Find Fulfillment by Following Your Unique Set of Interests
“Finding your passion” is advice I think about a lot. I use it to reflect on whether I’m deeply passionate about my work.
Truthfully, the word “passion” feels like a high bar.
I like better the idea that there are some things I’m naturally good at. Things I learned when I was young or are part of my personality. When I’m doubting whether I’m currently pursuing my “passion” I refocus on my limited set of strengths, how they’re valuable, and if I’m leaning into them.
We all have unique abilities — talents baked into our personality and identity. They’re the things your parents knew you’d be good at when you were young, things your friends comment on, things other people think are “work” but you find fun. Once you identify them, you can hone those skills.
They might be hobbies, creative pursuits, social endeavours, you name it.
Your combination of strengths makes you uniquely competitive
What’s great about your individual interests is that only you can be the best at them.
You can pursue combinations of interests, particularly in creative realms, that other people haven’t thought of or tried because no one else is so inclined. No one is exactly like you, with your mix of DNA and experiences.
If you’re authentic, you’re also more likely to be the best at what you do.
Following a path someone else is taking will feel like a competition. But if you follow your own path and go where only you want to go, then no one can beat you. No one will want to go where you do, and if the do, they’re just following your lead.
It goes back to the idea of obsessive interest from Paul Graham.
Darwin came upon the theory of evolution because of his unique obsessive interests in biology and history. A more modern example, Eric Barone single-handedly created Stardew Valley because of his unique combination of obsessive interests in video games, programming, design, and storytelling (though admittedly, most of us don’t have that many talents).
Most people will only achieve mastery in one or two things and they’re most likely to be things they’re obsessed with. But if you sprinkle in an openness to new experiences (biology and history wouldn’t have been enough for Darwin, he also needed to be open to travel) you open up a world of possibilities for creation.
Building knowledge is a form of building wealth
If your goal is to eventually become successful, it’s also worth reflecting on whether the interests you choose will return dividends later.
Are you developing knowledge or building assets that will gain exponential value as you deepen them and use them in more contexts?
Most interests seeded in intellectual curiosity, or human-to-human interaction, will compound.
Sales skills are an example of knowledge that will compound later. They will benefit you indefinitely in many realms of life. Programming skills will compound, as technology is always changing and you can build things that can gain value while you sleep, like products people want to buy. Intellectual pursuits like music, design, science, math, you name it.
If you’re working hard and generating (as opposed to consuming) content, then you’re likely to be pursuing the kind of interest that will compound later.
Why does compounding matter? Ultimately, you want to go deep and develop mastery on at least one or two pursuits in your life. Ideally you’ll choose to go deep on topics that will reward you for your time spent, and exponentially reward you as your expertise surpasses others. That’s how highly successful people developed their success.
The means is the end
Pursue your interests for their own sake. Forget about your “passion” and just do things that seem like fun. And if you think you’re onto something, keep going.
Don’t go after the thing that seems hot today. AI is all over right now — that doesn’t mean you should become a machine learning expert or data scientist.
Follow your own heart, your own intuition. Don’t worry about “crowded” industries or finding a job. Focus on building expertise, recognize that it will be hard work, but that you’re on the right path.
