Maximize Your Potential summary

Do you wonder how some people simply seem to find the job they love doing? You might think it’ll happen to you, too, as long as you stay true to your passion and let it guide you.

That might sound nice, but it’s a bit off the mark. When people really find happiness at work it often has less to do with what the job entails and more about the culture and lifestyle of the job.

For instance, Bill McKibben loves his job as an environmental journalist. But this happiness doesn’t come from a passion for writing or a devotion to environmental issues. Rather, McKibben is happy about the control he has in deciding when and where he works. He also likes that his writing has a positive impact on the world.

In his case, journalism was just one of many options that could have allowed him to meet these conditions for happiness.

McKibben’s career also reveals how skill is more important than passion in helping you reach your career goals. After all, passion won’t get you very far if you don’t have the skills to back it up.

McKibben wasn’t a highly skilled journalist when he was an undergrad, writing his first articles for the Harvard Crimson newspaper. It took a lot of practice and tenacity – and over 400 articles! – before he was skilled enough to work for The New Yorker.

But he didn’t stop there. He kept honing his skills, until he finally felt confident enough to be his own boss. Only then did he quit his job and retreat to a cabin in upstate New York to write his first book.

So, ultimately, McKibben got to where he wanted to be through hard work and focusing on his craft.