Recently, I picked up a book that discusses the danger of what it calls the "Passion Hypothesis". It believes that the advice "Follow your passion", so rampant in recent years, can cause people to become less than they could be.

I'm not sure I entirely agree with the premise of the author. However, not having read the book in its entirety, I am not yet in a proper position to comment on it.

Suffice it to say that I believe that passion must be commensurate with skill. If you are passionate but lack the skill to make your passion appreciated or admired, you just have a hobby. Yet, if you are skilful without being passionate, you are not going to be very happy with what you are skilful at.

Those are my thoughts, however. The author believes that passions form when we get good at something - when we become skilful at it. Skill comes from long, useful practice.

Perhaps I will comment on this again when I have formed my own thoughts on the matter after I finish reading the book.