Note: This article is based on the work of Darius Foroux, who tells us how to prioritize your passion.
The world is brimming with fascinating things to pursue, do, or gain. We all want something at some point in our lives. We want big bucks, for instance, a new home, a car, a smartphone, rounding the world, getting married, writing a book, starting a business, landing a new job, investing in the stock market, and we want that all at once.
This is how most of us run the show. We have an endless wish list, make bad decisions based on our desires, and go through the mill of inner struggles. We all know we can't juggle everything on one hand, especially regarding our careers. We all want to have a career we love and pursue our passions as careers, but because we go chasing two rabbits, we catch none. I also learned that more doesn't necessarily equal better.
Limit your choices
Then again, I constantly find myself working longer hours, but why? It's in our blood. We always want more than we can accomplish; our choices are limitless.
In today's world, we can choose any career we want. Our abilities are limited, of course, but as long as we stay within what Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger call the “circle of competence,” we can turn our passion into a career.
But that's hard because we rush to step outside of that circle, doing things inconsistent with our knowledge, skills, experiences, and strengths, which is a total disaster—following your desires if you want to land a humble job and lead a dull life. But if you want to punch above your weight, limit your choices. Peter Drucker, a management consultant, basically discussed the same idea, saying, "Successful careers are all built on strengths."
Follow this straightforward rule
Tell yourself that "If something doesn't fall within my competence circle, I'll turn it down" when you assess career opportunities. It drastically limits your career options. Barry Schwartz's classic The Paradox of Choice explained that in detail and claimed that "learning to choose is hard. Learning to choose well is harder. And learning to choose well in a world of unlimited possibilities is harder still, perhaps too hard."
The book was an eye-opener to the notion that more choices cause brain dysfunction. We're simply down for the count when we have too many choices, so we must get better at refusing. I go through this all the time. I know very well that I can't do everything, and if you look at people who made it big in any field, you'll see that they've made it in only one thing. How many people have made it in more than one career or skill?
Set aside historical figures like Leonardo Da Vinci or any other bright spark—the bottom line is that people make it big in that one field in which they've worked without a hitch.
Everyone has a skill of their own
We mostly make bad choices because we hate to overlook all the beautiful things life has in store. When you choose one thing, you sacrifice many others, which is the very fact we can't stomach. But we must accept that along with what we already have, and we need to stop mulling over all the other possibilities in the world.
As Barry Schwartz said, “The alternative to maximizing is to be satisfied. To satisfice is to settle for something good enough and not worry about the possibility that there might be something better.”
At some point, we must stop thinking about infinite possibilities and accept who we are in life. Instead of chasing something that doesn't suit you, come to terms with the limits of your potential and, most importantly, come to terms with your strengths. Everyone has their own strengths. Remember to think about what you want in your career, like waking up full of beans to go to work or doing something you carry a torch for.
Highlights
Sometimes, you'll learn to love what you're good at, and sometimes, you'll get good at what you love. This is your career in both cases, so why not make the most of it? Don't settle for a dull career; you'll be held responsible for that.
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