A friend of my wife has recently become really excited about blogging for the vegan food movement and in a conversation about being really happy they thought, “Is this passion?” This comes after my last article about how passion sucks… there’s nothing wrong with that. Finding the thing you love is a good thing and I don’t want to take away from that, but here’s one possible reason why things look good right now: this blogger is living her dream, as opposed to daydreaming about it and never making it happen.
Listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Hidden Brain, an episode popped up about how daydreaming can become an obstacle to success. The study and book about the effects of positive thinking by Gabriele Oettingen, who wrote Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside The New Science Of Motivation, talks about how positive thinking puts people into a mental state that mimics accomplishment before they have even started out and actually creates negative results.
This is the trouble that I have with wishful thinking, or passion in this case: it’s not moving the ball down the field. You are not gaining any momentum and if we consider the interview below it may actually be counter productive. The resolution, it turns out, is to be more realistic to counteract your flights of fancy.
Learn more about how to overcome this problem by listening in and be sure to check out the rest of the catalog. It’s a great show that I highly recommend.
Listen to the Hidden Brain Podcast: WOOP, There It Is! here.
Copyright © 2016 Robert C. Olson
Robert C. Olson 
I often have this thought when I have a brand new idea. Suddenly, my brain is flooding with dopamine and adrenaline, and I feel like I can accomplish anything. Then, when I actually start to put my idea into motion, I tend to fall into a rut. In fact, sometimes I even get a little sad: the high is gone, and now reality is setting in. Will my idea work? Was it foolish of me to get so excited at first?
This is what I’m experiencing as I’m attempting to make my blog more legit. Will anyone care about a pop culture blog and a weekly podcast? How do I make people care? I have a passion for it, but is it enough?
I will definitely check out that podcast you mentioned. Would be nice to get some more podcasting tips from people who are having success!
Being a creative is a daily tragedy because so many ideas die for the sake of my laziness. It’s amazing how many ideas don’t make the cut, but the best feeling in the world is when someone appreciates what I’m doing. If it’s the long game we are playing we have to move past that initial rush – that honeymoon period – to find the “married life” stability in creativity. That’s where the good stuff is.
Also, check out what Ira Glass says about good work: https://vimeo.com/24715531.
Good luck!
I think I talk myself out of most of my ideas. I’m trying to make it a goal this summer to move past that small voice of self-doubt and just do it, à la Nike.