Q&A: Is it more important to do what you love or to love what you are doing?

Every month, I publish an answer to a reader’s question. Here’s a transcript of my answer to the question about doing what you love.

Hi Lisanne, is it more important to do what you love or to love what you are doing? Thanks for answering my question!

Thanks again for your question! I love answering such insightful questions. I sometimes have to think deep to reflect back something valuable so it can take some time. Thanks for your patience.

Let me start by saying that I’ve never been particularly fond of asking young kids what they want to be when they grow up. It not only puts pressure on them that I think is unnecessary, but it also puts emphasize on their connection to the material world while they’re still exploring who they are and what excites them.

I believe excitement is something that needs to be discovered. It’s through taking action that we can figure out what we like and don’t like, what we are personally attracted to, and what we are naturally good at. It’s through that experience we discover what direction to take. What skills to combine, and to determine the next move that simply feels right.

For example, when I launched my blog at the beginning of 2021, I knew I loved writing and reading books — it’s all I did. My interest in storytelling always came naturally to me, and I’ve always felt so much joy in spending time doing it that by the time I launched my blog, I had already spent years training myself to read, write, and think in a language that wasn’t my native one.

Because I also have a background in e-commerce and online marketing, I was able to grow my platform with my skill for marketing. What I have gradually learned is that it is not your strengths, but your combination of strengths that sets you apart. It is the fact that writing and marketing are mutually reinforcing—and that I enjoy both—that leads to exciting results.

So passion often leads to commitment, which then develops into skill. Through repeated effort we naturally build expertise. The great thing about passion though, is that it is already present and alive inside of you — you don’t have to search for it. However, by trying out different activities, the excitement can become clearer and easier to recognize.

This way, we can use the boring job, the one we don’t like, to figure out the parts we love so it can inform our decision-making. It’s not about ‘finding a job you love’ as Hollywood wants us to believe, but about paying attention to what makes us thick. As long as we’re open enough to receive what comes our way, we can respond to our inner excitement when it shows up.

For this reason, I struggle with the idea of loving ‘what you are doing’ because it can sometimes feel forced. This approach relies heavily on developing a positive mindset about work that may not align with your true passions. While this approach can lead to contentment, it might not provide the deep sense of purpose and excitement that comes from ‘doing what you love.’

So I believe more in the idea of zooming in on the ways we like to spend our time first, as it ultimately leads to excitement and then naturally leads to expertise and money. On the flip side, I truly believe in the idea that every situation is here to teach us something, and that in every job there could be something to gain, learn or discover. Even when you’re doing something you’re not truly loving, which then guides you to something you do love.

So if you’re in a job right now that doesn’t fit like a glove, awesome. You’re exactly where you need to be. Try this one little simple activity: go and see which tasks, projects, or meetings give you energy. Try discover what makes it pleasurable to you, and how your work in that area is being received. Your skills can be used in different jobs and be combined in many different ways so go see how it impacts someone else who benefits from your work. Ask yourself the question, “What impact could I make by pursuing this passion that other people might help as well?”.

Let me know how you’re doing.

How do you like to spend your time? Are you doing what you love right now, and what problems are you solving? Let me know in the comment section.

Thank you for reading. This reader’s question is part of the Ask Me Anything series. I’d love to answer more of your interesting questions and get a sense of your interests. If you have questions to extend this Ask Me Anything section, please let me know. I like to hear from you. Send me your question via team@lisanneswart.com

Here is a list of the last 3 readers’ questions I’ve answered:

• If I could travel anywhere in the world, where would I like to go next?
• What do I enjoy most about my newsletter?
• What small act of kindness was I once shown that I will never forget?

» Explore more answers to thought-provoking questions