So Good They Can't Ignore You
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- Create Date：2021-03-25 14:11:01
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Cal Newport
- ISBN：0349415862
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Summary
In this eye-opening account， Cal Newport debunks the long-held belief that "follow your passion" is good advice。
Not only is the cliché flawed-preexisting passions are rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work-but it can also be dangerous， leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping。
After making his case against passion， Newport sets out on a quest to discover the reality of how people end up loving what they do。 Spending time with organic farmers， venture capitalists， screenwriters， freelance computer programmers， and others who admitted to deriving great satisfaction from their work， Newport uncovers the strategies they used and the pitfalls they avoided in developing their compelling careers。
Matching your job to a preexisting passion does not matter， he reveals。 Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable， not before。
In other words， what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it。
With a title taken from the comedian Steve Martin， who once said his advice for aspiring entertainers was to "be so good they can't ignore you，" Cal Newport's clearly written manifesto is mandatory reading for anyone fretting about what to do with their life， or frustrated by their current job situation and eager to find a fresh new way to take control of their livelihood。 He provides an evidence-based blueprint for creating work you love。
SO GOOD THEY CAN'T IGNORE YOU will change the way we think about our careers， happiness， and the crafting of a remarkable life。
Not only is the cliché flawed-preexisting passions are rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work-but it can also be dangerous， leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping。
After making his case against passion， Newport sets out on a quest to discover the reality of how people end up loving what they do。 Spending time with organic farmers， venture capitalists， screenwriters， freelance computer programmers， and others who admitted to deriving great satisfaction from their work， Newport uncovers the strategies they used and the pitfalls they avoided in developing their compelling careers。
Matching your job to a preexisting passion does not matter， he reveals。 Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable， not before。
In other words， what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it。
With a title taken from the comedian Steve Martin， who once said his advice for aspiring entertainers was to "be so good they can't ignore you，" Cal Newport's clearly written manifesto is mandatory reading for anyone fretting about what to do with their life， or frustrated by their current job situation and eager to find a fresh new way to take control of their livelihood。 He provides an evidence-based blueprint for creating work you love。
SO GOOD THEY CAN'T IGNORE YOU will change the way we think about our careers， happiness， and the crafting of a remarkable life。
Reviews
Bishwas Kumar
，
Truth at it's best。Good book， no metaphysical nonsense or anything of that kind。 Enjoyed it but it's kinda lengthy。 I recommend this to all。 Truth at it's best。Good book， no metaphysical nonsense or anything of that kind。 Enjoyed it but it's kinda lengthy。 I recommend this to all。 。。。more
Uday Batra
，
A
Kareem Kamal
，
I loved it。 This book made me change how I'm looking to my career。 However， I was a believer of many of the ideas in this book but I didn't know that there were scientific researches made to prove them right。 I never made this much highlighting in any other book。 I forced myself to not to finish it quickly to have a change to digest it well and to connect all the dots。 It made me think about other important books I read before like "The tipping point"， "Atomic habits"， "The lean startup"， and mo I loved it。 This book made me change how I'm looking to my career。 However， I was a believer of many of the ideas in this book but I didn't know that there were scientific researches made to prove them right。 I never made this much highlighting in any other book。 I forced myself to not to finish it quickly to have a change to digest it well and to connect all the dots。 It made me think about other important books I read before like "The tipping point"， "Atomic habits"， "The lean startup"， and more。 。。。more
Stefan
，
“Follow your passion” is bad advise。 Instead build skills that’ll allow you to advance yourself into the career you wish to have and become so good they can’t ignore you。 Love the ideas and stories Cal shared in the book。
Muhammad Nuzulul Ilham
，
Been finished reading So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport。 This book is extremely recommended for you for finding the "right job" in your life。 The author emphasizes Instead of following your passion， you need to be a Craftsman Mindset， a focus on what value you're producing in your job。 Which is the opposite of a Passion Mindset， a focus on what value your job offers you。 End of Rule #1。To be a Craftsman Mindset you need a rare and valuable skill to offer in return。 Why did it need？ Be Been finished reading So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport。 This book is extremely recommended for you for finding the "right job" in your life。 The author emphasizes Instead of following your passion， you need to be a Craftsman Mindset， a focus on what value you're producing in your job。 Which is the opposite of a Passion Mindset， a focus on what value your job offers you。 End of Rule #1。To be a Craftsman Mindset you need a rare and valuable skill to offer in return。 Why did it need？ Because those traits define great work。 These rare & valuable skills called Career Capital。 To help these efforts， the author introduced the well-studied concept of deliberate practice。Deliberate practice is an approach to work where you deliberately stretch your abilities beyond where you're comfortable and then receive ruthless feedback on your performance。 End of Rule #2。After you got your Career Capital， gaining control over what you do and how you do it is incredibly important。 There will be 2 traps that commonly snare people in their pursuit of these traits。 1。 The first control trap; it's dangerous to try to gain more control without enough capital to back it up。2。 The second control trap; once you have the career capital to back up a bid for more control， you're still not out of the woods。 This capital makes you valuable enough to your employer that they will likely now fight to keep you on a more traditional path。 They realize that gaining more control is good for you but not for their bottom line。To avoid these control traps， the author turned to Derek Sivers advice for sifting through potential control-boosting pursuits and responded with a simple rule:"Do what people are willing to pay for"。 This isn't about making money。 Instead， it's about using money as a "neutral indicator of value" -a way of determining whether or not you have enough career capital to succeed with a pursuit。The author called this the law of financial viability and concluded that it's a critical tool for navigating your own acquisition of control。 Unless people are willing to pay you， it's not an idea you're ready to go after。 End of Rule#3。And then after you master the career capital and can avoid control and apply the law of financial viability。 Next is to acquire a mission that defines compelling careers。 The best ideas for missions are found in the adjacent possible -The region just beyond the current cutting edge。 To encounter these ideas， you must first get to that cutting edge， which in turn requires expertise。 To try to devise a mission when you are new to a field and lacking any career capital is a venture bound for failure。Once you identify a general mission， however， you're still left with the task of launching specific projects that make it succeed。 An effective strategy for accomplishing this task is to try small steps that generate concrete feedback -little bets- and use this feedback， be it good or bad， to help figure out what to try next。Besides the little bets technique， the author notice that is another way to make a mission successful。 That strategy is the law of remarkability。 This law says that for a project to transform a mission into a success， it should be remarkable in two ways。 First， it must literally compel people to remark about it。 Second， it must be launched in a venue conducive to such remarking。In the sum of Rule #1 until Rule #4 from this book is: Don't obsess over discovering your true calling。 Instead， master rare and valuable skills。 Once you build up the career capital that these skills generate， invest it wisely。 Use it to acquire control over what you do and how you do it， and to identify and act on a life-changing mission。Working right trumps finding the right work。 。。。more
Jaskaran Singh
，
I wish I had read this book during college。 One of the things I like about reading Cal's books is that he introduces a lot of collective vocabulary which becomes a part of your life。 The words like "Dream job elixir"， "Craftsman Mindset"， "Career Capital"， etc。 The social media or movies craft a narrative in our minds that there is one job or one person that exists for us and we just have to find them。 Cal argues that we need not follow the passion but rather cultivate it。 The book was easy to r I wish I had read this book during college。 One of the things I like about reading Cal's books is that he introduces a lot of collective vocabulary which becomes a part of your life。 The words like "Dream job elixir"， "Craftsman Mindset"， "Career Capital"， etc。 The social media or movies craft a narrative in our minds that there is one job or one person that exists for us and we just have to find them。 Cal argues that we need not follow the passion but rather cultivate it。 The book was easy to read as the chapters were short and well summarized in the end。 。。。more
Grant
，
This is consistent with the message of Cal Newports other works。 He encourages the idea that valuable work is the result of deliberate practice and time which is the antithesis to a world that is enamored by shortcuts。If you're already a fan， check this book out。 If your new to his books check out Deep Work or this one。 This is consistent with the message of Cal Newports other works。 He encourages the idea that valuable work is the result of deliberate practice and time which is the antithesis to a world that is enamored by shortcuts。If you're already a fan， check this book out。 If your new to his books check out Deep Work or this one。 。。。more
Becky L Long
，
Audiobook read by Dave Mallow。 Excellent book。 Totally confirms several things that I had to figure out in my own over the past several years。 Would have reading this book several years ago helped me？ Potentially。 It's also possible the main message would have gone right over my head。 But if you only read 1 "how to chose a career" book or need to suggest a book to someone trying to decide which career path to pursue， this is the book。 Will it actually help them make that determination？ I'm not s Audiobook read by Dave Mallow。 Excellent book。 Totally confirms several things that I had to figure out in my own over the past several years。 Would have reading this book several years ago helped me？ Potentially。 It's also possible the main message would have gone right over my head。 But if you only read 1 "how to chose a career" book or need to suggest a book to someone trying to decide which career path to pursue， this is the book。 Will it actually help them make that determination？ I'm not sure。 But I think the author brings up some really good counter points to the current "follow your passion" advice that would be beneficial for anyone to read。 。。。more
Jacob Ferraiolo
，
I'm not a big fan of books like this。 The author makes a bunch of claims on how to shape your career and then cherry picks anecdotes that back up their claim。 Stories could easily be found illustrating the exact opposite。I tend to agree with most of his points -- I just tend to think so much time is wasted on lengthy stories that he presents as evidence。 The main points are to not pursue passion in your career， but instead to pursue career capital early on。 As you develop more skills， you can co I'm not a big fan of books like this。 The author makes a bunch of claims on how to shape your career and then cherry picks anecdotes that back up their claim。 Stories could easily be found illustrating the exact opposite。I tend to agree with most of his points -- I just tend to think so much time is wasted on lengthy stories that he presents as evidence。 The main points are to not pursue passion in your career， but instead to pursue career capital early on。 As you develop more skills， you can command more autonomy in your roles which increase satisfaction and you will likely become passionate about what you become good at。 There is also something about mission。 I was really losing focus near the end there。If you read my review， I don't think you will get much more from the book。 。。。more
Anthony Munnings II
，
Honestly after grasping the concepts of career capital， deliberate practice， and the passion vs craftsman mindset（which I found enlightening to say the very least） the book repeats itself many times through aa multiplicity of ways。 Which was a tad bit boring to sit through。 He offers the advice that following your passion is bad advice and then he uses testimonials from a plethora of persons to support his claim。 However alot of the individuals he utilized were passionate about what they went in Honestly after grasping the concepts of career capital， deliberate practice， and the passion vs craftsman mindset（which I found enlightening to say the very least） the book repeats itself many times through aa multiplicity of ways。 Which was a tad bit boring to sit through。 He offers the advice that following your passion is bad advice and then he uses testimonials from a plethora of persons to support his claim。 However alot of the individuals he utilized were passionate about what they went into。 I would surmise that a better argument would be that of not relying solely on passion but combine passion with the nuances of career capital。 However I know what he's trying to convey。 All in all the book has some jewels and is a good read。 2。75/5 。。。more
Daniel McNamee
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Some interesting practical methodologies for managing a research-based endeavour （e。g。 maintaining a research bible）。 However， the development of the broader thrust of the book seemed quite limited in both breadth and depth。 The central message to develop useful skills rather than exclusively following your passion seems to me to be the default mode in many lives。
Joshua
，
I really like Cal Newport and his ideas。 I was introduced to him by his book， "Deep Work" and this book intrigued me because I felt that it was debunking a myth that has been propagated in our culture。 The myth is what Cal Newport calls the Passion Hypothesis which is basically， "Go follow your dreams and follow your passion so that you can find your dream job and ultimate fulfillment。" The whole purpose of the book is to show that the passion hypothesis is crap。Instead of following your dreams， I really like Cal Newport and his ideas。 I was introduced to him by his book， "Deep Work" and this book intrigued me because I felt that it was debunking a myth that has been propagated in our culture。 The myth is what Cal Newport calls the Passion Hypothesis which is basically， "Go follow your dreams and follow your passion so that you can find your dream job and ultimate fulfillment。" The whole purpose of the book is to show that the passion hypothesis is crap。Instead of following your dreams， do something much more mundane and boring: build career capital。 This seems boring， but it rings true。 Acquire rare， valuable skills so that you are valuable， then leverage your value by getting autonomy and control which is the elixir to a fulfilled job （which I've found to be true）。My favorite quote of the book comes actually from the conclusion when he writes the following:The key to work you love is not to follow your passion， but instead to get good at something rare and valuable， and then cash in the career capital this generates to acquire the traits that define great jobs。 This requires that you approach work with a craftsman mindset – focusing on your value to the world – and not a passion mindset – focusing on what value the world is offering you。 。。。more
Rian Gallagher
，
This book offers simplicity。 It’s a collection of simple ideas written well， explained clearly and convincingly argued for。 Don’t follow your passion。 Instead， become so good they can’t ignore you。 The skills you build will generate the “career capital” that you can invest in the traits that make any job great。 The pressure this takes off is incredible; when you live with the passion mindset， every decision has cosmic significance。 Whereas， when you take on the mindset of a craftsman--the mindse This book offers simplicity。 It’s a collection of simple ideas written well， explained clearly and convincingly argued for。 Don’t follow your passion。 Instead， become so good they can’t ignore you。 The skills you build will generate the “career capital” that you can invest in the traits that make any job great。 The pressure this takes off is incredible; when you live with the passion mindset， every decision has cosmic significance。 Whereas， when you take on the mindset of a craftsman--the mindset of focusing on your output and how to make it the best it can be--your focus becomes clear and your work more fulfilling。 Living with the passion mindset is exhausting。 It’s a recipe for chronic doubt; nowhere you go is going to come close to that passion-driven dream job in your head。 In reality， passion comes from being a professional and from being better than you were yesterday。 You build that dream job; you earn it by exchanging the career capital you’ve built up from your years of work for the traits that you want from your career。 Career capital a way of thinking that leads to a better working life。 Focus on building skills and become increasingly valuable。 After building these skills and increasing your store of career capital， use it to your advantage。 Newport shows how you can leverage this capital to have more control over your working life and how to construct a mission with which you focus your actions in your career。 These two desirable traits--control and mission--are only examples; it feels like there’s a lot of potential with what you can do with career capital beyond what’s discussed in the book。So Good They Can’t Ignore You offers a simple framework for improving your working life。 Its ideas provide clarity and relief。 It feels like real， potentially career-altering advice without the bloated， fake-feeling， LinkedIn-style， hustle-til-you-drop writings you see online。 It’s concise， to the point and an important read。 。。。more
Rafael
，
The core idea is interesting。。。 but this book could have been just a blog post！
TRB
，
Very practical book！This was the 3rd cal n。 book that I read and found it quite helpful in terms of finding answers to a lot of job related dilemmas。I mean i might not be able utilize it fully myself but will be able to give the advice to someone else 🤭overall its a nice book if you are struggling with finding passion for your work maybe pair this up with flow by mihaly csikszentmihalyi and you will most probably not get bored with your work。
Zhenya Ryzhkova
，
Всю суть книги можно крестить в одно слово: профессионализм。Хорошего работника нельзя не заметить。 Делай что должен и будь что будет。 Терпение и труд все перетрут。 Я терпимо отношусь к доле банальность в self-help литературе， но когда книга - одна сплошная банальность， жалко деревья。
Jennifer Miernicki
，
While I agree with the fundamental principle of this book （don’t get caught up in the “follow your passion” nonsense that is trotted out at every graduation ceremony and used as a casual excuse for failures to put in the hard work to become a master in a specific field）， this book was tortured in its construction of the rules Newport cites。 Using exemplary overachievers to make his points， while interesting， also undercut his core message and at times even seem to directly contradict it。 I gener While I agree with the fundamental principle of this book （don’t get caught up in the “follow your passion” nonsense that is trotted out at every graduation ceremony and used as a casual excuse for failures to put in the hard work to become a master in a specific field）， this book was tortured in its construction of the rules Newport cites。 Using exemplary overachievers to make his points， while interesting， also undercut his core message and at times even seem to directly contradict it。 I generally like Newport’s work， but I recommend that you read the summary of this book， internalize it， and save yourself the full book read。 。。。more
Lisa Vandepol
，
It's a great read。 I didn't think of mastery from this perspective。 A new way to look at getting good at the things you love and how to use your skills to make your job the job of your dreams。 It's a great read。 I didn't think of mastery from this perspective。 A new way to look at getting good at the things you love and how to use your skills to make your job the job of your dreams。 。。。more
Lucie
，
I'm really glad I read this book！ I think it contains lots of useful information， even for people like me who are on their very first page of building a "career" （= still in school）。I would recommend this book to anyone who feels a bit intimidated by the fact that there seem to be so many opportunities out there and who is not exactly sure what kind of career they want to pursue。 I'm really glad I read this book！ I think it contains lots of useful information， even for people like me who are on their very first page of building a "career" （= still in school）。I would recommend this book to anyone who feels a bit intimidated by the fact that there seem to be so many opportunities out there and who is not exactly sure what kind of career they want to pursue。 。。。more
Jacob
，
I really enjoyed his title "Deep Work" so I decided to check this one out as well。 In this book Cal makes a case that following your passion won't necessarily lead to job satisfaction。 This is contrary to a number of other books that I've read on workplace passion and "finding your why" and this argument is actually quite refreshing。 His argument is basically that passion is aligned with competency and developing competency takes time。 He also makes a case that passion in one's position is align I really enjoyed his title "Deep Work" so I decided to check this one out as well。 In this book Cal makes a case that following your passion won't necessarily lead to job satisfaction。 This is contrary to a number of other books that I've read on workplace passion and "finding your why" and this argument is actually quite refreshing。 His argument is basically that passion is aligned with competency and developing competency takes time。 He also makes a case that passion in one's position is aligned with securing more control within the position。 He notes that a way to acquire more control is to develop more "career capital"。 Career capital consists of your overall competency as well as notoriety gained through experience in your position。 If you can focus attention and energy on developing this capital then you can eventually leverage this to bargain for more perks available within your position （reduced hours， remote work）。This was a really great read and I am excited to check out his title "Digital Minimalism" eventually。 。。。more
James Jeffrey
，
This book overall is a good read with many of the key aspects of the book giving solid and insightful advice。The premise of the book covers picking a skill that is "rare and valuable" and then going all into becoming "So good they can't ignore you"。 This is done through the craftsman mindset; where you are continuously learning and honing in on your craft through "deliberate practice" （getting out of your comfort zone to learn new things）。Cal seems to comfortably dismiss the fact that it doesn't This book overall is a good read with many of the key aspects of the book giving solid and insightful advice。The premise of the book covers picking a skill that is "rare and valuable" and then going all into becoming "So good they can't ignore you"。 This is done through the craftsman mindset; where you are continuously learning and honing in on your craft through "deliberate practice" （getting out of your comfort zone to learn new things）。Cal seems to comfortably dismiss the fact that it doesn't matter if you don't like what you're doing。 All that matters is that you get "so good" and acquire "career capital" - A term that can be similarly described as becoming more valuable in the marketplace。Although I agree with honing in on your craft and the topic of mastery， I cannot fathom that just because you're good at something， you become "passionate about it" or end up "loving what you do"。It's the same as saying "I'm a master at making French fries， hence I love what I do and I am passionate about it"。 What if a person were to pick something and become a master at the craft but hate their life？ Hate that they didn't pick something they had a deep interest in instead？ Or were innately good at？ What if you are getting good at the wrong thing？ It leads to regret。The author completely disregarded the fact of playing to your strengths， personality types， and how some jobs and trades may be better suited to the end-user than others。 There's more to it than just putting in the hours and getting good at what you do。In summary， I would advise everyone to read this book。 It gives you insights that can alter the trajectory of your life in a positive way。 But please consider doing something you have an interest in as you'll end up with nothing to lose。 Being good at something valuable that you also have a deep interest in。 Don't rely on "developing that passion" once you're really good as it simply is not guaranteed！ 。。。more
Laura
，
Since I like Cal Newport a lot， it's no surprise that I liked this book。That being said， this book is Mr。 Newport's first book that wasn't written for a student audience， and since I've read his more recent published works， I can see the growth in his writing since the time this book （So Good They Can't Ignore You） was written。 This reads very formulaic with a lot of repetition， but honestly， that's probably not a terrible thing， as that likely helps the concepts of the book "stick" a bit better Since I like Cal Newport a lot， it's no surprise that I liked this book。That being said， this book is Mr。 Newport's first book that wasn't written for a student audience， and since I've read his more recent published works， I can see the growth in his writing since the time this book （So Good They Can't Ignore You） was written。 This reads very formulaic with a lot of repetition， but honestly， that's probably not a terrible thing， as that likely helps the concepts of the book "stick" a bit better。This book's premise is one that is contrary to popular belief （the book's central thesis is that pursuing your passion as a means to make a career is terrible and ill-fated advice）， but it's honestly a truthful thesis/premise， and I liked the stories that were shared over the course of the book that helped to give actionable tips to help pursue a life of meaningful work。 Working right trumps the right work; Mr。 Newport asserts that a life full of meaning and depth will come a result of our toils， and that our passion will follow our work。I'm 34。5 years in and counting， and I can say that Mr。 Newport does seem spot on。This is a good read for anyone， but especially those who may be seeking to have a life of meaningful work as a career。 。。。more
Gina Lucia
，
The book in 3 sentences/summary:How ‘follow your passion’ is not only misleading， it’s also dangerous。How honing your craft is more effective than chasing your passion’。If you want something rare and valuable， you must offer something rare and valuable in return。My impressions:So Good They Can’t Ignore you is a massive reality check for the current state of the online side-hustle， passive income message。It states in a very matter of fact way， that by ‘following your passion’， not only are you tr The book in 3 sentences/summary:How ‘follow your passion’ is not only misleading， it’s also dangerous。How honing your craft is more effective than chasing your passion’。If you want something rare and valuable， you must offer something rare and valuable in return。My impressions:So Good They Can’t Ignore you is a massive reality check for the current state of the online side-hustle， passive income message。It states in a very matter of fact way， that by ‘following your passion’， not only are you treading dangerous waters， but you’re following advice which is incorrect。One of my favourite lines from the book is this:Passion focuses too much on what the world can give you， rather than what you can give to the world。The book explores， in stages， how you can do the work you love， in a realistic way。Should you read it？ （who would benefit from this）: Anyone who is considering or has started an online business needs to read this book。 It’s a reality check， but it contains a lot of incredibly useful strategy that you can apply straight away。What I personally got from the book:Honing your craft is one of the most important and rewarding things you can do。 Something I’m going to tackle head-on with more enthusiasm thanks to this book。 。。。more
Rayis Imayev
，
I really enjoyed reading this book。 There has always been a dilemma either love a work that you do or do a work that you love。 Even a book acknowledgment section seemed like another good story to read！📚
Nick
，
4 out of 5 starsOverall， I really liked this one。 Newport's advice is timely and helpful in my case （I am about to make an important career-related decision）。 His advice for one thing was reassuring but also contained helpful strategies I wasn't necessarily expecting。 Unfortunately， where I feel the book lacks a little is answering the question of "where to start？" Many people simply have no clue what career path they should even attempt to follow， and Newport does not answer this question。 He s 4 out of 5 starsOverall， I really liked this one。 Newport's advice is timely and helpful in my case （I am about to make an important career-related decision）。 His advice for one thing was reassuring but also contained helpful strategies I wasn't necessarily expecting。 Unfortunately， where I feel the book lacks a little is answering the question of "where to start？" Many people simply have no clue what career path they should even attempt to follow， and Newport does not answer this question。 He simply says that instead of "following your passion" you should "build career capital"。 My question for him would be "How do you decide on what kind of career capital to focus on？" While he did say that whatever you work towards should be something that people will pay for， it still isn't all too helpful to those who need some sort of starting point。 But then again， this "where to start" question probably doesn't have a single universally-applied answer。 Those are just my thoughts on the book。 Overall， I enjoyed it quite a bit and it was certainly worth reading。 。。。more
Michelle Garcia
，
This book sincerely opened my eyes and changed my perspective that I have about work。 I feel like now I have a more realistic view of what I do and I'll be able to find joy in it。 It's really good， gladly recommend。 The only reason why I don't give it 5 stars is because the author tends to repeat himself s bit too much for my liking， but it's not too bad。 This book sincerely opened my eyes and changed my perspective that I have about work。 I feel like now I have a more realistic view of what I do and I'll be able to find joy in it。 It's really good， gladly recommend。 The only reason why I don't give it 5 stars is because the author tends to repeat himself s bit too much for my liking， but it's not too bad。 。。。more
Jack Edwards
，
Newport dedicates the first chapter to declaring that 'passion' will get you nowhere - instead， you should become so good at what you do that your career will advance。 He establishes the 'passion mindset' and the 'craftsman mindset' as dichotomies， but then spends the rest of the book telling stories of people who actually disprove this hypothesis completely。 Almost every individual we are introduced to is actually following their passion， yet Newport's confirmation bias blinds him to the obviou Newport dedicates the first chapter to declaring that 'passion' will get you nowhere - instead， you should become so good at what you do that your career will advance。 He establishes the 'passion mindset' and the 'craftsman mindset' as dichotomies， but then spends the rest of the book telling stories of people who actually disprove this hypothesis completely。 Almost every individual we are introduced to is actually following their passion， yet Newport's confirmation bias blinds him to the obvious: the professional guitarist， surfer， and archaeologist all started with a passion for these endeavours。 It's frustrating because the book offers really valuable advice for becoming great at what you do -- take 'little bets'， create career capital， put yourself in positions to get immediate feedback -- and has the potential to be incredible if it hadn't been so narrow-minded。 However， Newport is so fixated on disproving the effectiveness of passion and creating a completely unique outlook on life that it just seems a bit ridiculous。 It's also unrealistic to suggest that you can't hate a job you're good at。 A much better general argument would've been that passion provides a necessary baseline， but mastery is then required to succeed - this is what the book's evidence actually suggests， but Newport is so dedicated to writing something groundbreaking that he actually misses the mark entirely。 。。。more
Jennie Ji
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 How lucky I am to pick up this book randomly from my to-read list when I am very lost in my career goal again。We are “scammed” by the passion we’ve seen on those successful people like Steven Jobs， Elon Musks etc。。 Their achievements， their happiness in pursuing better careers， their passion for doing something the best， their remarkable and meaningful life are so fascinating， made me constantly look for my meaning of existence， my passion in my life。 It should be waiting somewhere to be found。 How lucky I am to pick up this book randomly from my to-read list when I am very lost in my career goal again。We are “scammed” by the passion we’ve seen on those successful people like Steven Jobs， Elon Musks etc。。 Their achievements， their happiness in pursuing better careers， their passion for doing something the best， their remarkable and meaningful life are so fascinating， made me constantly look for my meaning of existence， my passion in my life。 It should be waiting somewhere to be found。 And I was very lost when I found I was constantly wasting my time fulfilling what others want that I don’t have a passion for。Is that right？ The author starting from himself， and a sad story from his friend， to investigate and interview more people either succeed or failed and came back with these conclusions: NO。The truth is， almost no one knows what he/she loved and willing to fight for whole life at first， and they even may not love what make them successful at first。 The passion we talked about comes along the way that improving some skills rare and value-able no matter by intentional or unintentional forced by life。 Thus， instead of passion mindset， the craft man mindset is more promising。 The secret behind is simple， the rare and value-able skill make the person appealing and doing something well， then they get constant positive feedback and get the fulfilling happiness， or maybe upgrade to a mortal mission。 All these chemical reaction results to passion and the success we see。But， he didn’t stop here。 There is traps of course， we also need to learn from the failures to avoid these traps。 Great book！The book was put in my to-read list when I was in a hard time of my job， and seeing some friend met similar problem reading it。 And it’s funny to find this book title is confusing and not fit for the emotion when I saved it， but it’s exactly right time to read now。 。。。more
Megha Tyagi
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Its a nice one-time read self-help book。 I liked the way Cal Newport tried to bust the long-standing myth of 'following your passion' as poor career advise。 I appreciate the terms he used in the book， like 'career capital'， 'passion mindset' and various 'control traps'， defining clearly the roadblocks that many of us fail to recognize while navigating through our career trajectories。 However， I felt the writing could have been more inspiring and fresh。 There were many instances in the book where Its a nice one-time read self-help book。 I liked the way Cal Newport tried to bust the long-standing myth of 'following your passion' as poor career advise。 I appreciate the terms he used in the book， like 'career capital'， 'passion mindset' and various 'control traps'， defining clearly the roadblocks that many of us fail to recognize while navigating through our career trajectories。 However， I felt the writing could have been more inspiring and fresh。 There were many instances in the book where I felt that it is written by somebody from a marketing background。 As a researcher myself， I was expecting a little more from the writing in terms of engagement or connection with the author's thought process。 I agreed with his four rules but felt vagueness in few cases。 I got to know about this book through a career advise presentation for PhDs and felt like giving it a chance， as I rarely go for self-help books。 I will say it is not a complete disappointment and therefore have given it 3 stars。 。。。more
Iulia
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