“Follow your passion!” is the career advice equivalent of “just relax” when you’re anxious. Technically… cute. Practically… infuriating.
Because in real life, following your passion can look like job hopping, spiraling, and rewriting your LinkedIn headline like it’s a seasonal craft. (I’ve been there. I’ve also changed mine “just to see how it feels.” Spoiler: it didn’t fix my life.)
Here’s what finally clicked for me: passion and purpose aren’t enemies. They just do different jobs. Passion is your energy. Purpose is your direction. And if you try to build a career with only one of them? You either burn out or wander around like a Roomba bumping into furniture.
Let’s untangle it.
First: Passion, Purpose, and the Thing Everyone Skips (Values)
Passion = the fuel
Passion is that “I looked up and three hours passed” feeling. You’re into it. You keep thinking about it when you’re not doing it. It’s the activity that makes your brain light up like a vending machine.
Two important notes:
- Passion can change. The thing you adored at 25 might make you yawn at 35. That’s not you “failing.” That’s your life evolving.
- There’s a healthy kind and a clingy kind. Harmonious passion feels like you’re choosing it. Obsessive passion feels like it’s choosing you (and stealing your sleep, your relationships, and your ability to eat a vegetable).
If your “passion” routinely ruins your basic functioning… it’s not quirky. It’s a red flag with a glitter pen.
Purpose = the compass
Purpose is “what matters to me?” It’s impact. It’s contribution. It’s the reason you keep going when the work is boring, because yes even the dream job has admin.
Purpose tends to be steadier than passion. Passion says “this is fun.” Purpose says “this matters.” And when you hit a tedious phase (you will), purpose is the thing that keeps you from rage quitting in a Tuesday afternoon mood swing.
But real talk purpose without any passion can feel like duty. Noble, sure. Also potentially exhausting.
Values = the guardrails (the part everyone ignores)
Values are your non-negotiables: integrity, autonomy, growth, family time, creativity, stability… whatever makes you feel like you.
Values are like the terms and conditions of your life: you can ignore them, but you’ll pay for it later.
If you want a quick way to sniff out your values, try these:
- What would you defend even if it cost you something?
- What do you believe people deserve, no matter what?
- When have you felt most like yourself and what was present then?
Here’s my favorite way to say it:
Passion is the spark. Values are the filter. Purpose is the map.
Put that on a mug if you want. I won’t stop you.
Why “Chase Your Passion” Can Make You Feel More Lost
The fantasy is: find the thing you love, do it forever, and float into financial stability on a cloud of fulfillment.
The reality is: passion fades with novelty. Or the work part shows up (because it’s work). Or you love too many things and your brain starts hosting a reality show called So You Think You Can Choose One Path?
When people treat passion like the only signal, they tend to do this loop:
- Find something exciting
- Start it
- Hit friction/boredom (normal)
- Decide “oh no, this must not be my passion”
- Start over
Rinse, repeat, update LinkedIn.
If you love too many things (same)
If you’re into photography AND writing AND teaching AND interior design AND you once briefly considered becoming a beekeeper… you don’t have to pick one identity and exile the rest.
Instead of sacrificing, try sequencing.
Some passions are for now. Some are for later. Some are meant to stay hobbies (and honestly? hobbies are allowed to be joyful without needing to become your livelihood).
Also: look for the shared thread. Photography + writing + teaching might not be “three different passions.” It might be one bigger thing like communication or helping people see clearly.
And please hear me on this:
You don’t have to marry every interest you date.
The Sweet Spot: When Passion and Purpose Team Up
They’re not in a cage match. They’re a buddy comedy.
- Purpose points you toward a kind of impact you care about.
- Passion gives you the energy to keep showing up.
When you’ve got passion with no purpose, you can run hard… in circles.
When you’ve got purpose with no passion, you can stay steady… while feeling increasingly meh and resentful.
The goal isn’t “pick one forever.” The goal is: notice what you’re missing right now and patch that gap.
A Practical Way to Find Your “Direction + Energy” Combo (No Crystal Ball Required)
This is not “stare into the distance and wait for the universe.” This is boring in the best way: it works.
- Name your values. (Even 3-5 is plenty.)
- Pick 2-3 problems or communities you genuinely care about. Not “in theory.” Like, you actually care.
- List possible formats for contributing. Examples: teaching, organizing, designing, writing, building systems, direct service, coaching, research, etc.
- Test a format in low risk ways. Volunteer, take a small contract, do a side project, pitch a new responsibility at work.
- Pay attention to two things:
- Do you feel engaged while doing it? (hello, passion)
- Do you still follow through when it’s inconvenient? (hello, purpose)
That’s it. That’s the method. Clarity is usually the result of motion, not a prerequisite.
What If Passion and Purpose Clash?
This is super common, so don’t panic.
If your passion is underpaid (or wildly unstable)
If financial stability is a value for you right now (valid), home and stability matter and you don’t need to leap off a cliff for your art.
Try sequencing:
- Build stable income with work that fits your values/purpose enough
- Keep the passion as a serious side project
- Test it before you bet your rent on it
Your future self would like you to test it. Your future self is tired and doesn’t want surprise stress.
If your purpose feels right but the day to day drains you
This is often a format problem, not a purpose problem.
Example: you care about healthcare. That doesn’t mean you must be a nurse doing 12 hour shifts if that makes you miserable. Healthcare purpose could be admin, research, tech, policy, education, patient advocacy… same impact lane, different vehicle.
“Same purpose, better format” is a wildly underrated life upgrade.
Quick Check In: Where Are You Right Now?
If you’re trying to place yourself, start here:
- High passion, low purpose: you love the work but can’t connect it to impact → Fix: make contribution visible. Who benefits? What gets easier/better because you did this?
- High purpose, low passion: you believe in the mission but dread the tasks → Fix: experiment with formats. Same mission, different role.
And if you’re low on both? That doesn’t mean you’re broken. It usually means you’re depleted, overwhelmed, or stuck in “thinking” mode for too long. (Been there. My coping mechanism was snacks and avoidance. Do not recommend as a long term strategy.)
Three Simple Exercises That Actually Help (Yes, Even If You’re Busy)
1) The one week energy audit
For five workdays, jot down your main activities and label them:
- Energizing
- Neutral
- Draining
By day five, patterns show up fast. You’re basically collecting receipts from your own nervous system.
2) The two week curiosity list
Each night, write one thing you were genuinely curious about that day. That’s it.
At the end of two weeks, circle the themes that repeat. Recurring curiosity is a neon sign for purpose building exercises pay attention.
3) The 30 day micro test
Pick one “maybe this is my thing?” interest and design a low stakes test:
- a short course
- a weekend project
- a volunteer role
- a small freelance gig
Track: Did you want to keep going? Did time disappear? Did you talk about it unprompted like an excited golden retriever?
My Final Nudge (Because You Don’t Need a Five Year Plan to Take One Step)
You do not need perfect clarity to begin. Most people don’t “think” their way into the right path they try their way into it.
So here’s your assignment (gentle but firm):
Pick ONE small test and do it this week. Energy audit. Curiosity list. Micro test. Anything.
Let reality not vibes show you what’s next.
