<p>This was Steve Jobs' commencement speech at Stanford. I cannot overemphasize how important it is to live for yourself and not for others (even if they are your parents), or follow the path you think you "should," rather than what you want. The way he addressed this was very eloquent and moving:</p>
<p>You'll only do "great work" if it is work that you love. In that vein, here is a great quote by the authors of Freakonomics. Another perspective on why you should do what you love, seen through the lens of economics:</p>
<p>"...when it comes to choosing a life path, you should do what you love because if you don't love it, you are unlikely to work hard enough to get very good. Most people naturally don't like to do things they aren't "good" at. So they often give up, telling themselves they simply don't possess the talent for math or skiing or the violin. But what they really lack is the desire to be good and to undertake the deliberate practice that would make them better."</p>
<p>This makes a lot of intuitive sense, but a lot of people still don't realize it (or they ignore it). You may hear that speech, and think, "well of course, you should always follow your dreams." But how many people do you know actually do this? Do you? Most will either claim that their dreams are unfeasible, which is usually a fancy way of saying they're a pussy, or they don't know what their dream actually is. The problem with the latter is that many forget to add the phrase, "Plus I'm too lazy to actually look."</p>
<p>That laziness is fine if you're content to wade through **** for the rest of your life. But I would also imagine that in the long run, it's the root of much depression and anxiety. So if you are dissatisfied with your current or potential life/career in some way, do something about it now. Don't let the frustration snowball into some brutal manifestation, like a mid-life crisis. Find out what you want, then cross the rubicon and get it.</p>