Passion is an elusive concept. Yet many people feel they need to find and pursue their passions in order to feel fulfilled at work. To take the pressure off, Canva’s Chief Evangelist Guy Kawaski has some advice: Start by pursuing your interests.
“The passion test is much too high a bar to try to overcome,” Guy says. “The much lower and more rational bar is an interest bar.” His suggestion – lean into those interests and after you’ve pursued a few dozen, one will likely lead you to your true passion.
Guy, who was a guest on the first episode of season 7 of the the Design Better Podcast, has a habit of trying new things. He was the Chief Evangelist at Apple for the Macintosh computer in the 1980s and has authored 15 books. He says it took him until his 60s to discover some of his true passions, which include surfing and hosting his Remarkable People podcast.
“My only regret with podcasting is that I didn’t take it up earlier,” he says. “ I started podcasting two years ago, but should have started five years ago. I think I was just born for podcasting. I love every aspect of it.”
During the episode, Guy shares with us the importance of making a sale no matter your role. He discusses his career at Apple, marketing the Macintosh computer line in 1984 and getting developers to write software for a relatively unknown platform. He also talks about the importance of empathy in design, gives his best advice for those who are starting their careers, and makes a strong case for being “a peripatetic” who pursues a variety of interests.
by Eli Woolery
Eli is the Director of Design Education at InVision. His design career spans both physical and digital products, and he is a lecturer in the Product Design program at Stanford University. You can find Eli on Medium or on Twitter.
