The Joke Of Passion

We’ve been lied to—gently, sweetly, like a parent telling us the dog ran away to live on a farm. The lie? “Follow your passion.”

As if passion is some glittering compass needle baked into your DNA, waiting for you to awaken and align with it. As if one morning you’ll stretch, yawn, sip your coffee and whisper, “Oh. It’s candle-making. My life’s purpose is artisanal wax.”

Here’s the truth no one puts on inspirational posters: Passion is mostly post-rationalized pain. You start something. You suck at it. You keep going anyway. You strain your brain, fumble with tools, feel dumb, lost, exposed. And then—maybe—a spark.

That spark is what we later call “passion.”

Not because it was preordained. But because you endured enough discomfort for the task to become meaningful. Interest isn’t something you have. It’s something you grow. Like calluses. Or if you’re like half the population right now…sourdough starters.

Stay Positive & Passion Is Not The Prerequisite; It’s The Prize For Persistence