So Good They Can't Ignore You
Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- R$ 74,90
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- R$ 74,90
Publisher Description
In an unorthodox approach, Georgetown University professor Cal Newport debunks the long-held belief that "follow your passion" is good advice, and sets out on a quest to discover the reality of how people end up loving their careers.
Not only are pre-existing passions rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work, but a focus on passion over skill can be dangerous, leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping. Spending time with organic farmers, venture capitalists, screenwriters, freelance computer programmers, and others who admitted to deriving great satisfaction from their work, Newport uncovers the strategies they used and the pitfalls they avoided in developing their compelling careers.
Cal reveals that matching your job to a pre-existing passion does not matter. Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before. In other words, what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it.
With a title taken from the comedian Steve Martin, who once said his advice for aspiring entertainers was to "be so good they can't ignore you," Cal Newport's clearly written manifesto is mandatory reading for anyone fretting about what to do with their life, or frustrated by their current job situation and eager to find a fresh new way to take control of their livelihood. He provides an evidence-based blueprint for creating work you love, and will change the way you think about careers, happiness, and the crafting of a remarkable life.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This just might be the only motivational book that advises against following your dreams. Cal Newport is a business-coach superstar (he coined the term “deep work,” which you see online constantly), so it pays to listen to him. Using anecdotes and analysis, Newport explains why playing to your strengths and putting in the work to build what he calls your “career capital” will yield more satisfying results than blindly following your passions. We were wowed by Newport’s talent for formulating counterintuitive advice, backed up with sound logic, that goes against the grain of nearly everything else we’ve heard. (Turns out declining a promotion can sometimes be a solid strategy!) You may not get the advice you expected, but So Good They Can’t Ignore You will get you excited about all the ways you can take charge of your career path.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Countless experts have argued that following your passion is the key to career success and bliss in life. In his lively and engaging first book, Newport (who at the time of writing was an MIT computer science doctoral student and active blogger) debunks this assertion as clich d, unrealistic, and possibly even destructive. He offers an alternative view that passion takes time and, in fact, is a side effect of being good at what you do. Developing mastery takes study, discipline, and repetition, Newport notes, and many compelling careers have "complex origins." Drawing on real-life examples of individuals including Apple Computer founder Steve Jobs, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, operators of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, and a Harvard professor, and others, Newport examines how meaning, mastery, and passion can emerge in a variety of careers depending on how they are approached. This refreshing view encourages readers to make reasonable choices, buckle down and put in the time, and through trial and error hone their "career capital." Written in an optimistic and accessible tone, with clear logic and no-nonsense advice, this work is useful reading for anyone new to the job market and striving to find a path or for those who have been struggling to find meaning in their current careers.
