One thing that I’ve proven to make me realize if my thoughts are facts is to try and defend the opposite of the fact. Cal Newport’s book “So Good They Can’t Ignore You” is the exact definition of what I do. Newport states that the “Do what you love” hypothesis for career success is wrong. He states that you should love what you do and then expand your knowledge to acquire rare skills that society values in order to get more money out of your job.
In this blog post, I will be discussing Cal Newport’s book and how it can help you and try to make sense of whether his hypothesis might be a fact or not.
Most of us have heard the phrase “PursueYour Passion” or “Do What You Love” and yet not many of us have followed this advice. Why? I would say for most, it’s because most people think that their passion won’t pay the bills well. Oftentimes, we’ve had maybe a friend or two who are passionate about acting, singing, or dancing but never really end up with a great career. They end up somewhere else. But yes, there are also those outliers who managed to make it big. For example, Meryl Streep was called “too ugly” for a role she failed to get. Well, Meryl Streep persevered and ended up as a big star later.
Can we do the same thing?
Maybe, maybe not. There are just too many factors to consider. Unfortunately, this includes luck too.
Cal Newport argues that to find success, we can just choose work that pays well and then end up loving it. Or, love what we do and then adapt the “Craftsman’s Mindset.” But what is this mindset? Simply put, you just have to be an expert at what you do so that you can charge a premium on the things that you provide say a product or a service. For example, you’re a gym instructor. So instead of simply giving workout advice and maybe nutrition tips, you can get a certification on other forms of workouts so you can charge higher fees. And when you’re a craftsman at your work, you’ll be engrossed at perfecting your job that you end up loving it. Think like Leonardo da Vinci who was obsessed with studying subjects and sketching countless times.
Is it time to say goodbye to your passion?
No. So Good They Can’t Ignore You is just a book saying that we should pursue money first and then we can do whatever we want when already successful financially.
See the point?
When you’re already rich, you can free up time to do whatever you want. You can paint all day, go for passive income and never look back at hustling, pursue singing or dancing, if you can imagine it, you can do it when you’re rich. But if you’re poor, you can’t easily convert your passion into wealth. It’s not impossible though. We won’t take that away from you.
Conclusion:
Would you recommend this book to anyone?
Yes and no.
No, if you’re really passionate about something and would like to pursue your dreams. No one can stop you to do that. We won’t do that. If you’re happy with what you’re doing then so be it. It’s not always about the money you know. I know a lot of teachers and artists who are happy with what they’re doing even when they’re not financially successful. If you’re curious about the book, I would still recommend that you read it. It might change your life for good.
Yes, if you’d like a more probable and practical approach to getting rich. If you can forego pursuing your passion and focus on what makes money then you’re set for the rest of your life. Also, there are things you can be passionate about and still be very profitable. For now, it looks like real estate, crypto, and other services are still growing in popularity. If these things are your passion then you’re sooooo lucky! You can pursue both passion and wealth at the same time.
Want the book now?
Buy your copy of So Good They Can’t Ignore You by clicking on the link below.
Anything else?
A good supplement for this book are featured a few posts back. Please check out “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrnes and “Maxout Your Life” by Eddie Mylett.
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