“How to Do What You Love” needs a prequel

“To do something well you have to like it,” Paul Graham famously wrote. This advice can come like a friendly slap in the face. Of course! Striving to excel in a domain that does not interest us is obviously silly. 

But are we capable of liking something long enough - and without grasping at it and suffocating it - to do it well?

Some thoughts from others:

Andrew Yang: “They need status and reassurance…They think in two years, not 20. …They get agitated if they’re not making clear progress…They fear being wrong and looking silly…They talk themselves out of having guts…They worry too much.”

Ngakma Nordzin: “the jealous gods are actively ambitious—but they lack potency and commitment. Their need to always check that everything is going in the right direction pollutes the non-dual potential of their energy. Their dualistic view results in a nervous frenzy of continual observation and assessment. They have to be sure that they are keeping an eye on all aspects of their situation. This frenetic activity cramps and constricts the flow of energy that could accomplish whatever it set out to achieve.”