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  • October 15, 2019
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review (website)

3 Reasons It's So Hard to 'Follow Your Passion'

By: Jon M. Jachimowicz
  • Format:Electronic
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Abstract

We’re often told to follow our passion. But research shows that many of us don’t know how to do so. How do we fix this? Research on passion suggests that we need to understand three key things: (1) passion is not something one finds, but rather, it is something to be developed; (2) it is challenging to pursue your passion, especially as it wanes over time; and (3) passion can also lead us astray, and it is therefore important to recognize its limits.

Keywords

Passion; Career; Personal Development and Career

Citation

Jachimowicz, Jon M. "3 Reasons It's So Hard to 'Follow Your Passion'." Harvard Business Review (website) (October 15, 2019).
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About The Author

Jon M. Jachimowicz

Organizational Behavior
→More Publications

More from the Author

    • April 2025
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    Giving Up on a Passion: Elizabeth Rowe at the Boston Symphony Orchestra

    By: Jon M. Jachimowicz, Maisie Wiltshire-Gordon and Alexis Lefort
    • September 2024
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    A Potential Pitfall of Passion: Passion Is Associated with Performance Overconfidence

    By: Erica R. Bailey, Kai Krautter, Wen Wu, Adam D. Galinsky and Jon M. Jachimowicz
    • July 24, 2024
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    Research: How Passion Can Backfire at Work

    By: Erica R. Bailey, Kai Krautter, Wen Wu, Adam D. Galinsky and Jon M. Jachimowicz
More from the Author
  • Giving Up on a Passion: Elizabeth Rowe at the Boston Symphony Orchestra By: Jon M. Jachimowicz, Maisie Wiltshire-Gordon and Alexis Lefort
  • A Potential Pitfall of Passion: Passion Is Associated with Performance Overconfidence By: Erica R. Bailey, Kai Krautter, Wen Wu, Adam D. Galinsky and Jon M. Jachimowicz
  • Research: How Passion Can Backfire at Work By: Erica R. Bailey, Kai Krautter, Wen Wu, Adam D. Galinsky and Jon M. Jachimowicz
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