Stanford Marker study shows that by chasing our passions as a career, we will quickly turn them into any other job. The intrinsic motivation to pursue a given task is undermined by the reward system which inevitably enters the fold. We need not make work the center of meaning or self-worth in our lives. It's okay for a job to just be a job. Forcing yourself to feel bad about that is unproductive.
In the early 1970s, Stanford psychology researcher Dr. Mark Lepper conducted a study with a group of young children that found those who had received a reward for completing a task experienced lower intrinsic motivation to perform that task in the future.
The Passion Paradox: We have a deep desire to chase our passions, but by chasing them, we may actually reduce our passion for them.
Three strategies for escaping the paradox: (1) Keep play as play, (2) Let work be work, and (3) Make work more playful.