My First Million

How to find your thing

54 min

This episode critiques the common advice to "follow your passion," suggesting it often leads to uncertainty or unfulfilling paths. Instead, it advocates for "following your bliss" (enthusiasm) and "blisters" (willingly endured hardship), emphasizing that enduring enthusiasm leads to mastery and the discovery of opportunities. The hosts propose finding a "loop" or "sales motion" within work that one genuinely enjoys, rather than solely focusing on the industry or product.

Summarized by Podsumo

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✨ Key Takeaways

1

The hosts argue that "follow your passion" is often bad advice because most people (over 90%) don't know their passion, and the word itself is rooted in 'suffering.'
2

Joseph Campbell's concept of "follow your bliss" (enthusiasm, feeling alive, losing track of time) and later "follow your blisters" (willingly enduring hardship) is presented as a better guide, indicating genuine pull towards an activity.
3

Paul Graham's idea that enthusiasm should be both the 'motor and rudder' of your boat is highlighted, suggesting it guides you to the 'frontier' of any field where opportunities and gaps become apparent.
4

A key practical takeaway is to identify and love the 'loop' or 'sales motion' of your work (e.g., content creation, managing teams, specific growth channels) rather than just the industry or product, as this is where most time is spent.
5

The #1 regret of the dying, according to a hospice nurse's observations, is not having the courage to live a life true to oneself, reinforcing the importance of aligning one's path with internal desires.

💬 Notable Quotes

"“Don't follow your passion, follow your bliss. And later he changed it to follow your blisters.”"
"“Let enthusiasm be not just the motor, but the rudder of your boat.” — Paul Graham"
"“Light yourself on fire and people will come from many miles away to watch you burn.” — Isaac French"