The "Follow Your Passion" Trick: Why a Job Might Be Your Smartest Choice

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The host of the famous podcast The Diary Of A CEO, @StevenBartlett, wrote a shocking article on LinkedIn about entrepreneurship in job interviews. Here’s a lightly adapted version of what he said:
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This might be a shocking opinion, and maybe not one you’d expect from an entrepreneur like me…
But the truth is that in this era, we’ve gone way overboard in “selling” the idea of entrepreneurship, and have severely undervalued “self-awareness.”

The unpopular truth, the one many are afraid to admit, is that the vast majority of people will find happiness and stability in a respectable job and a good salary—far more than they’d ever find in the hell of startups.

But the noise of social media keeps pushing an entire generation toward a life that doesn’t suit them and that they don’t actually want.

Entrepreneurs—including myself—get lots of likes and followers when we shout at people: “Quit your job and chase your dreams!”

But here’s the missing context we always leave out of the equation 👇
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The Other Side of the Coin
Entrepreneurship can be extremely boring.
You’ll have to do things you don’t enjoy at all.
You’ll face big, complex, and stressful problems every single day…

Including during official holidays, celebrations, and any time off. This will go on for years.

And if you’re lucky enough to succeed? The problems only get bigger, not smaller.
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The “Boss” Illusion
You’re not escaping one boss to become free.
In reality, you’ll have hundreds of bosses:
Every client,
Every investor,
And every employee becomes your supervisor.
You’ll be accountable to them 24/7.

You’ll often work three times your current hours, and endure ten times the mental stress, for a very slim chance of tangible success.

The numbers don’t lie:
A recent study found that 87.7% of founders suffer from mental health issues.
This isn’t a (Bug); it’s a core (Feature) of entrepreneurship.
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The Bill for Success

- You’ll see your kids and family less.
- You’ll make less money (for years, maybe forever).
- You’ll pay yourself last, and as little as possible.
- You’ll find it extremely hard to “switch off” your mind from work. Your phone will become your solitary prison.

And the painful irony is:
If you succeed, things get even harder.

More money = more complexity.
More growth = more anxiety.
More success = more people relying on you for their livelihoods.
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The Biggest Trap
In life, when you find yourself following someone else’s “catalog” or playbook, you risk winning prizes that aren’t yours.
You’re winning their battles, not yours.

All I’m saying is: be conscious and specific in your choices.

I’m not against entrepreneurship; I’m for self-awareness.
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So What Is True “Wealth”?
True wealth is:
✅ Knowing which “game” you want to play, and why.
✅ Having the courage to refuse to play by other people’s rules and games.
✅ Understanding your real strengths and weaknesses deeply.
✅ Designing your life in harmony with that nature, not against it.

Happiness isn’t in job titles or flashy social media posts. Happiness lies in (Alignment).
Building a life that matches your truth.
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So Why Do I Do It?
This raises the obvious question: why did I choose this path?
To be honest…
The answer is: I’m not entirely sure.

Maybe it’s a mix of old traumas,
my complete inability to fit into traditional structures like school or regular jobs (where I was fired several times),
and my ADHD (ADHD) brain that makes working 14 straight hours feel like 7 minutes,
and maybe some childhood self-esteem issues.

Whatever the reason, “this is me,” and this is what works for me. This is the weird way I find happiness and self-fulfillment.

For someone who isn’t “me,” this lifestyle might seem like torture. For me, their stable life might seem like torture.

And that’s the wisdom: when you build a life that feels like “home” to you, it’s perfectly natural for it to feel like hell to guests or passersby.

Know who you are… and know what doesn’t suit you.

Share your thoughts…
Do you think social media pressure has distorted the concept of a stable job?

And follow me for more realistic analyses $GT