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Comment by rg111 | Hacker News Reader

In this regard, you might want to read "So Good They Can't Ignore You" by Cal Newport.

I know. The title is cheesy and melodramatic. But this book was really helpful in shaping some of my worldview.

This book goes vehemently against the "discovery" of "passion", and instead provides some practical insights on how to do work that you will love. Or how to reach there.

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This book is in a genre I call “once you’ve read the title you’ve read the book”

Definitely aligned with the idea but if you already agree with the title you can save some time and skip the read

> This book is in a genre I call “once you’ve read the title you’ve read the book”

Hard disagree. Have you actually read it?

It offers much more than the title.

Does it also offer frequent name-dropping of the author's celebrity friends and personal stories which can be best explained by 'survivorship bias'?

No. One important aspect of the book that doesn't appear in the title is: People who get really good at something useful, also enjoy their work a lot more. The public view is often that passion leads to success. But the book argues that in many cases it is actually the other way around.

That's a big part of my problem - as a generalist I know many things, but am not an expert on anything specific.

Taking on a focused role leads to disappointment and loss of self esteem.

As a generalist, you can become an expert in one thing after another as you apply your generic expertise and ability to learn to a broad range of areas and problems over time.

Nice. Now i dont need to read the book

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