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AEE Episode 74: Arguing in English- Passion vs. Strengths in Your Career Choice

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Lindsay: This is an All Ears English Podcast, Episode 74, Meeting Monday: “Passion vs. Strengths in Your Career Choice: Arguing in English.” [Instrumental]

Gabby:

Welcome to the All Ears English Podcast, where you’ll finally get real, native English conversation. Now here are your hosts, Lindsay McMahon, the ‘English Adventurer’ and Gabby Wallace, the ‘Language Angel,’ coming to you from Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Lindsay:

In today’s episode, learn how to have a friendly argument in English about an exciting and meaningful topic. And if you’re interested in leaving us a comment or asking a question, please go to allearsenglish.com and look for the orange bar that comes out on the home page on the right side. Click on that and please go ahead and leave a message. We want to hear your voice. We want to hear your questions. Talk to you soon. [Instrumental] Gabby: Hey. Good afternoon Lindsay.

Lindsay:

Good afternoon Gabby. How are you?

Gabby:

I’m good. How are you?

Lindsay:

I’m super excited.

Gabby:

Why?

Lindsay:

Because today’s topic is something I think about all the time.

Gabby:

Yeah- passion, and strengths, and your career. I think, (you know), we spend a lot of time thinking about our careers.

Lindsay:

Definitely. It’s something that everyone should think about because imagine how many hours of your life you spend at work.

Gabby:

Yeah.

Lindsay:

You gotta (got to) be doing something that works for you.

Gabby:

Yeah. So I know you guys, our listeners, you spend a lot of time thinking about your career and even how English can help you in your career, (um), but we’re not even talking about English in your career today. We’re actually going to be debating what’s more important, passion or strengths.

Lindsay:

Yeah. We’re gonna (going to) have a little friendly argument here (um) and so. All right. So when you’re choosing a career, Gabby, what do you think is more important? Should you choose the thing that you love or should you choose the thing that you’re naturally talented in?

Gabby:

I think you have to choose the thing that you love. You choose the job that you’re passionate about because you will have more motivation and energy to follow that career path.

Lindsay:

(Mm). (I mean) I see what you mean. I see your point; (it) makes sense. But I don’t know. (You know), this summer I actually took this assessment and I always talk about this, (um), and it’s called the Strengths Finder 2.0 and I really recommend that to you guys.

Gabby:

How nice?

Lindsay:

I took an assessment –if you take this assessment you get your top five strengths and those are things that you’re so good at, naturally good at that nobody else does as well as you and you don’t realize that you’re good at them because they come so naturally to you. Okay.

Gabby:

Oh, interesting.

Lindsay:

(Um) so for example for me, one of my strengths is helping other people develop themselves and that’s why I’m in teaching.

Gabby:

Right.

Lindsay:

(Um) so I think you should choose a career based on how many of those strengths you can actually use.

Gabby:

Okay. Well my question would be are you going to be happy if you don’t pursue your passion, but you pursue something that you’re strong in?

(Um), okay, I was just listening to another podcast, (um) “Entrepreneur on Fire” and I listened to this episode, it was episode 344 and it was an interview with Bill Brown, the Classy Chocolate Man. I just thought it was interesting because Bill said that it took him a long time to understand what this strength and his passion were, (um), or what he really wanted to do, but finally, (you know), after a few decades of, (you know), working in offices and things like that, he started making chocolate as a hobby and everyone just loved his chocolates and (um) so he decided to become a chocolate maker and now he sells these great designer chocolates, and… Lindsay:

Yeah.

Gabby:

…(you know), my understanding is that he’s doing pretty well and he’s really happy ‘cause (because) it’s his passion.

Lindsay:

Yeah, I guess so. But (I mean) -- so maybe in his case, it’s actually his passion and it’s also his strength.

Gabby:

Interesting point. Yeah.

Lindsay:

(You know). Because what about this? What about this movie (uh) “Rudy”? Have you seen the movie?

Gabby:

Yes.

Lindsay:

It’s crazy because it really highlights the narrative in American culture and our narrative is: choose something you really want to do, choose a passion, put your mind to it, and just work your butt off… Gabby:

Right.

Lindsay:

…and accomplish that goal. But maybe that’s not the smartest decision because Rudy wasn’t a very good football player even though he worked ten times harder than everyone else on the team.

Gabby:

Right.

Lindsay:

So he went from being a terrible football player to a mediocre football player. What I’m arguing here is that when you’re using your strengths in your job, in the career you choose, you can go from being an above average football player or chocolate maker to an exceptional chocolate maker making a lot of money, being fulfilled and doing what you want.

Gabby:

That’s a really good point. (Um), I, I have to agree that you have to have a little of both. (Um) I’m not sure though, that if you’re really good at something, if you have a strength, but you have no passion or no interest in that area, (um), I don’t know if you’d be so good at it, but (um), but that’s another point actually, passion versus interest. And I was just listening to another pod, podcast… Lindsay:

You listen to a lot of podcasts.

Gabby:

Yeah. (Um) this one was (uh) Pat Flynn’s “Smart Passive Income” and (um) he mentioned, (you know), that you don’t have to be passionate about something to be good at it, but you do need to have interest in it. So, so maybe there’s some middle ground between our… Lindsay:

Yeah.

Gabby:

…our opinions here.

Lindsay:

Yeah, it’s true. (I mean) there might be a situation where someone, (you know), has math skills, right?

Gabby:

Yeah.

Lindsay:

(Um) and so maybe they become an accountant. So they’re really good at it, but they actually hate it. So I agree with you in that sense that they necessarily – shouldn’t necessarily go into something just because they’re good at it. But I think many times what we’re good at is also something that fulfills us.

Gaby;

Yes.

Lindsay:

(You know), when we’re able to use those strengths, it actually feels like we’re not working.

Gabby:

Yes, I completely agree. Right? And that’s the idea of “flow,” right. I’ve been reading about this… Lindsay:

Exactly.

Gabby:

…where you just follow what you’re good at and you, you feel like you’re not working, like you said it’s (like) “Really, I could get paid for this?” ‘cause (because) it just feels so natural, (you know).

Lindsay:

Yeah, so I think people shouldn’t stop looking for that thing.

Gabby:

(Um), I agree. So I think, (you know), we’ve come to kind of an agreement. I, I do agree that you need to have strengths (um), (you know), but you also have to be interested.

Lindsay:

Yeah. So you have to find that intersection of your strength, your unique strengths -- I guess we could call them gifts even.

Gabby;

Oh yeah.

Lindsay:

Your unique gifts and your passion, what you’re excited about, what gets you fired up.

Gabby:

Yeah.

Lindsay:

Yeah.

Gabby:

I agree.

Lindsay: Awesome. Interesting argument.

Gabby: Yeah.

Lindsay: Thanks for chatting with me today or arguing.

Gabby: Yeah, my pleasure.

[Instrumental]

Lindsay: If you like to put your ears into English with Lindsay and Gabby, be sure to subscribe to the podcast audio in iTunes for free on your computer or on your smartphone. Thanks for listening to the All Ears English Podcast. See you next time.