So Good They Can't Ignore You
2012 • 288 pages
Ratings49
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings49
Average rating3.9
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.
Reviews with the most likes.
Volg niet je passie, maar doe werk waar je (unieke) waarde toevoegt.
Long time fan of Cal's and finally got around to reading this. Thoughtfully laid out and structured with some hard truths, and the thesis of this book is going to rub a lot of people the wrong way.
I did not like this book.
I see value in the premise: rather than try to pursue some passion, we can find greater success by deliberately getting good at whatever it is we are doing. This is a beautiful idea, and it is one that most of us can follow, however unsexy. It also takes away all the pressure of identifying WHAT your passion might be - if only you could find it under a rock or something.
However, the book is written poorly. The examples of ‘success' given generally haven't followed the books premise, and the examples of ‘failure' have done similar things as the successes and also get treated rudely by the author. Whatever the reason, these people have already failed publicly at some endeavor - and to have a singular action called out over and over again by Newport as if it defined their character and the rest of their life is not okay IMO.
Book was not worth reading.
Bookworm pod summary of the book was better. They were too positive on the review of this one, though.
Essential reading for people entering their careers. This books rules against the ill given advice of “follow your passion” or the idea that somehow there's a built in passion and you just need to find it. Instead, this books argues that you need to be good at something first, and passion will follow. Essentially: if you're good at what you do, all else will follow.
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1,168 booksWhen you think back on every book you've ever read, what are some of your favorites? These can be from any time of your life – books that resonated with you as a kid, ones that shaped your personal...
