Passion doesn’t always pay the bills

For decades now, lifestyle gurus and rent-a-quotes have been preaching the importance of ‘following your passion’. Give up your daily grind, take the path less travelled and you will arrive at the mecca of money and magic, they exhort. 

To spur you along, the gurus cite the example of hard-boiled executives who have swapped their punishing 9-to-5 schedules for fulfilled days and nights spent making cheese or farming strawberries or churning cowdung into cash and contentment.

No guru ever talks about the financial risk attached to following one’s passion or gives practical instructions on how to navigate the bumpy road. They expect your passion to help you spot the breadcrumbs scattered by the Hansels and Gretels who have passed your way earlier on their way to Dream Central.

Sadly, fate doesn’t always cooperate.

Because, what if you’ve confused a passing interest for passion? Or don’t have the resources required to give up a job and follow your heart? Or, worst of all, are overestimating your ability to make a living out of your passion? We’ve all seen enough talent shows to know that passion and success are not always in simpatico. How do you make a life (and living) for yourself then? 

Consider my example. Gardening is a passion, and it fills me with content. But am I good at it? Not really. Can I make a career out of it? Highly unlikely. When it comes to skills, words are all I have. I need to utter them or write them to make a livelihood as a writer-editor-communication coach. My brother’s passion is running, but his family counts on his financial skills to bring home the bacon. 

American businessman Mark Cuban bust the myth some years ago, when he told an interviewer that the worst career advice he’d ever got was to follow his passion. Passion doesn’t necessarily lead to success; effort does, he said. 

Puneet Chadha, who used to work with comedy group AIB, is the latest anti-passion crusader. He recently wrote a LinkedIn post saying he quit a well-paid tech job to follow his passion for stand-up comedy. Now, eight years later, he wishes he hadn’t as he’s still struggling to find fame and fortune. If he had continued as a techie, which is the job he’d studied and trained for, he would be making good money and living a comfortable life, he says. 

What does all this mean then? Should we give up on our passions and live soulless, practical lives that are focused only on making money and accumulating material goods? 

Not at all. Nurture your passion, by all means. But don’t assume that it’s your route to professional and financial success. Yes, you may meet some talented individuals whose passions have morphed into a successful business or career. But like all exceptions to a rule, people like these are few and far between. 

The rest of us need to identify what we’re good at and enjoy expending our time and effort on. Keep practising those skills and take them to the next level. Not only can that effort bring you recognition and revenue, chances are you’ll also become a passionate practitioner. 

Shampa Dhar-Kamath is a Delhi-based writer, editor and communication coach. You can reach her at shampadhar@gmail.com.