“There are four piles of things in the world:

• Things you like/love.
• Things you are good at.
• Things you can be paid to do.
• Things that are important.

But only you can sort out what belongs in each pile, or hopefully, all four piles at the same time. Growing up, we’re fed many stories about what we’re supposed to like, or enjoy, or find pleasure in, and only some of that turns out to be true. It’s implied you need a great career to be happy, but many people with fancy careers seem miserable. You can’t be passionate if you’re living your parents’ dream and not your own. And to separate the two requires some wandering, some courage, and some time where you know the answer won’t come quickly.

My advice is simple: pick something. Do it with all your heart. If you can’t keep your heart in it, do something else. Repeat. Your desires will change as you age, and to assume you can do one thing your whole life and be satisfied is foolish. Developing selfknowledge will help you make the next choice, and the next, leading to a passionate life. Few people have the courage to do this, even for a year, much less a lifetime. But my suspicion is, if you ask passionate people how they make choices, this is what you’ll hear.”

Scott Berkun, “Mindfire”