I Won’t Stop Believing in Passion
And neither should you
There are a ton of articles on Medium right now about passion — you know the ones. Some are titled: The Worst Advice I Ever Received Was ‘Follow Your Passion’ and The dangerous myths of “passion” These authors claim that pursuing a passion is the worst advice a person could possibly follow. On the grounds that it is meaningless, fanciful, and will not amount to happiness or success.
Well, I’m calling bull shit. Bull shit.
Let me tell you a story about passion.
Seven years ago, I was passionately pursuing the medical field. Nay — I was chasing the medical field like someone lit a match under my ass. To me, medicine was (and still is) the epitome of a career. It is modern, evolving, gives back to society, and offers job security. Besides the practicality of the career, there was something addictive about helping people in their most vulnerable state.
In 2012, I spent nearly all my time as a volunteer for an Emergency Room — and I loved every bloody second of it. (Literally)
But the Emergency Room is not for the faint of heart. I witnessed deeply disturbed individuals come in and out of the psych section. I saw the illness that I never knew existed. And the number of emotions experienced within a single shift was enough to…
