Some lessons from the death of the happiness entrepreneur

[Thinh]

Did you hear the news? Zappos' founder and CEO Tony Hsieh died in house fire recently.

I won't go and talk about the details, since the article I just linked is thorough on the subject.
Somehow, while having my breakfast, it just clicked with something I'm experiencing these days and with what @MJ DeMarco says in his books about pursuing one's passion.

First, in case somebody was still wondering, you can be worth high 9 figures and still struggle finding happiness, just like any average Joe.
Hell, the guy wrote a best-seller called Delivering Happiness: A Path To Profits, Passion and Purpose. That should warn us about alluring book titles, even when the author seems to have all the reasons to be right. Seems like the world, and human psyche, are too complex to draw conclusions in a haste.

Also, a remark by one of his close friends, quoted in the article:

“He was never interested in shoes,”

If we take the message too literally, we might nod, because this seems in accordance with what the founder of this forum stated clearly, i.e. following your passion is a bad strategy.

I would just like to add a subtle distinction though, as a warning for anyone who might take this message too literally, as I did: hoping to run a successful business only out of passion is foolish, but it's doesn't mean you should do something boring. (I know, that's what's MJ really meant, but it doesn't hurt to repeat it)

Despite the tragic ending, there's another insight to gain from Tony Hsieh's story.
Many people close to him reported that he thrived as an entrepreneur because he was passionate and excited about the business, despite not being interested in shoes.
Picking other people's trash can be a great business as long as you find something exciting in the process (like, um, making lots of cash for instance).

So, to sum up:

• Beware of taking any book's word as the be-all and end-all of a subject (Tony Hsieh on happiness for instance).
• "Follow your passion" is a bad advice taken in isolation, but don't do boring stuff either. I prefer the advice "Do things others want, with enthusiasm."

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

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