Is the titular saying a
good one?
In language we come
across many sayings, that sound very good on the surface, but when
you start to dig a bit deeper into the meaning, they start to lose
their gloss.
It is a very fine thing
to be able to follow your passion, if you have good productive
passions that you would like to follow. If your only passions are for
drunken orgy filled debauchery, well, that is not going to lead to
success. If you only passion is for sweet foods and stuffing your
face until you are sick, well, that is not going to lead to success.
If your only passion is
for high octane sportscars, and you blow every last penny of your
hard earned cash on them, and end up penniless, well, that is not
success. But if your passion involved restoring such sportscars - buy
them cheap and sell them for much more when restored – that would
be success.
Realistically, I don't
see how this saying is particularly useful to most people. I can see
how it would work with an entrepreneur who has a great business idea
they are passionate about, and goes out and makes a success of it. Or
someone with a fantastic talent for something they are passionate
about, and goes forth with this talent and makes a success of it.
Alas, most people are
not engineered to be an entrepreneur, and very few people have some
super valuable talent that they can turn into a great success.
Really, for most people:
Follow your passion
- in productive endeavours - and success may follow
you!
If
you don't have any passion in a 'productive endeavours' sense, it
doesn't matter.
“People
who live for the future never get there.” - Alan Watts
