On the advice of a commenter in a different HN thread I recently read Cal Newport’s book, “So Good They Can’t Ignore You.” The main premise is that passion results from valuable skills built via hard work over years of deliberate practice. Only after you have those valuable skills, the book argues, do you have the leverage to dictate your life in a way many people find necessary for satisfaction. Passion follows from there.

The book is a fun read, but that’s basically the entire takeaway. And I find it to be a compelling argument.

Passion does need to be found, but it seems logical that your skills will lead you to the passion, rather than the other way around.