Passion is Bullshit

Boom - That's the sound of people's heads exploding across Silicon Valley and wherever else (even my own).

If you talk to a billionaire and you ask him, what was the secret to your success, he will often say, “passion.” But what else could he say without sounding like a jerk? He can’t say, “it was insider trading,” or “it was a family connection.”

Look at American Idol. Look at the first round and the stadiums full of people. They all have passion but they don’t get through the first round. Passion is great to have but it’s probably the least predictive property.

Look around your office. Look at the stapler, the furniture. Do you think someone was passionate about creating the stapler? Passion is just not predictive.

I see a lot of people sitting still because they haven’t found their passion. How about doing something that looks good on paper? I don’t think you should wait for passion. I think it’s a personality trait. Either you’re born with it or not. Passion and goals are just not actionable. Passion isn’t something you can do something about. How does it help you?

My own experience is that when stuff works, I get really excited about it. Passion follows success.

Scott Adams via Forbes.