Everybody likes doing things they’re passionate about.
Everyone likes succeeding.
When these seem in tension, how do you proceed?
Do you ‘follow your passion’ no matter what? Do you go for what you are most likely to succeed at and hope you become passionate about it, or that the success will be enough?
No one else can provide the answer. (Though I have found it very helpful to run away from stuff you hate, rather than towards what you think you’d love). But there are some interesting and unexpected outcomes I’ve observed in terms of the feelings produced by these choices.
I’m going to call it “joy” (not the same as happiness). It’s a feeling beyond surface level satisfaction. Both success and passion for what you do contribute to it.
Tell me if the following holds true for you:
When I thought about this in my own life, it surprised me to realize that failing at something I’m passionate about is a lot more painful than failing at something I’m not.
I have no conclusions or recommendations to draw from this, so take the observation for what you will.