Thursday, November 17, 2016

Wisdom from Mike Rowe

“Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe did a video for PregerU, a website with a religious bent dedicated to explaining American values. It is curious that a TV personality (he is also the cab driver in the "Cash cab" thing and is not, but looks like, the new Maytag spokesman) would be asked to do something like this. What is worse is how sensible he sounds in this goofy world. His topic was the popular advice to “follow your passion.” He argues, sensibly, that passion and ability often have nothing to do with each other.

“If we’re talking about your hobby, by all means, let your passion lead you,” he said. “But when it comes to making a living it’s easy to forget the dirty truth: Just because you’re passionate about something doesn’t mean you won’t suck at it.
“Your happiness on the job has very little to do with the work itself,” he said. “Never follow your passion, but always bring it with you.”
He then wrote this in response to some questions about the talk:
"I’m fascinated by the beginning of American Idol. Every year, thousands of aspiring pop-stars show up with great expectations, only to learn that they don’t have anything close to the skills they thought they did. What’s amazing to me, isn’t their lack of talent – it’s their lack of awareness, and the resulting shock of being rejected."

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