Author Nancy Anderson was a Regents’ Scholar at the University of California, Riverside, where she graduated magna cum laude with an interdisciplinary degree in English and Political Science. Following graduation in 1976, she worked with career counseling firms for five years before starting her own practice. Over the next several years she wrote Work With Passion, based on her experience with clients. She lives and works (with a great deal of passion) in Mill Valley, California.

Q. How do you know what your passion is?

A. Your passion is the activity that fascinates you throughout your life. You want to study, learn about, and improve your skills in this natural interest. Mastering this work gives you an intense feeling of satisfaction because you get to use your talents and strengths to solve problems. These problems can involve people, things, or data. Solving these problems fulfills your deepest needs and the needs of those you serve: your company’s customers or clients, or your own customers and clients.

Q. How can you tell the difference between a personal interest or hobby —and a true passion?

A. Passion is what you want for yourself and others. A hobby or personal interest is just for you. If you love to decorate your house but you don’t want to do this for others then decorating is a personal interest. If you are constantly dreaming up ways to change others’ homes or offices for the better – and you have the talent for this and others will pay you for your time and ideas –decorating is your passion. Ask yourself this question: what is the activity that I will work long and hard to master? The answer is your passion.

Q. Shouldn’t you just be glad you have a job, if you do have one?

A. Of course you should be glad you have a job – a steady income will allow you to find your passion without worrying about money! But you will need to work smarter so that you have time to focus on what you really want to do; many successful people find their passion this way; they keep the job they have as they gradually bring the passion online. Once you become good enough at this “sideline” people will pay you for it. When you have all the money you need (need, not want), you can quit your job and work full time in your passion.

Q. What if you have several passions: How can you follow them all?

A. That depends on how good you want to be at your work. Trying to be good at several things is a guarantee of failure or, worse, mediocrity. Excellence requires concentration, dedication, and tremendous self-discipline. There is not enough time in your life for you to become excellent at many things so you need to pick one goal and stick with it until you master it. Then the next step will reveal itself. In my own case, I had no idea that I’d be a career consultant and write a book about careers when I went to college in my thirties. I did know that I was interested in people and writing so I studied both intensely, even though I was told by the education editor of a major newspaper that I’d never find a job with that major. But every course I chose was used in what I wound up doing for a living, since I chose courses that interested me. Keep that in mind when you make choices: only you know what interests you, not the “experts.” Rest assured, if you focus on learning about the problem you want to solve you won’t miss out on anything of importance. In fact, solving this problem will reveal the solution to all problems.

Q. Can you do what you really want — BEFORE you retire?

A. Many people believe that they will do what they want to do when they have all the time and money they need, but if they wait until retirement it is often too late to become an expert at what they want to do. People who work with passion do not wait until they have “enough” money and time. They do what they want to do and money and time come to them. How they come cannot be predicted. Meanwhile, they live moderately so that they do not have to make decisions based on the need for money. Doing what you love is based on faith in yourself and the process of life. Do what you want to do now. Then you won’t have to wait until you retire to enjoy life.

Q. Does the new global economy make it impossible to make enough money and still do the work you love?

A. The global market has created many new jobs that no one could have imagined even a few years ago. But most people are influenced by news media that emphasize loss instead of the gain that innovation brings. Gloom and doom “talking heads” on TV underestimate the power of the creative spirit. They forget that change is inevitable and often disruptive, and that some things in the marketplace remain constant regardless of where you live and work. People want goods and services and they will pay for them when they receive value for their money. If you or your company can provide what your customer wants you and the company will survive. If not, you will be out of a job and the company out of business regardless of what is going on in the world. While the free market may seem harsh, competition forces everyone to come up with better products and services for consumers. This also applies to government and non-profit entities; pleasing the customer is the name of the game in the 21st century.

Q. Can your passion go out of style?

A. Your passion may change its form, such as when you improve your technique or way of doing your work, or when you move from a large company to a smaller company, or into your own business or private practice, but it will not go out of style. Like fine wine, passion improves with time.

Q. How can you do what you want to do if you have a big mortgage, kids to raise, and bills to pay?

A. Being overloaded with debt and the demands of children make it hard to do what you want to do. However, these can be excuses, a defense against the fear of failure. If you are over housed sell the house and move into a cheaper home. If your children are overly demanding, sign up for tough love classes so that you can learn how to set better boundaries. Throw away your credit cards except for the one you pay off every month. Spend money on what you really need rather than buy on impulse or because of the need to keep up with relatives and friends. Eliminate everything you do not need, possessions, activities, and relationships (particularly with family members) that drain your emotional energy. Set small goals you can reach. For example, if you want to write get up a half hour earlier in the morning and write. If you are still writing after three months you are a writer. If you can’t maintain this discipline writing is not what you want to do. But perhaps it’s some other aspect of publishing that suits you, such as marketing, sales or promotion. Talk with people who do these jobs to find out what it takes to succeed. Remember that the best gift you can give to your children is to do what you love with all your heart and soul. The worst legacy you can leave your children is, “if it weren’t for you I could have done what I wanted to do.”

Q. What about if you feel you’re too old (or too young) to work with passion?

A. You are never too young or too old to care deeply about your work, whether you are in your first job, nearing retirement, or starting your own business. Everyone notices excellence. Do your best wherever you are and you will be amazed by the miracles that happen.

Q. What if your passion is outsourced to another country?

A. You cannot be outsourced, so the more face-to-face contact you have with customers, clients, and colleagues the less chance your job will be outsourced to another country. If your job is outsourced go to work for a small organization, less than 20 people, or use what you know in a more creative (and riskier) way. For example, if you are an engineer get a job selling products or services to other engineers or technical people. Don’t waste time getting angry with your company or workers in foreign countries. Be proactive and optimistic, don’t wait to be fired or laid off. Instead, take charge of your career. Let go of the employee mentality (the belief that the company owes you a living). Instead, think like an entrepreneur, focus on what the customer you care about needs and wants instead of on finding another job just like the one you lost. Use your current skills to fill these customers’ needs, either in a company, your own business, or as a consultant. If you need to upgrade your skills do whatever it takes to stay marketable, including going to school or working for less money with an entrepreneur who can teach you how to do his or her business.

Q. What are the five clues that will help you to find your passion?

A. Since finding your passion is like solving a mystery you need to know how to interpret the clues that indicate you are on the right track.

Passion Clue # 1: You would do the work even if you did not get paid for it.
This is the most difficult clue to discover of all because, like many people, you probably believe that you cannot do what you love for a living and make the money you need (note that I said need, not want). This belief is the result of a negative attitude toward work in general, and despair over past downturns in the economy: depressions, recessions, and other social and political upheavals that led entire generations to conclude that work was for survival, not inner satisfaction. Negative beliefs about work are also the result of lack of faith in the creative process of life, that downs are followed by ups. The key is to learn from our mistakes so that we make better choices in the future.

Passion Clue # 2: You are focused on mastering your work, not on the outcome.
Mastery means that you are willing to work long and hard to become good at what you do for a living. As you do this work you are open to critics; in fact, you welcome criticism since it show you how to improve your work. Even destructive critics can be helpful because they force you to stand up for what you believe.

Passion Clue # 3: You are transformed into a better person as you do the work.
When you do the work you love the experience of giving without expecting a return transforms you into a disciplined, effective person. As the years go by, you focus on what you can control, and you let go of what you cannot control. Because of your concentration and self-discipline, your work becomes a finer expression of who you are. This commitment to excellence turns you into a kinder and even more powerful person than you were before.

Passion Clue # 4: You are not aware that time is going by.
As you do the work you love you feel as if time is standing still. You are in a high, peaceful place, quietly observing without judging. This highly creative state of mind produces startling, new, and original discoveries, which you apply to your work.

Passion Clue # 5: You are paid to be who you are.
. Getting paid to work at your own pace and in your own way is the strongest clue that you are on the path to passion. You are true to your temperament, and you do not betray your values to please others. If you are an introvert you work in a quiet environment at a slow pace. If you are an extrovert, you get paid to interact with people in stimulating environments. It may take time for you to achieve economic stability, but once you get there you know that getting there was all the fun.

12. What are the five signals that will let you know that you are off the passion track?

Off Track Signal # 1: Making money is your priority.
Material goals are not in themselves wrong, but they often interfere with expression of the feelings. And since passion is an intense feeling, it is vital that you make inner satisfaction your priority in work, not the amount of money you make.

Off Track Signal # 2: You are concerned about how you look in the eyes of others.
The need for recognition is often a holdover from an earlier period of life, perhaps when you did not get the attention you wanted from a parent or other early caretaker. Set goals that will gain your own approval. That will overcome your fear that you are not good enough as you are.

Off Track Signal # 3: You are focused on the end result, not the process.
Worrying about the outcome of any goal is an effective way to sabotage your peace of mind. Keep your mind focused on the day you are in. Set small goals you can reach. That will lead to greater confidence about larger goals.

Off Track Signal # 4: You take shortcuts to achieve your objectives.
Mediocrity is the result of taking shortcuts, so when you are tempted to take the quick and easy path, remember that the best path is difficult at first then it gets easier. The wrong path is always easy at first; then it gets difficult!

Off Track Signal # 5: You sacrifice your needs for others’ needs.
Self-sacrifice can be a noble way of life, but not when it is destructive to your emotional and physical health, such as the times when you let others take advantage of your kindness and sympathy. See people as they are, not as you want them to be. Honesty is the most effective way to balance your needs with their needs.

13. Your book was the first to connect the word passion with work. What changes have you seen in the workplace since your book’s first edition came out in 1984? What remains the same?

The greatest changes I’ve seen since my book came out in 1984 are the tremendous increase in entrepreneurs, the power and influence of women in the workplace, the rapid growth of technology in business, and the impact of the Internet. What has not changed, in fact, what may be even worse, is the lack of focus and overextension I see in everyone I meet. Fatigue is a national epidemic, fueled largely by people taking on more than they can handle. This is why I encourage my clients to slow down the pace of their lives so that they can make thoughtful (and passionate!) choices.