Stop Searching for Your Passion (Design It Instead) | IIDA Illinois

Photo by Katerina Kerdi on Unsplash
Design it instead.
Stop searching for
your passion.
IIDA Chicago | December 2019
Terri Trespicio
Copyright © 2019 Terri Trespicio All rights reserved.

A few years ago, I
delivered a TEDx
talk.

“Stop Searching for Your Passion”
~ 5MM views

Photo by Banter Snaps on Unsplash

I wanted to be a writer. I had no idea how.
I always
loved
words.

I wanted to
be a writer.

But I was
riddled with
self doubt.

I assumed
there was
one “right”
way to do it.

I’ve spent my career crafting
ideas in and for media.

Today, I change the way people
think about, talk about &
communicate what they do.

Passion is a tricky
topic.

The idea of a singular
stand-out passion is a
myth. A cultural myth.

(It also smacks of
privilege.)

Passion is not a plan or a
goal. 
It’s a feeling, and feelings
change.

I got this book for
Christmas in 1987.  
I never even read it.

It’s not even a  
pre-requisite.

Barbara Corcoran is the
biggest name in the
brokerage business.
She does not, and never
has, had a passion for real
estate. (Her words!)

Passion is not a goal or the
trophy; it’s the energy you
bring to the needs you meet.

Photo by Ben Hershey on Unsplash

I’d never caught a
football in my life. 
Mainly because no
one had ever
thrown me one.

Passion has a twin sister: Inspiration.

They will haunt your dreams.

“What inspires you?”
You won’t like my answer. 
Because I often don’t feel like
doing anything.

You can be inspired by
the work, even if you
aren’t inspired to do it.

Nope.
You just end up
waiting. Wondering.
And doubting.

• We get precious
• We get myopic
• Fear of risk
• Fear of making a mistake
• We compare and resist
How a fixed idea about
“passion” holds us back:

Meaning
Value
Connection
Enjoyment
Fulfillment
What do we want?

What we want is a
life that matters.

What’s the one thing people say when
I ask them what they want to do?
Help people.

Photo by Li Yang on Unsplash

• The “need” for more information
• The “need” for better credentials
• Not ready
• Not my job
• No one asked
• Being busy
• Other people
We hide behind…

The search for passion is
just another way of hiding.
I’ll just wait here until what I’m
supposed to do is abundantly clear.

“If you persist in hiding,
you will be unable to do
the generous work you
want to do.”
—Seth Godin

A job isn’t
responsible for your
passion. You are.

Don’t worry
about taking
notes!

Want the
slides + a
reading and
resource list?
Text
“TerriT”
to
44222
TODAY!

territ
1. Text “territ” to 44222 
 
2. Reply to text with
email 
3. Check your email
and confirm.
44222

What’s the difference
between a job, a career,
and a calling?

Amy Wrzesniewski University of Michigan
Clark McCauley Bryn Mawr College
Paul Rozin University of Pennsylvania
Barry Schwartz Swarthmore College
Jobs, Careers, and Callings: People’s
Relations to Their Work (study)

Work is a means to an ends,
necessary evil, supports life
outside of work.
Jobs, Careers, and Callings: People’s Relations to Their Work, A. Wrzesniewski et al.
JOB

Work is a path to upward
mobility, achievement,
status.
CAREER

Work is integral to identity
and self-expression; it’s
meaningful and satisfying.
CALLING

•Reported notably and significantly higher
life and job satisfaction 
•Ranked work satisfaction significantly
higher  
•Missed fewer days of work
Those who see their work as a “Calling”

Satisfaction with life and with work
may be more dependent on
how an employee sees
his or her work
than on income or occupational prestige.

The actual job doesn’t seem to
matter as much as you’d think.

You don’t even have
to LIKE the job to be
fulfilled by it (at first).

Jesper is a postman.

Jesper hates his job.

This isn’t just a
Santa origin story.

This is about passion
born of purpose.

The lesson:
We can make big and
meaningful contributions in our
work (regardless of the job).

“You are not your
resume. You are
your work.”
–Seth Godin

Why does this
matter now?

the connection
economy
We’re living in

“The value we create is directly
related to how much valuable
information we can produce, how
much trust we can earn, and
Seth Godin, The Icarus Deception
how often we innovate.”

•Balancing expectations.
•Managing relationships.
•Tapping your own creativity.
•Risking a new idea.
EMOTIONAL LABOR

Creativity is not:
A rare gift
A static trait
Someone else’s job

“The ability to transcend traditional
ideas, rules, patterns, relationships,
or the like, and to create meaningful
new ideas, forms, methods,
interpretations.”
Creativity is…

Creativity is:
Inherent
A skill
A habit
The only path to individual
contribution

—Brene Brown
“There’s no such thing as creative
people and non-creative people.  
There are only people who use their
creativity and people who don’t.”

Art is your job.

Interior design
is an art.

But so are…
Creative services
Entrepreneurship
Technology
Leadership
Customer service
Source: Seth Godin

When you…
Made a bold suggestion
Advocated for an idea, or a
person
Tried a thing even though it
could fail
Did something for the sheer
joy of doing it
Committed to a decision
Delivered a little more
than was required
Really listened
Performed a generous act
Surprised someone
Surprised yourself
…you made art.

Creativity and art do not
happen in a vacuum.

“Creativity does not happen inside people’s
heads, but in the interaction between a
person’s thoughts and a sociocultural context.”
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Creativity
It’s a system.

What’s keeping you from
creating & sharing 
your best stuff?

•Come up with ideas
•Meet and discuss
•Offer feedback
How we do it now

Photo by Headway on Unsplash

Typical feedback
goes something
like this…

BUT
“This is ok…
“It would be better if…”
SO
“Please fix it thank you bye.”

This is a shit
sandwich.

Our traditional
approach to
feedback is flawed.
Fact:

Instead of “what is the best
way to give feedback?”
“What is the right way,
the best way, to help
people thrive and
excel?”

“Getting attention to our
strengths from others catalyzes
learning, whereas attention to
our weaknesses smothers it.”
Buckingham & Goodall, The Feedback Fallacy,” HBR, March-April 2019

“People don’t need feedback.
They need attention to what
they do
Buckingham & Goodall
best.”

There are a few
challenges.

Your brain has a
negativity bias
(so negative
thoughts stick
more).
Rick Hanson, Hardwiring Happiness

You’ve been
taught to
believe
criticism is
“good” for you.

Criticism
shuts down
your
creativity.

more powerful than negative
attention in creating high
performance on a team. “
“Positive attention is
Buckingham & Goodall
30x

“Sure, Bob, I’d love to hear
your feedback.”

Excellence is
idiosyncratic.
Buckingham & Goodall, “The Feedback Fallacy”

“Each person’s version of it
is uniquely shaped and is
Buckingham & Goodall, “The Feedback Fallacy”
an expression of that
person’s individuality.”

There is no one
straight path to
excellence.
There’s only yours.

So how do we get
there?

…to falling in
love with
the work
Shift from
Searching
for passion…

…to watching
for what works
Shift from
Studying
failure

…to highlighting
brilliance
Shift from
Pointing out
mistakes

When you train yourself to
see the genius in others’
work, you’ll start to see it
in your own.

There is a time and place for
productive criticism.
But it’s not when
you’re in creation
mode or cultivating
excellence.

You’ve been told to
Get outside your
comfort zone.

“The Feedback Fallacy,” HBR , March-April 2019
“Take us very far out of our
comfort zones, and our brains
stop paying attention to anything
other than surviving  
the experience.”

Your comfort zone
is where you’re most
creative, insightful,
and productive.

It’s hard to earn the trust it takes
to keep those ideas coming.
And unless we make it safe
for our first creative ideas…

Picture it:

Picture it:
• Fresh, innovative work
• Unleashed creativity
• An engaged, supportive team

It doesn’t just shift your
approach to work.
It can change your life.

You don’t follow
your passion…
Your passion  
follows you.

Text
“TerriT”
to
44222

Get all slides,
resources + my
free guide “5 Ways
to Unlock Your
Creative Genius”

PS. Note that the IIDA specific mailing went out
December 16, 2019. If you opt in after the fact, you
will be added to the mailing list, but will not receive the
email with all the original resources. Please feel free to
reach out directly at terri@territrespicio.com if you
didn't receive the resources and want to! -Terri

Stop Searching for Your Passion (Design It Instead) | IIDA Illinois

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Stop Searching for Your Passion (Design It Instead) | IIDA Illinois