Episode 574: Why Passion Won't Lead to Success

What if "follow your passion" is actually bad advice? We hear it all the time: do what you love and the money will follow. It sounds inspiring, but it is not always realistic. Loving something does not automatically make it a career, a business, or a strategy. Sometimes the better move is to follow your effort, because wherever you consistently put in reps is usually where you build skill, confidence, and real opportunity. Your passion can stay your passion. You can love fitness, cooking, fishing, music, or watching documentaries without needing to turn it into your full-time job. In fact, sometimes turning your hobby into your career is exactly what makes you lose the joy of it. The real question is not always "What do I love most?" Sometimes it is "Where am I already putting in the work, getting better, and creating value?" In this episode of Habits and Hustle, I share why "follow your passion" can create a false sense of reality, why effort is often a better indicator of success, how boring businesses can build extraordinary lives, and why leaning into what you are good at may be the fastest way to get more of what you actually want. What's Discussed: 00:10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xwawvpyV84&t=10s - The truth about following your passion. 01:06 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xwawvpyV84&t=66s - Why is it crucial to concentrate on your strengths. 02:34 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xwawvpyV84&t=154s - Why following what you love may not be enough. 05:18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xwawvpyV84&t=318s - Why turning your passion into your career isn't always a good idea. 07:34 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xwawvpyV84&t=454s - Do what you're good at. Thank You to Our Sponsors! Magic Mind: Head over to magicmind.com/jen http://www.magicmind.com/jen and use code JEN at checkout. Pique: Go to piquelife.com/jenniferrsd https://piquelife.com/jenniferrsd to get 20% off for life plus free gifts Momentous: Ready to try supplements that actually do what they claim? Head to livemomentous.com http://livemomentous.com and use code JEN for 35% off your first subscription. Therasage: Visit therasage.com http://therasage.com and use code JEN to get 15% off your order. Your skin Prolon: Prolon is offering listeners 30% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Just visit prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN https://prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN and use code JENNIFERCOHEN to claim your discount and your bonus gift. Find more from Jen Cohen: Website: jennifercohen.com https://jennifercohen.com Instagram: @therealjencohen http://instagram.com/therealjencohen Books: jennifercohen.com/books https://jennifercohen.com/books Speaking: jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements https://jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements

• 0:01Speaker 00

  Hi guys, it's Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it.

• 0:06Speaker 01

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• 1:25Speaker 01

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• 2:02Speaker 01

  Okay, guys, this is a topic I really wanted to dive into today, which is this idea of following your passion. You know, I think a lot of times, successful people tell other people that they should be following their passion, when really, in my opinion, I think what we should be doing is following our effort. Because wherever our effort is, is where we build reps. And the more reps we have in something, the more time we put into something, the better we get at that thing. And that is where we really kind of find our success. You know, I don't know where the lines got blurred, where it became this

• 2:43Speaker 01

  idea that we have to have our job and our career be what we're the most passionate about. You know, I love watching documentaries, let's say on Netflix, but I'm not making a living doing that, because otherwise I'd be broke, right? I wouldn't make any money doing that, right? But if I did something that I was good at and made money for that, I can then use that to pursue my hobbies, which is my passions. Like, I don't think the two have to necessarily be connected. If they are, then great. But a lot of times it's not. And I think there's a lot of pressure on people. And I think to have to do that,

• 3:25Speaker 01

  because it's so much in the conversation, it's so much in the zeitgeist. But you know what the funny thing is? I did speak about this. I had a podcast with this guy named, well, I'm sure you guys may have listened to it, with Professor Galloway, Prof G. And he's so accurate when he talks about this part, because he says that, you know, if you really talk to the people who are the most successful people in the world, the multi-billionaires, multimillionaires, they made their money in metal, in the mines, in doing things that aren't very sexy, that aren't the jobs, the sexy entrepreneurial, hashtaggy things that are Googled a bazillion times. It's places where they made a lot

• 4:06Speaker 01

  of money, but it gave them the opportunity with that money, right, to do all these other things that they love to do. And I think that happens with, in real life, I think that happens. I think that we are giving people a sense, a false sense of reality when we just say these very overarching, Pollyannaic lines, like, just follow what you love, and that will be enough. No, it will not. Not always. It can. But I think a better strategy is to follow where your effort is, and see where you're putting in

• 4:45Speaker 01

  the time. And wherever that is, you will get stronger and better at it. And that should be what you end up doing. And like I said, a lot of times, like, we sometimes actually naturally gravitate to the things that we're better at, that we're good at. I did that with my life and my career, my entire life. And I zigzagged everywhere, right? I was in fitness, I was in music, I was in sports, I was in media training. But the one through line that I had with everything was that I leaned on the things I was good at. And it took me in a lot of different directions, but I found, eventually found my way, and

• 5:27Speaker 01

  it evolved over time. And I believe that's what people should do. So when they are following their effort, they will notice, and you will notice, that that effort is very, very much usually in line with where your strengths lie anyway. And if we do that, and we follow that, success will follow.

• 5:54Speaker 02

  I love that. I think it's really important. I was going to bring it up on the execution idea episode, of the exact opposite thing that we were talking about with really mundane businesses that just crush and do really well and have great execution, like car washes and like those kinds of things, like that people would consider boring, and maybe not someone's passion. But they allow that person to go travel, to go do all these things that they want to do, to provide for their family, create generational wealth. It's like insane. It's the award ceremony speech phenomenon is what I used to call it back in the day, where it's like everyone, that's this crazy famous actor telling you to like chase your dreams. And then they just get all, that's where we get all these sort of starving musicians and artists that come to LA and have this, you know, delusion that everyone can make it. And listen, if you can't live without chasing your passion, okay, fine. But I think

• 6:37Speaker 02

  a lot of people can. Also, the other thing that happens is if your hobby is your work, there can be the case where like, you end up not liking your hobby anymore. Because it becomes work, it becomes not enjoyable. So you kind of like ruin that pleasure for yourself.

• 6:48Speaker 01

  So that's a good point. No, I was gonna say.

• 6:50Speaker 02

  Happens to me all the time.

• 6:51Speaker 01

  It happens to me so many. So when I was hardcore in the fitness business, like, I was like, really doing a lot of personal training, and I was doing that hour after hour, because I went into that, you know, I quit all these other career paths, and then I followed fitness. And then what happened was, I got burnt out. And I ended up not liking it anymore, because I made my passion and my hobby, my actual career. I was really tired of it. I got super burnt out, and I ended up leaving it for a bunch of years, and went into media training, because I just like, didn't want to work out anymore. Like, the one thing I loved the most in life was exercise and fitness and movement. And when

• 7:36Speaker 01

  I was doing it as my career, it became so too much for me, where I was like, I'm over this. I'm like, you know, peace out. I'm going to do something different. And I did that for many years. But then I got back into the health and fitness space. I reintroduced it to my life in a different way, not the way I was, I thought my passion was, right? I thought, because I love to work out, that if I just work out with people, that's what I should be doing. But really, I took that idea, and I rejigged it, and I loved the business of fitness, and figured out a way to work within the confines of fitness and health, and all that other things and wellness, but in a different way. That was something

• 8:19Speaker 01

  I was suited for, where I kept on like leaning into, because that was where I was naturally, I naturally gravitated to the different businesses that I could build within the fitness business, and not do it as the daily workout situation. So I just feel like, I'm a big believer in chasing what you want. But I'm also a big believer in chasing what you're good at, because that will follow what you want. They're very connected. What you're good at and what you want, they're very closely tied.

• 8:52Speaker 02

  Yeah, doing what you're good at can help you get what you want.

• 8:55Speaker 01

  Doing what you're good at can absolutely get you with what you want. And not, like, just because you love fishing, and just because you love video games, that's your passion. Or you love swimming, whatever it is, leave that as your hobby and your passion. That's okay. And I promise you, you'll be able to do those things more if you lean into what you're actually good at too, for the other stuff.

• 9:20Speaker 02

  I like that. That was great. It's good.

• 9:21Speaker 01

  Bye.

• 9:22Speaker 02

  Thank you.

• 9:22Speaker 01

  Thank you.