Years ago, I hired an extremely intelligent, Ivy League-educated professional who was highly motivated to work for our organization. He worked until 9 p.m. every night and often left a proposal or report on my desk so it would be the first thing I saw the next morning.
Each morning, I hoped for the best, but most days my reaction was a sad sigh.
This well-meaning guy just didn't have the skills to be a product manager. Little that he produced was helpful, or even accurate. I never was able to figure out why, but no matter how much support and training we gave him, his work never improved significantly.
Here's the good news: after we reluctantly let him go, he switched industries and became highly successful in a very different role.
"Pursue your passion" is only good advice if you possess talents that support your passion.
Another example: I get emails on a weekly basis from people who want to become writers and are seeking advice about how to actually get paid to write. I'd guess that about 90% of such notes are poorly written, meaning they have glaring grammatical errors and very little charm or spark.
More people like the idea of writing than the discipline and talent to hone their craft.
But my intention isn't to depress or discourage you.
I would love to be a singer/songwriter, but lack any of the talents required to succeed in that field. Yet, during my college years, I delighted in working as stage crew for touring Broadway shows, rock bands and other top performers. Even though no one came to see me, it was extremely gratifying to be backstage while 2,000 people were in the audience out front.
In other words, I stumbled upon a way to work in the midst of live shows without actually being a performer. You might try a similar strategy. Instead of being a writer, you could work in publishing and promote or help distribute books. Instead of being a speaker, you could be an event planner.
But be careful... don't stray too far from what you love. There's a Japanese concept called ikigai, which means "reason for being." You have one, but it can take a great deal of effort, experimentation and self-inspection to find it.
In my experience, people often get pushed away from their "reason for being" by a strong interest that overshadows other of their interests. That is, you have a strong interest that is not supported by your talents, and this fact causes you so much disappointment that you stop examining your other interests. But if you look deeply, you will likely find other interests that are supported by your talents.
In most cases, the problem isn't "out there"... instead, it is inside you, in the manner that you think about what you can contribute. For most of us, it is more satisfying to follow our talents rather than just our passions, because this allows us to help others in a meaningful way... and that is a most satisfying way to live.
