The Myth of Doing What You Love

Some advice just doesn't add up.

I read a book many years ago called, "Do What You Love And The Money Will Follow."  The contents of the book stay faithful to the original title. The author makes the case for doing what you love, knowing that the money will eventually follow.

Bull!

That's why I chose the picture above. It may seem jarring, but the homeless man was doing what he loved - reading books all day. The problem is evident, though: he's homeless. Please don't send me emails about why he could be homeless, etc.; I know the issue of homelessness is more complex than that. But the picture does make the point – doing what you love without regard for meeting the basic needs of you and your family is reckless at best.

It's akin to others who advise, "Do what makes you happy!" The problem is that one is looking for happiness outside oneself. Looking for something else or someone else to make you happy will result in that happiness being fleeting and often unattainable. Additionally, too much concentration on your own happiness without thinking about how it impacts others is a prescription, in many cases, for disaster.

I'm all for doing meaningful work. But meaningful work and commensurate monetary compensation don't always go hand in hand. That's why you'll often find many in Corporate America doing what they have to pay the bills and then doing what they want to through volunteer work.

I know, I know, find your why. I've said it myself. I've taught it and shared it in multiple articles, coaching sessions, and talks. But that advice should come with a disclaimer – don't sit around until you find it. That's not how people find their why. It often finds them when they are in the daily grind, doing what they have to, doing the hard work, and continuing with the routine. Suddenly, they have an idea; they ask a different question or meet a particular person, and in a moment, it seems, everything changes.

Here's the rub – if they had never been doing what they "had to," they might have never discovered their "why to."

So, don't diss the hard work, the grind, the labor, if you will. The secret to happiness, success, and leaving a legacy isn't in doing what you "want to." The discovery of your "why to" most often occurs when you're doing what you "have to."

Doing the labor helps you unearth what you love, not the other way around.