrating and boring at times.
If you haven't read it already, though, I'd recommend reading So Good They Can't Ignore You. Newport really fleshes out the Adjacent Possible concept, and gives examples of people who successfully utilize the skills they built in previous careers to move into fields that share at least a few similar elements.
I don't feel as I get better at working in the factory that I feel more passionate about it. I feel more like my humanity is dripping out of me and I am becoming much more cold and machine like. Efficient and precise but so very apathetic.
Next year I'm going to college, and this was just what I needed to hear to stop being afraid about choosing a major. So... I finally can say that I'm going
to study chemical engineering without worrying too much about my future.
Thanks you!
Greetings from Paraguay! -and sorry if I have bad english-
+Jihye Lee Thanks you! Good luck for you too.
+Jade D. going to college too man i feel the same way
Hey! I'm studying chemical engineering as well. This is going on my second semester in college. I hope you enjoy your time learning about the ends & outs of the ChemE field :)
+Jade D. Lol I study Chemical Engineering! I'm in my last year actually
+Jade D. terrific bro..even, I am also studying chemical engineering... did you already finished or are you still studying?.. let me know it bro... it would be interesting to know it... greetings from mexico :D
This is partially semantics.
It's better to do what you love to do and be poor than to spend most of your time doing a high-paying job that you hate.
Sure, whatever you do will have to pay the bills.
The advice about finding something you "are interested in" IS advice to follow a passion. Most people don't know their true interest at first, and you should drop a field you find you really dislike if you realize it's not what you wasn't to do.
Ultimately this advice is good, but in the end, you should be following your passion - just don't assume you know what your passion is.
My issue is.......
I'm lazy........like real lazy......too lazy to think, too lazy to move.............eh.
+M Lunar lots of lazy people invented things to be able to be even more lazy. I guess we have to do something productive to be able to be more comfortable and lazy in our life, unfortunately. or we just end up working super hard anyway with something very very unsatisfying just to be able to pay rent and food.. :( learned from experience.. sounds pretty obvious but most people have to learn from experience to really understand, I think.
+M Lunar same.
Use that laziness to your advantage. Find the easiest possible way to produce results. If there's no way out, find a way deeper in. Get so fucking lazy to the point where you can literally get something for nothing
Victor Trujillo Thanks!
You're welcome
When I started college, I was a programming major. At first it was so cool and fun, but then it became difficult. So difficult that I kind of gave up and failed my classes. I'm pretty sure I hit that dip hardcore. So much that I quit my major and started over.
Now I'm again at that happy, fun place with my new major, but I know the dip is coming. Hopefully I can survive it this time.
I can feel you, I failed my major in programming too. I just want to stop going to college because of it. It gives me stress and pressure. What's your current major anyways?
For runners experiencing the dip, I highly recommend you to work in sprint exercises to give yourself that explosive kick.
Dude you pack in a ton of helpful content into short videos. You've helped me realize to just get to the point in my videos and give as much actionable material as possible. Good stuff as usual Thomas. Thanks!
Thanks for this information! I am so sick and tired of that "Find and follow your passion" thing, because it doesn't work at all.
Thanks Thomas. I really enjoyed that video. For the majority of my life I had to push myself to learn how to write, read and learn how to do basic stuff that is taken for granted by people who do not have any type of intellectual disability. You were able to validate my own art of writing. I do have a learning disability myself and have pushed through the odds. I have been watching your videos for some time now. I am happy to say I will be graduating with my B.A. in Communication next year. Thank you for posting these videos. They have been a great help to me. Plus your research, flow of videos (as far as editing and transitioning through a video), and communication skills are impeccable. Keep it up. Let the haters hate.
The simplest thing is - 'If we get good at something we start living it'
Which was shown the end . I think this is not seen by many . I knew it before like If I picked up any skill I wanted to do and pushed myself to do it for a month , I didn't liked it at first but as I became good at it I loved it . For eg I tried drawing etc.
One of my friends didnt liked chemistry but few months ago he recently discovered that he loves it , why? Because of his new teacher who teaches it in a way so he understand it and because of practicing he got good at chemistry and now he likes it .
You have helped me so much man. I'm studying computer programming. At first it was really fun but I think I've hit the dip because I have ZERO motivation to continue and I've considered dropping out all together. Now I know I just need to study differently and push though. Thanks again!
This makes me feel so much better. I've been stressing about what I'm gonna do for a while now, and It's nice to think that I'm not the only one. I'll be sure to try this. :D
You make videos on topics I've always wanted to share with people. I am/was a victim of someone who loves the idea of following your passion, but at the same time am aware that I'd hit the dip someday... which happens all the time. I'm in a phase of climbing out of that dip, so this video was really timely. Thank you! You're awesome.
My passion was playing guitar, for seven years, until ~midway through my first year in college I decided I didn't want to continue with music production anymore and remembered that I've always had a more than mild interest in science. I'm majoring in physics because it will give me the broadest foundations for anything I want to do in the future. Hopefully I'll get accepted to UMD and then I'll really start hauling ass; I quickly found out this year that a full science and maths course load is way more difficult to keep up with than I would've thought and I plan on using spring break as a buffer as to actually catch up.
Great advice... Looking for a passion is sometimes crippling. Find something and start the journey to becoming the very best at it! ✔️
Interesting Video. I have 2 things going on that started as interests. One is programming. I liked technology as a kid and after a failed university attempt changed the direction and learn to programm and am working for a company now.
I getting better gradually and it feels good but I am nowhere near were I can say that I have developed a burning passion for it. But I like it and keep going this way.
The other thing is japanese. I started learning more than 2 years before as a interest because I watched a lot of anime and wanted to understand it without subs. And now I dont have that much time for watching animes but I am still learning japanese and I like it more and more the more I am able to speak. But I had a quite a few dips where I nearly did almost nothing for months. But I somehow got through it and now I am at a point where learning is a habit that I dont even question any longer. I just do it like brushing teeth every day and it makes fun.
+ you go to places for instance tokio, meet new people and life gets slowly more exiting.
So the buttom line is passion is not in the beginning it develops gradually and until you get it you have to make a commitment and put a lot of effort for the chance to be passionate one day. Its not a gift its something you work hard for it.
Everything you said in this video is so very true. "Finding your passion" became such a cliche and it really doesn't help anyone trying to figure out what they want to do in life. I'm glad you uploaded this because you're actually helping people out there like me.
Such a good video dude
"Pursuing skills "
you spoke my heart
What a spot on Title. It made me stop and think..... as most popular belief will tell you to find your passion.
Even I used the word "passion" to describe the feeling of fulfilment and drive you get when you find your "passion" what learnt after watching your video was that I wasn't being specific enough to people that were seeking my help. Thank you for the enlightening video. Keep up the amazing work you are doing from something extraordinary.
I had a feeling that Shrek was going to somehow come up when I heard "onion" and "layers"
Me: *_WHAT! ARE! YOU DOING IN A THOMAS FRANK VIDEO?_*
My take away (conclusion) from the video is this:
Just pick an interest you have that has the potential to be useful to other people in the future and then go after it with as many smart training techniques and as much sheer determination
as you can muster.
Thanks for the content! It has expanded my perspective and helped me to reflect on what I want to do next
1. What if, along the way of pursuing your passion and whatever it is you're interested in, you find yourself losing interest?
2. What if you have lots of interest in plenty of stuff but you don't know which one suits you? I sometimes can't help but feel that I'm at average in almost everything I do.
Internships, part time jobs and talking to people already in these careers can help you out. My husband and I were just taking whatever jobs we could after school and ended up being offered a chance to work at a camp for a year. We had never considered that kind of work, but both loved the outdoors and were interested in gaining more skill in wilderness activities. We found out it is completely our passion to work with youth in outdoor education which we would have never figured out if we had never taken a chance on that job. Sometimes you just have to try a few things first.
you're right actually, telling someone to "find your passion" is a very vague thing to say. but if you say, pick a subject you have interest in and being good at it, it might become your passion. that's actually right.
It would cool if you could do a video on Science and Math majors versus majors in the humanities and the social sciences. For example would you advise someone to not major in English, History, or theater but instead go into Business, Engineering, or Biology? Should the major you choose even matter or does success just depend on the interest and hard work you out into it? Thank.:)
+Julian loza to be honest, my original intention this week was to do a video on how to choose your major... I ended up writing so much that I decided to break it down into parts. I figured the Passion vs. Effort question would be a good place to start.
I can't advise people what to major in on a general level because I can't know each person's individual level of motivation and drive. But here's what I do know: Certain majors have easier or more well-defined tracks to good-paying jobs. These types of majors teach "hard" skills that are in relatively high demand.
For the type of person who is just going to put in the baseline effort, and who isn't really willing to think outside the box, innovate, or be willing to forge their own path, a major like this is more likely to lead them to a comfortable life. I wish them the best.
However, I'm far more interested in guiding the people who are willing to do whatever it takes to pursue their interests and to make things work out in their favor. For these types of people, the answer is far fuzzier. "Soft" majors all contain elements that can be combined with other skills and experiences to create one hell of an awesome skillset.
Using myself as an example, I can tell you that most of the knowledge I've shared on my channel and site has been learned on my own time. So imagine if I had majored in acting or speech, rather than MIS? I'd bet I'd be able to make even better videos than I do now.
The only word of caution I'd put on people pursuing less well-defined majors is to be very cognizant of the financial aspect. "I'll be rich from my awesome job after I graduate," is not a sufficient justification for taking on $80,000 in debt. Even if a person really does have the grit and ingenuity to make a softer major work, there's no guarantee the road will be short or easy - and graduating with unmanageable debt could be a huge roadblock to future progress.
+Thomas Frank Thank you so much :)
+Bre W that's not the first time I have heard that.
Yes and no. I think that a better twist on it is "Find a job to support your passion and lifestyle". If you really love making art, make sure you find a job that can support you making good art. Like being able to travel for inspiration, or where you use your artist skills, or where you have a reach to other artists.
Do not just see the "Work with what you love" part, that is extremly limited. Instead, expand it to work that complements or supports your lifestyle and the idea of who you want to be and what your strengths are.
Do you love to travel? Maybe journalism is your thing. Do you love networking with people? You can become a communicator for companies.
Or just something that has nothing to do with what you love, but enables you to do what you love. If you love the city nightlife, work on strange hour schedules to support that; maybe in tech-support, or whatever. Life is not working, but if you cannot do what you love or become who you want to be because of your job, then you are doing something wrong.
With that said, yes he is totally right.
My 2 cents
love this
Thomas, you're good man! You earned a subscriber. You deserve a million followers. I truly mean that. It took me all of my 20's to figure this out. I am now 32 and finally understand that I was living this fallacy regarding "follow your passion".
Who says that passions are innate? That sounds like a straw man to me.
If you spend your life lying to yourself that a mild interest is a passion, you're going to always resent yourself, thereby decreasing happiness. Happiness is only achieved in a mental state free of contradictions/conflicting beliefs. Rather than settling--which is what you're advocating--create a realistic/attainable plan of achieving your potential, and that would include a life revolving around your passion. Of course, one also has to evaluate his passion to ensure it's rationally conceived; as you know, passions can be changed.
Thank you soo much for this video!!
I've been studying for a year, and while I've been enjoying large parts of it, I was looking for 100% contentment with my choice, which I, obviously hardly found. Your video reminded me that I need not be satisfied with every morsel, and it instantly restored some of the calmness I'd been looking for in quite a long time.
wtf what he says IS THE SAME as following our passions since we've got to try different things till we find the one that fill our lives.
No, because passions are when you are good at something. I remember the other day I HATE English when I was younger but I worked consistently so I enjoy it as my passion.
Honestly.. this was extremely helpful and insightful. Thank you :D Keep up the good work it is extremely inspiring and I'm sure you've already reaped so many benefits from all the hard work you're putting in. Keep going buddy.
I wish I had heard this 2 years ago, I feel I wasted a lot of my life looking for a concept that maybe doesn't exist
I have found my passion....yes am now a successful person...you need not to find your passion it will come to you in time but only you have To do is work hard and try different things
I love the quote "Work to live don't live to work"
Honestly such a helpful video, you gave a very logical perspective while also not completely shutting down the theory of doing passionate work most suggest when they say "don't find your passion".
Thanks !
Oh well, I am a really a hugh fan of your work and I applied a lot of things you teach about studying, but on this one I have to strongly disagree with you. Follow your passion is what FOR ME life is all about. I dont think that this means that you just sit around and wait til something hits you like you define passion. All people who are doing what they love only can do it because they tried out things and the result was that they found out what they really are passionate about. For me YOUR passion is efficiency and to get the most out of things. So being effective while being efficient ist your passion :). But no matter what, I am still your fan :). Hope that I made my point. Greetings from Austria!
+Janette Piechota from what you wrote, I don't think you're actually disagreeing with me here ;)
There's a reason I said "Find your passion" is bad advice, rather than "Follow your passion" - what I'm refuting in this video is the idea that you can just figure out what your passion is *without* work and experience (though in practice, I think people typically mean the same thing whether they use the word "find" or "follow"). As you said, people who love what they do all discovered what that is through trying things out. Once they discover it, they're following their passion.
For some people, a passion might be uncovered pretty soon after trying something. For others, there's going to be a lot of time and effort put in - and a lot of experiences that only teach them what they DON'T like to do. In either case, the main point here is that it's ok if a passion doesn't stick out to you right now - because you most likely have an interest in something that, once pursued, may become a passion.
+Thomas Frank thank you to for getting back on this. I appreciate it very much. I got you: finding/following passion: the devil's in the detail :). To be honest I never looked at it that deep. I guess it's like with the ''what you see is what you get''-thing. You can go with Tina Turner and say that there is nothing more to a person than the ''icing'' or you can also express authenticity with it. But I guess the majority would go with Tina :). Thank you again- you rock.
+Thomas Frank Trying something would be an interest not a passion. To truly find what you are passionate about you must know your authentic self. You firstly need to do the inner work. I spent a year seeking to find out who I really was. Only now am I discovering what I'm truly passionate about. You need to remove the conditioning of society and others to rediscover who you really are. If we are not doing what we love what's the point?
+Janette Piechota There is simply a little bit of understatement here ;) Cal Newport mentions in his interview (one of Tom's podcasts, highly recommended) that there are people who have their passion (as a noun, one specific thing), most usually found it early and then followed it BUT there are very few of them. Which, by the way, may be confusing for the rest of us who haven't encountered one specific activity which would hold our attention. Thomas simply suggests that we shouldn't assume that there is this Holy Grail SOMEWHERE and we just need to find it.
If you somebody cares so much about one specific passion, then I'd personally add that some things depend on your age. You can go ahead and look for your "passion" very actively when you're 15. When you're over 20, not so much ;) because at that point most probably you had already made some desisions about your education (you had to).
It's more like:
- don't get stressed because you don't have one specific passion and "there is something wrong with you"l you're just like 95% of the population or so ;)
- just because you chose your major/profession, doesn't mean you have to do this for the rest of your life (big one for me)
- chose something you have interest in, even mild, and as you proceed and are persisten, good things will happen ;)
- there is Holy Grail for some of us, but for most there is not; it doesn't make a person less happy, there is just a bit more thinking, struggle, sometimes maturity (before they realize what Thomas just explained); and it helps you keep an open mind ;)
Take care ;)
+Cindy White What did you do that year to "find yourself"? I would like to get some tips :)
This was one of my favorite videos! I have a passion for many things and practice them all equally. Finding my passion started at an early age and it's been tough sticking to it throughout the years and I'm happy to have you as a guide to many things I could use help in! Thanks would love to be friends :)
"If you can push through the pain, you're gonna find something greater on the other side of it"
- Eric Thomas
i've been struggling with this issue for around 6 months and it gave me depression and mental health issues until i just didn't care about anything in life it had been a while since i saw anything passion related when i found your channel and this video . i felt the gym part with all of my bones . It really helped me man thank you . keep up the work !
great video Thomas. I just finished my GCE O-Level exams, and deciding if the Junior College route is the right one for me, and which course should I take... This video really inspired me and tells me that it's okay if I don't really have a passion at the moment (:
I just need to work harder this year, as Junior College is going to be tough... Hopefully, I can get into a Local University after Junior College, like National University of Singapore (NUS).
All in all, it just depends on sheer hard work and determination.
Good luck!
+BOSS FOREVER Thanks!
Great video, glad you tackled this view of "Find Your Passion"!
I think the combination of passion and practicality is a good view on it for those who "must follow their passion." Yes, you need to enjoy what you do but whatever you are pursuing should be practical. Many people chase impractical passions. And then they are disappointed when they do not see the results they had expected.
Also, great part on talking about the dip. It's definitely there in any skill worth pursuing and those who push past it are that much stronger.
Am i the only one that has like 10+ different interests? lol
and many of them completely unrelated to one another...
yea its a killer
Now once you find a way to combine as many of your interests into one highly complex career you will be incredibly specialized. You can probably start your focus with which interests have even a shade of overlap and pursue that then branch into the separate parts that don't overlap entirely then when you've gotten the credentials and experience in those areas and have started a career you can return to the ones that didn't overlap in any way. At least that's how I plan to tackle that problem
FYI: French, Architecture (at least looking at the buildings and floor plans), fashion (more in looking at it and making clothes in order to avoid shopping), & good fanfiction that demonstrates various interpretations of the same information depending on the differences of experiences unique to each writer (I KNEW this would be key to figuring out my passion/interests 6 years before finally figuring it out). There were other random bits that when I started looking into it resulted in being a subsection of sociology. So my goal is to study Folklore (how stories affect and continue to impact and shape cultures) with the backup being sociology
Ikuta Soloak me too:( what did u choose eventually
Maybe they all have a trait in common! Perhaps find a field that includes as much of them as possible. If you like business, psychology, programming, creative writing, and sound design, consider getting into the video game industry.
That's solid advice, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I want to make and pursue. I kept seeing people making awesome things on UA-cam and other platforms and I knew that's the direction I wanted to go, but I couldn't figure out what "my passion" was, what do I want to make videos about and try to build a business around. Eventually I just started, I picked doing TV reviews because I enjoyed it and it fits well into the time I have, and in that process I've learned so much about the things I'm good at and the things I want to do.
Binge Watchers oh shoot never thought i'd see you here lol
5:56 "Just pick an interest you have"
Well, interest = passion.
he actually explained follow your passion in a different way :P
passion is something more than interest, it involves emotions such as enthousiasm and excitement. When you find something interesting it might mean that you would like to learn more about it or do it more if it is an activity. A strong interest on something can become a passion. for me if you are really passionate about sth it means that you can't live or be happy without it :)
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was this. And I can't for the life of me remember who said this or where I heard it, I've tried to look for it before and can't find it anywhere, but it's a quote that really impacted me and it goes like this "Find something that you love doing and get so good at it that somebody will pay you to do it"
I'm at the dip.
Was working on a novel, I'm in a dip too
I believe in you. You can push past this! If you don't feel the motivation to push on, we can look at new interests and jobs! You can do it!
Kitty Bruno no new interests or jobs. that'll only prolong the pain. I've actually been forcing myself to learn the more intermediate/advance stuff these past few days. it's easier now because I have shut down many distractions. so I'm going to power through. ☺️
how are YOU doing
keep going things are about to get fun and interesting according to this guy and he knows what he's talking about it
You cannot understand how much you have helped me Frank--or maybe you can. I've literally had this internal conflict for years. I've found so many things interesting enough to consider as potential careers, but remain hesitant because I wasn't "passionate" about it. I thought I had to find this passion, that I didn't have due to my lack of experience, first.
you have immensely helped me. .
So my life has been a lie?!
No joke. This video saved my damn life! This video legit speaks the TRUTH for all of us...thank you for speaking on this specific topic. Thanks so much, man!
i mean, what is the difference between passion and intrest?
The difference is the added component of the emotion toward your interest. Frankly, just picking an interest isn't any better or more helpful advice than find your passion.
LivingAsLynn yes but if you are stuck trying to find a passion maybe just picking one of your interests and trying to see where it gets you will have some results, either good or bad. if bad, it means it wasn't the right choice and you reject it from now on.
I'm at the opposite end of the timeline. I just retired and after *DECADES* of being told to just shut up and do your job, I finally have an open field of opportunity. And I'm drawing blanks.
what would you say to the average college student who is in college but still not really invested or secure on their decisions for a major?
maybe, stop going to college until you find what you like? a lot of students who start work early on also slip into to the attachment short term rewards of a job, getting a pay check every couple weeks vs going to school long term for a better reaping reward.
what i've found for myself is you can find clarity through trying a lot of things while you're in college. so like joining clubs or getting a part-time campus job where you can learn some skills and meet new people. it's not practical for everyone to just quit college and "find themselves". i regret not having tried enough things while in my undergrad. if i had jumped at opportunities that were there, it wouldn't have taken me this long to know what i want.
Wow, thanks for that advice! I was at forst asking for other people, but this perspective helped me even, so I appreciate that!
Lawrence Abbott no problem! i'm still trying to figure it out too so we're all in the same boat here :)
I actually dropped out of college like a month ago because I wasn't sure about my major and now I'm dealing with stress and anxiety 24/7 (thank god I can still sleep for like 6h straight and eat at least 1 meal a day) so nope, not recommended at all.
+Gloomy Monday same like me bruh
Thank you so much for posting this video! I actually found myself miserable for days trying to find what my true passion is. I guess I don't have enough experience or knowledge to fully discover that yet. This really helped me clear my mind and know more about myself.
This dude is attractive as hell, organized, cool, grounded. Why can't us humans be more like him?
Comfort is why.
Thank you!! Im sick of youtubers, saying "just find your passion and go and do it". If you dont have a special talent and have not the same interests as these masses of zombies everywhere it wont work for you.
I don't see what's so bad about finding your passion, it worked for me
PapaSmurff660 you had one to begin with, and congrats on not messing up so you can utilize it well. But what about those clueless ones not(yet) having any passion at all?
Revi M Fadli thennn maybe they should find it? lol jk i know what youre saying
PapaSmurff660 I already kinda found it, but sadly, unlike you, I didn't get to utilize it and got a high-burden, wrong major instead.
Anyway, I was mentioning other people that I know, including those who might not even bother to find their passion and just try their best at whatever they got.
Thank you!!!! This is what I am going through right now. I totally needed this especially when all people ever say is just follow your passion.
And that's how butterflies are made. Wait, what are we talking about again?
(why i'll never get a job)
I'm so happy that i followed your channel. Sometimes i watch your older videos and suddenly the idea clicks even tho i have watched it before!
are we really born with personality traits? i thought they were nurtured
Viyus Avery Nature vs Nurture is an age old argument.
As someone who has traits off a father who I didn't know had those traits as well as traits off a man who is as good as a parent, nature and nurture are both equally important.
So yeah, you are born with a personality, but it is also something that can be influenced
I think Nature influences Nurture (Mind you, my opinion is heavily nurtured by others' opinions)
you're born with your temperament which has an impact on your personality/personality traits. Personality is something we don't know much about yet, we mostly just rely on theories. Freudian theories are the most popular (and odd) regarding personality.
Oh man thank you so much ! I've been looking for so long for that thing that i could call " My passion ", but in vain. I only recently discovered your channel ( to me it was like finding a gold mine ), but i can't really describe the happiness and sense of relieve your words ( and your quotes ) in this video have brought me, especially since i have discovered it as i am reaching moment of my life where i have to choose. Thank you so much, i love your videos, best of luck for your future.
People around me are bullshit, they think the things I'm focusing on are just my passion rather than opportunity-given skill. They think of that just because what they do is different of what I do. But don't worry, I don't listen to the, I'm. the one who knows what's best for me.
+Red Vanderbilt I really wish I had your mindset.
Hey, friend. I often don't "like" videos and much less often comment on them, but this one made a difference. It hit me right where I was, and I appreciate the time you put into making this. Hope you have a great rest of your day.
Wow.. I just thoroughly disagree with this on a spiritual and philosophical level. I'm a thousand percent do what you LOVE mentality - I don't want any part of my life to feel like WORK in the sense that it's grueling and unpleasant and just something you have to force yourself to do. I think the advice this guy provides may be extremely helpful for certain types of people - but it just doesn't happen to align with my beliefs regarding life. Like at all lol. But keep doing you man!! You've accomplished a lot, looks like. Peace to everyone. :)
i think the idea is that no matter how much you love something, at one point it'll probably suck. but that's when you have to push through and keep working hard on it so you can get past that point and keep enjoying doing what you love. i think that's what he meant about putting in the work.
Flora Pan Ah, a see your point. Personally I like to always maintain a positive outlook, and if I find myself falling into negative thought patterns I do my best to address that, find some happiness and ease in everything even if it is difficult at times. But I see what you're saying. Hope you're having an awesome day, my friend! Good luck with anything you pursue:)
Michelle Mellard I don't mean to sound harsh, as I agree with your sentiment, but cleaning the house, taking care of life stuff, and maintaining your health all get annoying and grueling from time to time and it just needs to be done. One cannot just live under a mountain of dishes because she finds them unpleasant. (I am saying this from a perspective of needing to clean house and feed the offspring of other adults who find life tasks so unpleasant that they just ate cereal for dinner and vegged in front of the TV all afternoon. I'm sorry but your son needs more than pop tarts and hot pockets to sustain him let alone do well in school.)
you're shmacked
I see the light. I agree with this concept now. I find encouragement from the fact that once I become good at an interest, I'll become more passionate about it, and get even more good at it in the process. Warning to final year students, you may feel like you've chosen the wrong path, like I have, and perhaps want to give up. Don't give up, press on, become good at that initial interest; new unexpected and good opportunities shall come your way. God bless!
Thank you so so much for this, I think if you have a passion and you know you want to pursue that and all that jazz then yeah, go for it, that's good for you, have fun.
but I've been told by everyone my entire life to follow my passion and as great as that sounds in theory it does actually kind of suck when you really just don't have one... someone acknowledging the fact that not everyone has some secret purpose their meant for or something takes a lot of pressure off for me. If I find something later down the line that really fires me up I want to go for it but for now, thank you for making me not feel so bad about being a little boring- I'm sure many passionate people would've loved to have had the childhood I did but honestly it just made me feel pressured to be special when I really didn't feel that way at all.
I completely agree with you. People just have to choose what skill they want to acquire and work at it. Everyone is interested in at least something.
I'm graduating from university soon, and i still have no clue as to what i'm actually interested in or what i ultimately want to be. Your video helps to put things in perspective, thanks man.
my Goodness, you are a very centered and commited and SUPER responsible person, one of the most i have ever seen
I wasted time on watching motivational videos, speakers always said that one of the most important thing to achieve your goal is finding Sth you do love.I didn't know what was that, but now I think that it is clear for me.I'm a student, so I have to learn a lot and after a while when I'll become good at sth and it will become my passion.Thank you so much.
I love that you made this video. It's a topic not often discussed, and I've almost thought of doing youtube videos to present something like this.
Thomas Frank, thank you for all the time and effort you've put into you videos, blogs and website, you've completely changed my way of being over the last few months. Thank you for introducing me to resources, and giving me advice that have become vital and wholly integrated into by habits, and day-to-day life. Through a stronger work ethic, more motivation and an improved focus on what I want to achieve, my productivity has increased exponentially, and I'm now on track to achieve to my full potential in my A-level exams this summer, and I largely attribute this to your guidance.You're fantastic at what you do; please keep growing your recognition because I believe that almost all students can benefit from what you post on this channel!
Marcus
+Thomas Frank
best advice i have: "find out what u would do if money was not a factor"
Travel around the world on a big yacht.
Yes but i mean as a job
+LOLLYPOPPE then you need lots of money. investment banking, go to law school or learn to sell anything..preferably real estate :D true story.. amongst other things..
+Christine Hedberg True, I'm actually on the last year in law school now :)
that's good for you :) you can soon afford a very nice life hehe
Working a job I hate only showed me to be determined to work at a job I am passionate about.
I had this exact question today, and for awhile now. Thanks for clearing this up for me. I was in some serious brain bog wondering "What is my passion" even though I have a full-time career I already enjoy and am pretty decent at. I'm gonna stop searching and double down on what I'm already good at.
don't I just love you, you've lifted up my spirit , cuz I honestly don't even know what my passions are, and truly the only thing I enjoy doing is watching movies especially in my house and alone, lol. but this video will help me settle for something eventually. thanks Thomas.
I have been very careful about what my passion truly is. For me, the words " follow your passion" doesn't really come to my mind until I am facing difficulties doing something. So, sometimes, when my mind is yelling out " follow your heart, what you are doing might not be suitable for you.", this is actually a sign that my will is diminishing and I wanna quit.
Thank you so much for this video. I needed this grounded, realistic advice that's actually helpful to me and not just a platitude. I'm saving this to rewatch later when I start doubting things or I'm in 'the dip'. I really love what I'm studying but I'm horrible at sticking with decisions. I keep thinking about other possibilities
This is VERY good! The word "passion" is thrown around alot and "dream." Thomas answer my question in how do you know what it is. You have to keep fanning the flames to push ahead!
Beautiful vide,
there is this line that teri trespicio said in her ted talk "stop searching for your passion"
She said "Passion is not a plan its a feeling, and feelings change" !!!
So amazinggg
Good job thomas