Why “Following Your Passion” Will Keep You Broke

Summary

• Following your passion often gets cause and effect backwards; we usually become passionate about things after getting good at them.
• Passion alone doesn’t guarantee success or skill, and can lead to unrealistic expectations about work always being fun.
• Successful people often explored various interests before discovering their strengths; Bill Gates tried law, mathematics, and programming first.
• Focus on building skills before expecting enjoyment and passion to follow.
• Warren Buffett emphasizes the "circle of competence," which means working on what you understand best instead of what excites you.
• Don't ignore financial realities; loving something doesn't mean you can make money from it.
• Many people working in fields they are passionate about struggle financially because they lack the necessary skills in other areas, such as business.
• Be prepared to do the boring, repetitive work required to develop competence; deliberate practice is key.
• Passion and enjoying one's work can develop over time as you improve and gain competence.
• Work can be divided into parts: a job for the basics, a career, or a larger calling depending on your perspective.
• Change your environment to foster passion and receive feedback, which creates a supportive feedback loop.
• Allow your passions to evolve over time and stay open to new interests as both you and the world change.
• Connect your work with serving others for a more fulfilling experience; putting something larger than yourself in focus can help withstand challenges.

Video

How To Take Action

I would suggest implementing curiosity-driven exploration. Start with what piques your interest, no matter how small. Treat this curiosity as a spark to explore various fields. You don't need a clear passion right away—just follow what you're slightly intrigued by.

A good way of doing this is by focusing on skill development. You're likely to become passionate about something after you become good at it. Set specific goals and work on developing your skills deliberately. Remember that building competence requires doing the repetitive, unexciting parts.

I recommend assessing your current abilities to determine your "circle of competence." Like Warren Buffett's strategy, leverage what you're already good at and expand from there.

Also, commit to the process. Building skills takes time, so eliminate other options and stick with it, even when it’s boring. Real progress involves grit and mastering the basics.

Don't ignore financial realities. Ensure you consider monetary gains, especially when choosing between pathways. Financial security often goes hand-in-hand with finding fulfillment.

Change your environment to support your newfound interests. Hang out where passionate people are, and let their energy create a positive feedback loop in your own journey. This helps with faster skill development and confidence-building.

And most importantly, connect work to serving others. Finding meaning in helping people adds purpose to your efforts, creating sustainable motivation and satisfaction. Your passions can evolve over time as you grow and the world changes, so be open to these shifts.

Quotes by Alex Hormozi

> #### "The real work begins when the excitement to work ends"
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>  *- Alex Hormozi*



> #### "Just because you love something doesn’t mean you can make enough money doing it"
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>  *- Alex Hormozi*



> #### "You have to develop passion rather than follow it"
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>  *- Alex Hormozi*



> #### "You just want to find a feedback loop"
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>  *- Alex Hormozi*



> #### "Commitment is the elimination of alternatives"
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>  *- Alex Hormozi*