The Habit Karen Swallow Prior Has Her Doubts About Your Passion.
Aug 4, 2025
Karen Swallow Prior, a public intellectual and writer, delves into the complexities of passion and vocation. She challenges the mainstream idea of 'following your passion', suggesting that true fulfillment comes from hard work and self-awareness. Dr. Prior emphasizes the importance of knowing one's limitations and the need for community support in discovering true callings. She also reflects on how pursuing truth, goodness, and beauty can lead to a richer life, highlighting unexpected interests like men's fashion along the way.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Passion Follows Competence
- Passion is valuable but often misleads when turned into an expectation of paid work and success.
- Cal Newport's research shows passion commonly follows competence, not the reverse.
Don't Make Passions Your Identity
- Avoid placing your identity entirely in your passions because passions change and may be unattainable.
- Keep realistic expectations and let identity rest on deeper truths than shifting desires.
Calling Comes From Outside
- Calling is fundamentally external: it is to be called, asked, or commissioned by others or God.
- Passion and calling can overlap, but feeling desire isn't the same as being called to serve in that role.
