Discovering your passion – does it matter for work?

"Passion" has been the buzzword for millennials, especially in the job sphere. What slowly emerged as a pattern in my conversations about work with peers is a subtle shift from passion to boundaries. Which made me question – is passion still a thing for work?

The debate about passion for work

When researching for a previous post on how to navigate a career, there were many material on working for something you're passionate about. However, there were equally as many cautionary tales of turning passion into work.

Both camps had great supporting points, with some supporting Mark Twain or Confucius' philosophy to "find a job you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life". This encapsulates how passion negates the dreariness of work. It's a powerful motivator for when work becomes challenging. Most importantly, it makes work fulfilling and brings happiness.

On the flip side, passion can be seen as something to be taken advantage of. If hired for passion, one is expected to give more time and energy, and could be subjected to exploitation with working unpaid overtime or taking on side projects that are not aligned to personal goals. There's also a risk of turning something you love into work that kills the passion you once had.

Defining passion

Passion has its etymology in the Latin word, "passio" and further back to "pati", which means to suffer. However, today it is defined as a strong state of emotion, often desire or enthusiasm. What you are passionate about is usually prompted by what interest you, what makes you happy doing it, and what keeps you engaged for as long as possible.

Finding ikigai

"Figure out what you really love to do in life and then find a way to get paid for it" was an advice that Kris Jenner gave in her Masterclass of personal branding. Would getting paid then be the antidote of working for passion?

The Japanese concept of ikigai has its origin in the research of happiness and longevity. In their bestseller book, Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles detailed how people who have defined their ikigai – their reason for being – have a strong sense of purpose, making their bodies strong and thus live longer.

Finding ikigai is not easy but achievable. The framework below examines what you like to do in alignment to your strengths.

Upon outlining activities in each box, think about time spent in each box. Ideally it is to spend the most time doing work you like (the top row). By devoting more time to doing things you like, focus on what aspects of it you like and enjoy the most. Over time, you'll develop the skills and knowledge that can help you earn money too.

Purpose of work and its prioritisation

It is clear to me that finding ikigai will take time, but time is precious that we cannot afford to squander. It feels like the answer to passion at work boils down to how you want to prioritise work. It ties back to what is the role work play in your life, and are you drawing your boundaries of time between work and play.

When work and play starts to blur, that's the start of "obsessive passion", a term coined by Taha Yasseri, an associate professor of sociology at University College Dublin. When your career overshadows all other parts of your life, ask yourself if you’re able to switch off your job and focus on family, hobbies or other parts of your life. If the answer is no, you may want to rethink your priorities.

While passion for work is debatable, finding what you are passionate about is still a good introspective exercise to be happy. Passion does not necessarily have to be pursued professionally. It could purely be a hobby, an avenue of play that builds a different aspect of your identity outside of work.

Till the next!

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Little lines of after thoughts:

• How are you prioritising work and play?

• How much time are you dedicating to work vs play?

• What do you like to do that you consider fun and engaging?