Should You Follow Your Heart, Really?

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"Follow your heart and the money will come."

I hate this saying.

Mostly because I know from experience, mine and that of others, it's not true.  

My friend, and popular speaker, Terri Trespicio, did an awesome TEDx talk debunking this saying. (It has been viewed almost 3 million times as of this writing. Watch "Stop Searching for Your Passion" here.)

Then, this morning, while reading David Baker's new book, The Business of Expertise, I came across what is essentially David's own "rewrite" and elaboration on the saying, which makes me hate it a bit less.

He wrote:

Follow your heart.
But do some research and planning first.
Then save up some money so that you'll have a cushion without having to compromise. 
Fake it a little at first -- we all do -- but get smarter every day. 
Build a business that delivers the value that others enjoy paying you for.
Enjoy your work and be disciplined about the parts that you don't.
Ensure a profitable enterprise to fund your excessive habits.
Follow your heart, but follow your brain too.

I'm a big fan of the brain, because using it is what I think will set each of us apart when the robots come for our jobs. Don't let yours atrophy. 

One way to exercise it is by reading -- so check out David Baker's new book here

 

P.S. I was interviewed on this topic by Jim Blasingame of the Small Business Advocate too -- listen here

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