I think part of the problem is that "what you love" is too coarse of a term; the author hinted at this but didn't really dig into it. I would break it down into at least three parts:
1. Something that's fun to you (the moment to moment lights up your brain)
2. Something that gives you esteem (feeling like you're good at something, and probably also having others validate that with praise and/or payment)
3. Something that gives you a sense of purpose in life (like you're contributing to something bigger than yourself- can be artistically, socially, etc)
Combining those with:
4. Something that makes you money
we have four different needs that can be met by the same or different activities. Finding three in a single activity is hard; finding all four in a single activity is nearly impossible. But one or two here, one or two there, is very doable (assuming time allows). I tend to think a person should aim for a primary job that fills two, or maybe three, because of how much of their time it takes up. But they should not hold out for a job that fills all four.
What's important is to become aware of exactly what each of these needs looks like for you personally, and which activities do and don't fill each of them. Then you can plan and prioritize to try and fill the gaps in your life.
PS: I've found that #3 tends to revolve around people other than yourself. That could mean moving them or bringing them joy through art/creativity, or raising children, being a community leader, doing charity, or even just building a product that directly makes people's lives better. The specifics depend on the person. But totally insular activities probably won't ever do it for #3; I think we've got something at the base of our monkey-brains that has an unchangeable need to be helpful to the tribe.
I think part of the problem is that "what you love" is too coarse of a term; the author hinted at this but didn't really dig into it. I would break it down into at least three parts:
1. Something that's fun to you (the moment to moment lights up your brain)
2. Something that gives you esteem (feeling like you're good at something, and probably also having others validate that with praise and/or payment)
3. Something that gives you a sense of purpose in life (like you're contributing to something bigger than yourself- can be artistically, socially, etc)
Combining those with:
4. Something that makes you money
we have four different needs that can be met by the same or different activities. Finding three in a single activity is hard; finding all four in a single activity is nearly impossible. But one or two here, one or two there, is very doable (assuming time allows). I tend to think a person should aim for a primary job that fills two, or maybe three, because of how much of their time it takes up. But they should not hold out for a job that fills all four.
What's important is to become aware of exactly what each of these needs looks like for you personally, and which activities do and don't fill each of them. Then you can plan and prioritize to try and fill the gaps in your life.
PS: I've found that #3 tends to revolve around people other than yourself. That could mean moving them or bringing them joy through art/creativity, or raising children, being a community leader, doing charity, or even just building a product that directly makes people's lives better. The specifics depend on the person. But totally insular activities probably won't ever do it for #3; I think we've got something at the base of our monkey-brains that has an unchangeable need to be helpful to the tribe.