Doing Your Passion

It's easy to get diverted. David Brooks recently had an Op-Ed in the NY Times about how to be focused, following on from some studies of children:

You have to have the capacity to be alone. You have to say Yes to what really matters to you. Your appetites are frightening, and so you might suppress them. You need to be free to follow those appetites, not letting anxiety edit them so they are no longer satisfying.

[You see this editing in personal ads, where people have lots of specs, but what really matters to them is almost never given. Similarly, in academic job announcements, it is rarely if ever said, we want people who are passionate about their research or teaching,... It's always about qualifications and fields ...]

If you are focused, all the distractions and diversions are rather less powerful.