When To Do What You Love

September 2024 There's some debate about whether it's a good idea to "follow your passion." In fact the question is impossible to answer with a simple yes or no. Sometimes you should and sometimes you shouldn't, but the border between should and shouldn't is very complicated.

2024 年 9 月 关于“追随你的激情”是否是一个好主意存在一些争论。事实上，这个问题不可能用简单的是或否来回答。有时你应该，有时你不应该，但应该和不应该之间的界限非常复杂。

The only way to give a general answer is to trace it.

给出一般答案的唯一方法就是追踪它。

When people talk about this question, there's always an implicit "instead of." All other things being equal, why wouldn't you work

当人们谈论这个问题时，总是隐含着一个“而不是”。在其他条件相同的情况下，你为什么不工作

on what interests you the most?

您最感兴趣的是什么？

So even raising the question implies that all other things aren't equal, and that you have to choose between working on what interests you the most and something else, like what pays the best.

因此，即使提出这个问题也意味着所有其他事情都是不平等的，你必须在你最感兴趣的事情和其他事情（比如报酬最高的事情）之间做出选择。

And indeed if your main goal is to make money, you can't usually afford to work on what interests you the most.

事实上，如果你的主要目标是赚钱，你通常无法承担你最感兴趣的事情。

People pay you for doing what they want, not what you want.

人们付钱给你是因为你做了他们想做的事，而不是你想做的事。

But there's an obvious

但有一个明显的

exception: when you both want the same thing.

例外：当你们都想要同样的东西时。

For example, if you love football, and you're good enough at it, you can get paid a lot to play it.

例如，如果你热爱足球，并且你踢得足够好，那么你可以通过踢足球获得很多报酬。

Of course the odds are against you in a case like football, because so many other people like playing it too.

当然，在像足球这样的情况下，可能性对你不利，因为很多其他人也喜欢踢足球。

This is not to say you shouldn't try though.

但这并不是说您不应该尝试。

It depends how much ability you have and how hard you're willing to work.

这取决于你有多少能力以及你愿意付出多大的努力。

The odds are better when you have strange tastes: when you like

当你有奇怪的品味时，可能性会更大：当你喜欢时

something that pays well and that few other people like.

报酬丰厚但很少有人喜欢的东西。

For example, it's clear that Bill Gates truly loved running a software company.

例如，很明显比尔盖茨真的很喜欢经营一家软件公司。

He didn't just love programming, which a lot of people do.

他不仅仅喜欢编程，而很多人都喜欢编程。

He loved writing software for customers.

他喜欢为客户编写软件。

That is a very strange taste indeed, but if you have it, you can make a lot by indulging it.

这确实是一种很奇怪的味道，但如果你有它，你可以通过沉迷它来赚很多钱。

There are even some people who have a genuine intellectual interest in making money.

甚至有些人对赚钱有着真正的智力兴趣。

This is distinct from mere greed.

这与纯粹的贪婪不同。

They just can't

他们就是不能

help noticing when something is mispriced, and can't help doing something about it.

当某些东西定价错误时，我们会注意到，并情不自禁地采取行动。

It's like a puzzle for them.

这对他们来说就像一个谜题。

[ 1

[ 1