“Follow your passion, you won’t go wrong.”.How many times have you or I said that to sons, daughters and young friends that we might be mentoring. People we care about. Follow your passion, because well, that is what you love and like to do, right?.What other direction could you possibly take?.Sadly, Bruce Feiler, the popular author of several books on finding the work you love and success in life, says it’s not good advice. In fact, it’s the worst thing you could say, he says..The New York Times bestselling author says discovering a new road map for finding meaning and purpose in what you do for work, is do-able..People can find meaning in their work, in times of change, he told Fareed Zakaria this weekend on CNN’s GPS. “No area of our life is changing more than work. So, let's just set the table here,” said Feiler..“Seventy percent of Americans are unhappy with what they do (and) 75% of Americans in a survey released in April say they plan to look for new work this year.".“That means 100 million Americans in a workforce of 160 million will sit across from someone today, tonight, tomorrow and say, ‘I'm not happy with what I'm doing. I want to do work that makes me happy.’".In Canada, things seem to be going the same way..Two-fifths (41%) of Canadian employees say they’re either already looking or plan to look for a new job before the end of the year, according to a new survey by Robert Half Canada Inc..The survey, which polled more than 1,100 workers, found Generation Z employees (64%) were most likely to make a career move in the remaining months of 2023, followed by employees who have been with their company for two to four years (56%), marketing and creative professionals (51%) and working parents (51%)..Employees who reported exploring other opportunities said they’re motivated by a higher salary (55%), better benefits and perks (28%) and remote working options (26%)..“Many employers continue to face challenges with their recruitment efforts,” said David King, senior managing director at Robert Half Canada and South America, in a press release..“Ensuring your company offers competitive pay and benefits, a supportive work culture that promotes employee satisfaction, career growth opportunities and some level of flexibility will give your business a large advantage when it comes to attracting and retaining talent.”.Surveys aside, the larger question arises, is it possible for everyone to have work with meaning. Is it even in the ballpark?.Or are we destined or doomed to work in jobs we hate, because we need the money and we have to pay the bills?.Remember when they used to say, “You have to find your passion when you’re 20 or 21.” Well, good luck with that. It sure didn’t work in my life..I thought I was going to be a commercial airline pilot, flying Boeing 727s and McDonell-Douglas DC-8s, but it never happened..Somehow, I ended up flying a desk at a newspaper, instead. Not that I’m complaining of course..Whenever I complained about my job, my boss, Jose Rodriguez, would happily point out, we are not on a roof, at -25C, hammering down shingles..In other words, be happy where you are, pal. Some truth to that, I must say..So, what does Mr. Feiler recommend, in his latest book, The Search: Finding Meaningful Work in a Post-Career World (Penguin Publishing Group, $29)?.”I agree that ‘Follow your passion’ is one of the worst pieces of career advice,” he said..“I asked everybody, ‘Did you follow your passion, discover your passion, or make your passion?’.“Nine out of 10 people did not follow their passion. Your passions change. The world changes..“Along comes circumstances. Something happens to you medically, here comes AI. The idea of locking into a passion early is a preposterously bad piece of advice,” he said.."What I do think is true is that people across the income spectrum care about meaning, but the question, and I think the opening and what I've tried to offer here, is how do you decide what gives you meaning, when that's going to change over time?".What is the answer to that?.Quite simple, said Feiler..”The people who were happiest and most fulfilled in what they do, they don't just climb, they also dig,” he said..“They perform what I call a ‘Meaning Audit’ where they do personal archeology, like this treasure hunt through their own life story, trying to figure out.”.The world is changing, Feiler says, and we have to change with it. Your young children will face a much different job market, 10 years from now, than what we experienced..Furthermore, our dated “Grandpa Simpson” advice doesn’t hold anymore..And how they change, with that major shift, could decide how successful they are in work and life. Scary but true..It’s all about today, says Feiler..“Not two years ago, not 10 years ago, not what your parents wanted, not what you thought you wanted, but what you're doing right now."."I'm in a moment in my life when I need to make money because my kids are going to college. I have newborns and I want to spend more time with my children. I want to travel more. I'm an empty-nester and now I want to do something for myself.".“The point is that your who, your what, your when, they change over time..“This is the great opportunity of the nonlinear work life when you're going to go through 20 of these work quakes in your life, (and) any one could be a moment to reimagine.”.Feiler was asked, five, ten years from now, will careers look completely different, and how?.“I absolutely think it is that big of a change. I think what's happening here is a kind of rebalancing of the power between the worker and the workforce,” he said..“Really what I'm offering people here is this opportunity to meet actual real people. I tell the story, as you know, in the introduction, it's one of my favourite stories, of a woman named Meroe Park, who was on the Soviet desk of the CIA, like the most prestigious.".“She made a transition within the CIA to leave the spy department to go to the bureaucracy side and run payroll..“Her friend said, ‘You are a fool.’".What did she do? She ended up running the entire CIA..“Every story, Fareed, has what I call the ‘Un-Right Decision,’ the decision that disappoints somebody, but it's the decision that is ultimately true to yourself..“That's the burden, but it's the opportunity of this moment to decide what story you want to tell.”
