The Passion Paradox: A Guide to Going All In, Finding Success, and Discovering the Benefits of an Unbalanced Life

Journalist Stulberg and long-distance running coach Magness (Peak Performance) team up again for a valuable volume about finding and embracing passion, avoiding burnout, and carefully navigating an unbalanced life. They first outline how to determine the level of commitment required to go all-in on a passion, asking readers to think deeply about what responsibilities and other goals they will have to give up. Then, they attack the illusion of balance, writing that passion and balance are antithetical. For the authors, self-awareness is more important that living a balanced life. “Self-awareness—which, paradoxically comes from distancing your ‘self’—is the only force strong enough to counter passion’s overwhelming inertia,” they counsel. As long as passion is harmonious and an individual is aware of what he or she is sacrificing, there is no wrong choice, they write; the only danger comes from a passion controlling an individual. By including short profiles of those they believe successfully navigate the passion paradox, particularly Warren Buffett and his unbalanced yet altruistic motivations, the authors outline the rewards of investing time, attention, and energy to achieve excellence. Motivational “Passion Practices,” such as “adopt the mind-set of a super champion” and “don’t become overly discouraged or saddened by failure,” are included at the end of each chapter. Readers looking for direction on how to better cultivate their passions will want to give this a look. [em](Mar.) [/em]