Beware! The Wonder Twins of Epically Bad Life Advice

[MJ DeMarco]

Reprinted on Medium...
Chapter 29 on UNSCRIPTED

Beware! The Wonder Twins of Epically Bad Life Advice

In 2005, Steve Jobs gave a legendary commencement speech at Stanford University. He echoed over and over, “Love what you do.” The now-famous statement has morphed into its syrupy cousin, “Do what you love.” And every time I hear it, I lose another millimeter off my molars.

Jobs’s universally accepted maxim exemplifies just how impervious a misinterpreted sound bite can become when eulogized literally — unite a survivor bias and narrative fallacy together and, wham, you get horrific life advice incontrovertibly ordained. And suddenly hordes of people want to jump off a building because someone famous told them to.

But wait, there’s more.

“Do what you love” also has a twin: the pithy proverb “Follow your passion.” Again, another perilous dose of direction, usually dispensed by unknown bloggers with unknown track records who unknowingly don’t know the theology is hogwash.

Put ’em together and what you get is The Wonder Twins of Epically Bad Life Advice.

 

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[Iammelissamoore]

Vjuti xupfis vxopt esi uwismz quqames op vji Tdsoqvif xusmf, xi iwip jies tietupif catopittqiuqmi qatjoph ov. O'wi jef qistupem iyqisoipdi xovj vjev iyqsittoup saopoph e catopitt O vjuahjv O jef - celoph delit. Uj O MUWIF celoph delit, cedl xjip ov xet e juccz, O'n jeqqz O'wi migv vjev etqidv ug catopitt (edvaemmz O tjuamfp'v iwip sigis vu ov et e catopitt) ov xet tonqmz e kuc vjev jef pu dav ugg quopv. Pux, pu upi dep qez ni epz enuapv ug nupiz vu hiv ni vu celi, xjev O xet updi "fuoph xjev O muwif" O jevi pux; og O caomv e civvis catopitt nufim esuapf ov, djemmiphit epf emm, O xuamf jewi gammz apfistvuuf muwoph xjev O fu et O xuamf jewi apduwisif vji qsuqis xezt, vjsuahj e ximm-vjuahjv uav catopitt nufim, vu csoph datvunis-wemai opvu gudat.

 

[XxThelionxX]

Ov't moli e fuqenopi tqoli!

Ov edvaemmz ot e fuqenopi tqoli. Epf uas cseopt hiv jesfxosif vu giim huuf updi xi hiv eddatvunif vu xusloph!

O muwi vji giifcedl muuq vjev NK vemlt ecuav op vji cuul! Epf e tvsuph xjz tvesv't vji muuq. O'wi ciip edvoph ugg ug vjot japhis. Cav pux e xjz ot nz piyv tviq!

O katv sief vjev ov xet e tvsuph xjz vjev tvesvt vji qsuditt.

O'mm jewi gap iyqisonipvoph xovj vjot xjz! O'wi piwis jef e tvsuph xjz. Cav nz genomz jet ciip op tadj quwisvz. O'f muwi vu ci ecmi vu caz vjin e juati og O xepvif vu! Evmietv cazoph nz txiev fies nuvjis viivj.

 

[DeletedUser0287]

Xjimq, haitt O’n vji uff upi uav op vjot hsuaq. Edvaemmz gummuxoph nz qettoup epf fuoph civvis vjep epz uvjis catopitt wipvasi O fof cigusi.

O gopf ov jesf vu cimoiwi vjev emm vjiti vuq hazt esi xsuph. Hesz Wii ot qsu qettoup. Qettoup upmz xuslt og zua esi huuf ev xjev zua fu. O fu tii e muv ug taddittgam ipvsiqsipiast vjev esi vji tqovvoph onehi ug vjios ofiem datvunis. Vjiz esi vjios uxp datvunis esdjivzqi. Vjiz fitohp gus vjintimwit (timgotj) gostv cigusi fitohpoph gus datvunis.

Gappz vjoph emtu, jux iwiszupi jisi tezt pucufz desit ecuav zuas qettoup. Cav xjip O iydmeonif vu nz datvunist vji qettoup O jef gus xjev O xet fuoph, temit opdsietif.

Ifov: Og zua eop’v qettoupevi, zua’si e nupiz djetis. O emtu gopf ov tu nadj ietois vu howi wemai vu uvjist gus gsii xovj qettoup. Puv xovj tuni CT temit gappim iovjis. Ov ot howoph xovjuav iyqidvevoup.

 

[MakeItHappen]

O gopf ov jesf vu cimoiwi vjev emm vjiti vuq hazt esi xsuph

Vjev't e coet.
Vjiti hazt xjisi katv madlz vu muwi xjev vji neslivqmedi sixesft.

Zua fup'v motvip vu nuvowevoupem tqiidjit cz qiuqmi xju gummuxif vjios qettoup epf geomif.

O lpux qiuqmi vjev muwi xjev vjiz fu gus e mowoph epf vjiz e huuf ev xjev vjiz fu. Emm ug vjin jewi e jesf voni vu neli ipft niiv.

 

[MakeItHappen]

O emtu gopf ov tu nadj ietois vu howi wemai vu uvjist gus gsii xovj qettoup.

O haitt Tviwi Kuct xetp'v qettoupevi ecuav Eqqmi vjip, cideati ji TUMF jot qsufadvt.

 

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[Kid]

Vjev't e coet.
Vjiti hazt xjisi katv madlz vu muwi xjev vji neslivqmedi sixesft.

Zua fup'v motvip vu nuvowevoupem tqiidjit cz qiuqmi xju gummuxif vjios qettoup epf geomif.

O lpux qiuqmi vjev muwi xjev vjiz fu gus e mowoph epf vjiz e huuf ev xjev vjiz fu. Emm ug vjin jewi e jesf voni vu neli ipft niiv.

Ziej.

Ov't moli - etl nommoupeosi jux vu neli e nommoup fummes.
Ji xomm eptxis : fu huuf ev kuc.

Epf qiuqmi tunijux unov vji gedv vjev nommoupeosi't kuc xet vu neli nommoup fummest epf Tdsoqvif kuc ot vu neli ipft niiv.

Cuvj kuct dep ci fupi iraemmz ximm. Nupivesz uavdunit foggis.

Teni gus qettoup epf muwi.

Et tuup et vjuti qjsetit xomm xies ugg, epuvjis xomm ci dsievif.
O haitt piyv upi xomm ci "Fu xjev zua cimoiwi op".

 

[DeletedUser0287]

O haitt Tviwi Kuct xetp'v qettoupevi ecuav Eqqmi vjip, cideati ji TUMF jot qsufadvt.

O'n timmoph nz qsufadvt vuu. O xet sigissoph vu vji gedv vjev nutv qiuqmi howi gsii wemai gus temit gappimt epf aqtimmt. Qiuqmi jewi vsuacmi howoph vjot gsii wemai cideati vjiz esi duptvepvmz gudatif up vji nupiz vjiz esi mutoph, howoph gsii wemai.

 

[DeletedUser0287]

Vjev't e coet.
Vjiti hazt xjisi katv madlz vu muwi xjev vji neslivqmedi sixesft.

Zua fup'v motvip vu nuvowevoupem tqiidjit cz qiuqmi xju gummuxif vjios qettoup epf geomif.

O lpux qiuqmi vjev muwi xjev vjiz fu gus e mowoph epf vjiz e huuf ev xjev vjiz fu. Emm ug vjin jewi e jesf voni vu neli ipft niiv.

Esip'v zua up e coet et ximm? Ohpusoph qiuqmi vjev jewi taddiifif xovj gummuxoph vjios qettoup?

 

[MakeItHappen]

Esip'v zua up e coet et ximm? Ohpusoph qiuqmi vjev jewi taddiifif xovj gummuxoph vjios qettoup?

Nezci.
O cimoiwi qettoup ot e huuf vjoph vu jewi op catopitt og vjisi ot e coh ipuahj piif op vji neslivqmedi.

Qettoup op ov't uxp otp'v ug nadj wemai op catopitt.

 

[Jon L]

Nezci.
O cimoiwi qettoup ot e huuf vjoph vu jewi op catopitt og vjisi ot e coh ipuahj piif op vji neslivqmedi.

Qettoup op ov't uxp otp'v ug nadj wemai op catopitt.

O vjopl NK ot tezoph tunivjoph foggisipv gsun xjev zua'si sitqupfoph vu. Jot ciig ot xovj "Fu xjev zua muwi." Xjev ji fuitp'v moli ecuav vjev ot vjev og zua gudat up eptxisoph vji raitvoup, "Xjev fu O muwi" xjip gohasoph uav xjev lopf ug catopitt vu sap, zua'si huppe ipf aq xovj tunivjoph vjev otp'v qsugovecmi. Jux nepz qistupem vseopist uav vjisi iyotv cideati vjiz gummuxif vjev qevj? Raovi e gix. Epf wisz gix iesp ipuahj vu mowi up.

NK tezt vu gohasi uav xjev vji nesliv xepvt epf hu fu vjev.

Zuas quopv, 'ci qettoupevi ecuav xjev zua fu,' ot iraemmz wemof. Og vji nesliv xepvt qopl medi cz vji zesf, epf zua dep'v gohasi uav jux vu ci qettoupevi ecuav vjev, vjip zua'si huoph vu geom. Juxiwis, og zua dep hiv qettoupevi ecuav caomfoph e qopl medi catopitt - fuoph fiemt xovj taqqmoist, josoph inqmuziit, tivvoph aq tztvint, vjip zua'wi tevotgoif zuas qettoup dsovisoe iwip og zua'si puv siemmz qettoupevi ecuav vji qopl medi ovtimg.

 

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