Ali Abdaal

There's nothing wrong with that, but it is a choice. It's delusional to think for most industries. Again, if you're an entrepreneur, maybe it's literally impossible. If you're a Wall Streeter or a surgeon, maybe it's impossible. For most careers, there may be a varying degree of what you can get away with and do. But for a lot of high-performing careers, no.

You're not going to have work-life balance in your 20s and 30s. You're just going to grind really hard, sacrifice a lot, maybe go out on the weekends sometimes, but maybe not. And then you are going to be wildly successful in your 40s and 50s early in the game. Another sort of trope that I hear a lot that I think is nonsense is people will say follow your passion.

You're not going to have work-life balance in your 20s and 30s. You're just going to grind really hard, sacrifice a lot, maybe go out on the weekends sometimes, but maybe not. And then you are going to be wildly successful in your 40s and 50s early in the game. Another sort of trope that I hear a lot that I think is nonsense is people will say follow your passion.

You're not going to have work-life balance in your 20s and 30s. You're just going to grind really hard, sacrifice a lot, maybe go out on the weekends sometimes, but maybe not. And then you are going to be wildly successful in your 40s and 50s early in the game. Another sort of trope that I hear a lot that I think is nonsense is people will say follow your passion.

None of those successful people, barring maybe a few artists and creators, have followed their passion. Again, Scott Galloway, I think, is one who said, the person who told you to follow your passion made billions of dollars in iron smelting. And that could not be more accurate. I hear these guys say follow your passion, and I don't think they are lying. I think they think that's what happened.

None of those successful people, barring maybe a few artists and creators, have followed their passion. Again, Scott Galloway, I think, is one who said, the person who told you to follow your passion made billions of dollars in iron smelting. And that could not be more accurate. I hear these guys say follow your passion, and I don't think they are lying. I think they think that's what happened.

None of those successful people, barring maybe a few artists and creators, have followed their passion. Again, Scott Galloway, I think, is one who said, the person who told you to follow your passion made billions of dollars in iron smelting. And that could not be more accurate. I hear these guys say follow your passion, and I don't think they are lying. I think they think that's what happened.

I don't want to throw anyone under the bus. I've heard billionaires say, follow your passion. That's a great commencement speech. They didn't do that. Or their passion was sleeping on a floor while they started a clothing company. Was that all passion? It's debatable. It's debatable whether that's all passion.

I don't want to throw anyone under the bus. I've heard billionaires say, follow your passion. That's a great commencement speech. They didn't do that. Or their passion was sleeping on a floor while they started a clothing company. Was that all passion? It's debatable. It's debatable whether that's all passion.

I don't want to throw anyone under the bus. I've heard billionaires say, follow your passion. That's a great commencement speech. They didn't do that. Or their passion was sleeping on a floor while they started a clothing company. Was that all passion? It's debatable. It's debatable whether that's all passion.

They made billions of dollars in clothing or they made billions of dollars in a tech thing and then in investing. Maybe they were passionate about that. You have to ask yourself if you are passionate about that. The answer is usually no.

They made billions of dollars in clothing or they made billions of dollars in a tech thing and then in investing. Maybe they were passionate about that. You have to ask yourself if you are passionate about that. The answer is usually no.

They made billions of dollars in clothing or they made billions of dollars in a tech thing and then in investing. Maybe they were passionate about that. You have to ask yourself if you are passionate about that. The answer is usually no.

Yeah, so I'm completely okay with that. Here's the kind of cold truth, according to me. So take it or leave it. You can follow your passion and you will probably be happier than somebody who just gets a lucrative career. You probably will. But you can't expect to follow your passion and also have a lucrative career. Not impossible.

Yeah, so I'm completely okay with that. Here's the kind of cold truth, according to me. So take it or leave it. You can follow your passion and you will probably be happier than somebody who just gets a lucrative career. You probably will. But you can't expect to follow your passion and also have a lucrative career. Not impossible.

Yeah, so I'm completely okay with that. Here's the kind of cold truth, according to me. So take it or leave it. You can follow your passion and you will probably be happier than somebody who just gets a lucrative career. You probably will. But you can't expect to follow your passion and also have a lucrative career. Not impossible.

I certainly followed mine into podcasting and creating audio and it's a very lucrative career. I am really freaking lucky that that worked out. I was early to market in podcasting. It's been 17 years, like I said. This is how early I was.

I certainly followed mine into podcasting and creating audio and it's a very lucrative career. I am really freaking lucky that that worked out. I was early to market in podcasting. It's been 17 years, like I said. This is how early I was.

I certainly followed mine into podcasting and creating audio and it's a very lucrative career. I am really freaking lucky that that worked out. I was early to market in podcasting. It's been 17 years, like I said. This is how early I was.

When I was interviewing authors and deconstructing high performers and talking about that stuff with Tim Ferriss, he hadn't written his books yet, and no one was interviewing successful people and talking about what they did. That was a novel concept. Now, if you say I'm starting a podcast and I'm gonna talk to successful people and break down what they do, people are like, oh, really?