I also think passion, or the appearance of a passion, is overrated.
Example: most people who meet my older brother are blown away by his life. He worked his way through a local college from a background of known poverty, started his own coffee business and is a sponsored semi-pro surfer. Our culture loves this stuff. Everyone is so inspired and amazed at his accomplishments. Yet the flip side is that even though he spends his time doing what he prefers to do, he is dirt poor. He has only owned a home once and only for a few years with his wife before their marriage went south. They used her savings to finance it. The majority of his adult life has been spent as a caretaker at other people's homes, or living out of his bus, spending almost all his hard earned money back into vehicles, gas and equipment to keep his business current. There has been very little stability in his life.
Whereas me and my husband in our little lives of no college degree or career suburban mediocrity have managed to build up a net worth of a quarter million $.
Not saying the entire idea is crap but not an idea I will be pushing on my kids. "Follow your strengths" doesn't seem to have the same catchy ring to it I suppose to catch on with the public. But that is what my kids will hear in our home. Not that I don't want to challenge them to keep learning and trying things but it's pretty clear early on with most kids what they are naturally good at. I feel like I'm doing a good thing as the most influential adult in their lives to encourage their strengths, point out careers that may use those and subtly sculpt their activities and interests towards those areas. I would never come out with an edict for them but I think that guiding them to what may be most appropriate for them is the right thing to do. Of course, my older two are special needs so I'm aware I'm much more overbearing in this area than a parent of average kids would be.
The way I see it, a passion will require life-long effort and pursuit. If your heart is in it and you receive enough encouragement or success, your struggles won't seem like work. Of course if it doesn't pan out at that way you will be just like millions of others who didn't quite make it.
But if you follow your natural strengths, work in that field should be nearly effortless. The time should fly by. And instead of your career bringing an emotional roller coaster of highs and lows, you earn a steady sense of satisfaction because the work suits you.
