Few people have a passion that neatly translates into a career, and following one's passions often leads to misguided career moves. Rather, your satisfaction at work has more to do with your experience with that work rather than the type of work.
To have intrinsic motivation at work, you need:
<ol>
<li>Autonomy - feeling like you have control over your time</li>
<li>Competence – the feeling that you’re good at your work</li>
<li>Relatedness – connecting with other people in the process</li>
</ol>

"Follow your passions" is bad advice

<ul>
<li>A "passion mindset" focuses on what the world can offer to you - what perfect job can you find to fit your passions? This often leads to confusion and wandering from job to job.</li>
<li>A "craftsman mindset" focuses on what you can offer the world in whatever position you are in and offers clarity.</li>
</ul>

Think about what you can offer the world

A job that satisfies the ingredients of intrinsic motivation is rare and valuable, so you need to develop rare and valuable skills to offer in exchange.
Career capital = the value of competencies, knowledge and individual personality attributes you have to produce economic value." (LinkedIn)

To get a great job you have to offer something great

Deliberate practice = practice that stretches your abilities and provides instant feedback
It has been estimated by interviewing masters of particular skills that to excel at a complex task takes 10,000 hours of practice. You need to have patience and keep working.

It takes practice to build career capital

Once you've developed your career capital and learned some rare and valuable skills, you will be more valuable to your employer.
Use this leverage to negotiate shorter hours, more freedom, etc.

Use career capital to "buy" perks

Little bets = bite-sized, carefully chosen projects that take no more than a few months, give you valuable feedback, and help you to determine your next steps.
You don't need to commit to a project that will determine your work life for the next few years. Take on small projects and continuously adapt.

Take on "little bets"

To create a successful project it must:
<ol>
<li>Compel people who discover it to tell others (nothing that has been done before or is boring)</li>
<li>Be launched in a venue that supports that sharing (the internet, social media, research journals, etc.)</li>
</ol>

The "law of remarkability"

In an unorthodox approach, Georgetown University professor Cal Newport debunks the long-held belief that "follow your passion" is good advice, and sets out on a quest to discover the reality of how people end up loving their careers. Not only are pre-existing passions rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work, but a focus on passion over skill can be dangerous, leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping. Spending time with organic farmers, venture capitalists, screenwriters, freelance computer programmers, and others who admitted to deriving great satisfaction from their work, Newport uncovers the strategies they used and the pitfalls they avoided in developing their compelling careers. Cal reveals that matching your job to a pre-existing passion does not matter. Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before. In other words, what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it. With a title taken from the comedian Steve Martin, who once said his advice for aspiring entertainers was to "be so good they can't ignore you," Cal Newport's clearly written manifesto is mandatory reading for anyone fretting about what to do with their life, or frustrated by their current job situation and eager to find a fresh new way to take control of their livelihood. He provides an evidence-based blueprint for creating work you love, and will change the way you think about careers, happiness, and the crafting of a remarkable life.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

books

Books

In an unorthodox approach, Georgetown University professor Cal Newport debunks the long-held belief that "follow your passion" is good advice, and sets out on a quest to discover the reality of how people end up loving their careers. Not only are pre-existing passions rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work, but a focus on passion over skill can be dangerous, leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping. Spending time with organic farmers, venture capitalists, screenwriters, freelance computer programmers, and others who admitted to deriving great satisfaction from their work, Newport uncovers the strategies they used and the pitfalls they avoided in developing their compelling careers. Cal reveals that matching your job to a pre-existing passion does not matter. Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before. In other words, what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it. With a title taken from the comedian Steve Martin, who once said his advice for aspiring entertainers was to "be so good they can't ignore you," Cal Newport's clearly written manifesto is mandatory reading for anyone fretting about what to do with their life, or frustrated by their current job situation and eager to find a fresh new way to take control of their livelihood. He provides an evidence-based blueprint for creating work you love, and will change the way you think about careers, happiness, and the crafting of a remarkable life.

Cal Newport is Provost’s Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University, and the author of seven books. His ideas and writing are frequently featured in major publications and on TV and radio.From his website: "I write about the intersection of digital technology and culture. I’m particularly interested in our struggle to deploy these tools in ways that support instead of subvert the things we care about in both our personal and professional lives."

Cal Newport

So Good They Can't Ignore You

This is commonly viewed as a negative experience but actually has lots of benefits, like:<ul><li>Benefiting social relationships</li><li>Improving creativity and confidence</li><li>Making you better at regulating emotions</li></ul>When you feel stressed out, try taking some time for yourself to recharge and reflect.

Spend more time alone

Reject the idea of busyness as a status symbol. Not taking time to slow down can cause burnout, anxiety disorders, and stress-related health issues. Doing nothing can recharge us and make us more productive when we get back into it.

Try doing nothing

Going through your day and greeting your neighbors, the barista, fellow members in a gym class, etc. makes you feel more connected and creates a feeling of belonging to a community. These "weak ties":<ul><li>improve our job prospects</li><li>can give us valuable recommendations</li><li>make us more empathetic</li></ul>

Make more "casual" friends

Let go of negative expectations and accept that we can never perfectly prepare for a challenge. Be present in the current moment and savor good experiences and feelings.

Enjoy things when they're good

Sometimes we need a mental break and not always be working on solving intellectual problems or doing something "productive". If a TV show or song is enjoyable to you, why feel embarassed or guilty about it?

Enjoy your "guilty pleasures"

Looking at your accomplishments positively decreases stress and encourages better habits! Accept compliments that others give you and give yourself compliments as well.

Learn to accept compliments

Even if you've experienced something before, don't assume that you have experiened all the joy that there is to gain from it! Novelty is often overrated.

Embrace repeat experiences

If you try to ignore upsetting feelings like regret, it can diminish your joy or even manifest itself as physical pain.  Instead, slow down, be aware of the present moment and what sensations you are feeling, and accept how you feel while understanding that this feeling won't last forever. Regret is just a signal that improvement is possible.

Instead of dwelling on regrets, focus on self improvement.

mentalhealth

Mental Health

8 Ways to Be Kinder to Yourself in 2020

These days, traditional fields are not necessarily a ticket to job security. You can be passionate about many things and still be successful - you find a way to fit all of your interests into your life or even tie them together into one career.

It's okay to have many interests

Umbrella career = encompasses many interests Ex. Blogging is a popular umbrella career that combines writing, marketing, business, and any interests that you are blogging about. Ex. A filmmaker who makes films about Roman history, high fashion, subatomic physics Ex. An innkeeper who is a storyteller, decorator, gardener, chef

Find an "umbrella career"

If you have tons of interests, choose a few to focus on at a time, called your "focal points". How many? 4 is recommended so that you can stay engaged by pursuing multiple things at once, but not get overwhelmed. You can change your focal points at any time or keep them around as long as you like.

Narrow your many interests by choosing "focal points"

A J-O-B is just a day job that allows you to pursue your main interests/passions (your focal points) by providing some sort of resource, like:<ul><li>networking opportunities</li><li>access to relevant classes or special equipment</li><li>an energy balance (if your focal points are solitary activities and your J-O-B is very social, for example)</li></ul>Your identity does not live in your J-O-B, it lives in your focal points. A J-O-B allows you to pursue your focal points without any pressure to earn money from those focal points.

Get a J-O-B to support your interests

Having some help along your journey is a huge asset. A mentor = has already done what you're trying to do and can guide you along the path A life coach = can help you problem solve from a completely neutral viewpoint (in a way that your friends and family can't)

Mentors and life coaches can be a huge help

Holding events can connect you to valuable resources and inspire new ideas.<ul><li>Brainstorming party = invite friends, relatives, and colleagues to do some brainstorming on how you can pursue your interests</li><li>Resource party = an event where everyone looks for and contributes equipment, materials, useful information, and contacts </li></ul>

Tap into your network for ideas and resources

Perfectionism often causes people to overwhelm themselves, freeze up, and not take any action. Be methodical about your perfectionism by looking at your to do list and deciding:<ul><li>Which tasks call for 100% perfection?</li><li>75%?</li><li>50%?</li><li>Just 25%?</li></ul>

Be a "perfect perfectionist"

Updated edition of the author's The Renaissance soul: life design for people with too many passions to pick just one, published in 2006.

The guide to leading a creative, passionate, and multifaceted life—big enough to embrace all your dreams Are you unwilling to settle on doing just one thing “for the rest of your life”? Do you jump at the chance to learn something new—or, after achieving success in one field, find yourself yearning for new challenges and looking around for something different to do? If so, you may be a Renaissance Soul. The Renaissance Soul is the first book devoted to this personality type, and in this updated edition—in paperback for the first time— author Margaret Lobenstine offers a life-planning strategy perfectly in tune with those who fear becoming “a jack-of-all-trades and master of none.” Discover how to design a vibrant, fulfilling life and how to: • Manage your time the Renaissance Soul way • Thrive on many interests without feeling scattered or overwhelmed • Pursue your passions even if they “don’t pay” • Carry your dreams forward no matter what your day job is. Stocked with creative, doable exercises, relevant resources, and interviews with successful Renaissance Souls, this is “one self-help book that is exactly as advertised, well thought out and offering sage advice” (Boston Globe).

So Good They Can't Ignore You

8 Ways to Be Kinder to Yourself in 2020

The Renaissance Soul

Beatrice Naujalyte