Factor in passion to your work.

We have a societal problem: most people do not enjoy the work they do. My passion lies in making music and sharing that art—but making a living from it is a whole other equation. While it’s not impossible to build a career around music, I’ve chosen to have most of my income come from building software.

Do I love it? Sometimes—but usually when I’m building something meaningful. The craft itself—mastering every detail of a given library, solving algorithmic challenges, or tracking down obscure UI bugs caused by misconfigured CSS compilations—is not inherently exciting to me. This often feels like an uphill battle when it comes to motivating myself for what can appear to be drudgery or pedantic work.

Music, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. I love its craft: understanding every nook and cranny of music theory and the process of composition. It’s a passion. I can work on it endlessly, especially once my other life responsibilities are fulfilled.

Looking at these two worlds, they aren’t mergeable in my life yet, but I see how powerful a motivator passion is. I notice this in my colleagues too—the passion some folks feel toward software engineering makes them incredible at their jobs. I’ll never out-code someone who loves building software for its own sake. It’s a serious competitive edge.

So, where can passion be leveraged? For me, I know I love talking to people and finding cross-functional solutions to product problems—identifying high-leverage changes that save engineers hours or days while keeping the product intact. I enjoy bringing new things into the world, so building websites for non-profits or conceptual projects excites me. I find passion in meaning, and I can factor this into my work choices. Motivation is a competitive edge.

When choosing your job or a project at work, you’re likely not doing it just for funsies. But you may be able to find a focal point—a passion point that aligns with your values. That alignment can give you the edge to shine.

If you reflect on your current work, where are the passion points? What can you focus on to get that competitive edge?