Purpose vs. Passion — what’s the difference?
Find your passion? Really?
Some may know... I don't love the idea of telling people to “find your passion.” I think it’s rather futile advice for most.
Why?
Because many of us don’t know what our passion is. Research by William Damon of the Stanford Center on Adolescence found that only 1 in 5 young people between twelve and twenty-six have a clear vision of where they want to go, what they want to accomplish in life, and why. If you’re part of the 20% who knows, you are lucky.
Early passions are not always a good indicator of long-term career focus (per this discussion on Adam Grant’s Work Life podcast).
Passion sounds singular, when many of us have multiple curiosities and interests.
Passion can grow over time as you become better at something, when you start to master it.
Passion can set too high a bar and be too narrow a filter to determine potential paths for one’s career.
Purpose is even more predictable of success than focusing on one’s passion, according to research by Morten Hansen, a professor at U.C. Berkeley.
But if you still ask me to define them…
Here’s how I think of Passion. Passion is defined as: “An intense desire or enthusiasm for something.” In the case of one’s career that is something that interests, motivates, or draws you and can build over time. It can be activities you love to do or topics you love to think about.
Here’s how I think about Purpose. Purpose can take on a range of meanings from establishing a meaningful goal for oneself to doing work that contributes to others. As Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi writes in his book, “Flow,” “People who find their lives meaningful usually have a goal that is challenging enough to take up all their energies, a goal that can give significance to their lives. We may refer to this process as achieving purpose.” This definition can more broadly apply to individual pursuits and many topics or areas of enterprise, which I prefer. At minimum, it’s ideal to capture what motivates you to do your work, what draws you to want to make an impact. In short, it’s your Why. Interestingly, know that purpose over time can turn into a passion.
Now, one thing I want to be clear on—this may take a while to gel for you.
And that’s okay. We speak as if both purpose and passion should just exist. But the reality is, we often grow into our purpose, depending on our stage of career or life, life experiences, or simply how we are wired. As Po Bronson concluded in his popular book, “What should I do with my life?,” we often only get a subtle glimpse of what we should pursue. So, pay attention to the sparks of insight and follow your curiosities. Be open to learning and growing into your purpose, and perhaps passion, over time.
In closing
I want to be honest, it’s not as if I can completely close the door on passion. Of late, as I speak to people about why I’m doing the work I’m doing with Sustainable Ambition I end up saying, “I’ve always had a passion for thinking about career planning and professional growth, as well as living a full life.” It’s taken me 30 years to articulate that passion clearly! But I can also say, “My purpose is to share insights and knowledge and partner with ambitious professionals so that they can have more fulfillment and ease in their professional and personal lives while still being ambitious.” Both are true. For me, the latter gives me more direction in how I’ll apply myself in my work going forward.
For you, if you can articulate a passion, wonderful. Explore that and see if it turns into purpose for you. But if you still can’t, seek to understand your purpose. And also consider exploring your What and your How Far, which I speak about more in this article, “No passion? Follow your motivations and know your ambition instead.”
Sustainable Ambition™ is about crafting a fulfilling career to support your life from decade to decade.
It is centered around articulating your personal definition of success and achieving that without burnout while honoring your personal aspirations and ambitions as they ebb and flow over time. The end game—more fulfillment and ease in your professional and personal life, while still being ambitious.
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