Exploring the Link Between Motivation and Passion Projects
While the word 'passion' is often used as a metaphor for the intensity of our feelings, did you know that there's actually a scientific term for it? And guess what? It's called motivation!
In this article, we'll explore the link between motivation and passion projects to discover how they work together. We'll cover such topics as why people are motivated to pursue specific projects and how building a lot of your passion projects can help you stay motivated in your career. Then, we'll answer some commonly asked questions about what motivates people to start something new.
At the end of this article, you'll be able to use your passion projects to turn your boredom with life into motivation for work and of course, play! [article ends]
The article is mostly promoting the book Passion Projects. What they don't promote is that the author has little to no credentials on the subject of motivational psychology. The book was self-published and there have been no studies or peer-reviewed research on the content in it. There are a handful of scattered mentions in semi-popular media and blogs, but almost nothing scholarly exists withing her claimed field of expertise (though she does claim expertise). Additionally, the book contains a number of serious errors, from simple typos to manuscripts that are plagiarized from other sources.
(EDIT: At this time, the author (who has since decided to be anonymous) has removed her name and other identifying information from the links on her website. [NOTE: This was removed in my original review]).
I think for a book like this to go mainstream in self-help circles is positive; she is reaching people who have no idea there is such a thing as motivational psychology, and hopes it will help them break through the stagnation in their lives.
I'm not sure if this is the author's intended or not, but I can't help but feel that she is using people. Maybe her books aren't actually so bad, maybe she really just wants to help people break free of their lives of boredom and depression. She has no business in writing motivational psychology books, let alone self-publishing them. So I'm going to give her a little benefit of the doubt: At least she's trying something new. That doesn't excuse the how awful her work is; it just says that she cares enough to try something different and not get caught up in all the usual nonsense that goes along with being a writer these days.
The book itself is horrible. It's not just that it's poorly researched and riddled with grammatical errors, it is actually written as a self-help book.
Why should I care how someone else defines their work and what they do? It's one thing to write silly articles or books to make a quick buck. It quite another to write self-help material about how to be in life and do meaningful things. It's a terrible waste of time for the people she is trying to reach.
Authors, who have not written a book before and have no credentials, should not be writing self-help books at all. The worst thing she could do is get the professionals into it!
I'm not promoting my own book because I feel it isn't good enough, I'm just pointing out that this author is apparently trying to make a career out of her writing. She's even using Facebook to promote her books… So why is she doing it? Is she trying to one-up other motivational authors and steal their audience? Does she just think she can learn how by writing about it?
The next reason this book sucks is because SHE WROTE IT.
People who write books are not psychologists, or career experts. Spouting things that we've all heard a thousand times before does not make you an authority. I honestly feel bad for her and the people who buy this book because of how terrible it is.
My final point is that the book costs $29.95 on Amazon. That's insane, and it's another slap in the face to anyone who buys it. A motivational book on 'passion projects' that costs almost $30? Are you kidding me? The author should be ashamed of herself and her publisher.
My advice is that if you feel this book will help you in any way, just donate some money to a charity. They do some great work in the world and they need it more than the author does!
If you are really interested in improving your life, set aside $30 and buy a copy of the most recent edition of "What Color is Your Parachute?" by Richard Bolles . It contains real information for people who want to make real changes in their lives, instead of fluff and nonsense from someone who doesn't know what she's talking about.
She has a website here. I encourage you to pick up a copy of the book yourself and see what you think. It's certainly not the worst I've ever seen, but it certainly isn't something I'd recommend to anyone.
EDIT: The author has removed her name from her website and other identifying information from her book reviews on Amazon at least . She will no longer be one of our charity partners (and there are other reasons why we have decided not to work with this author). She is also receiving regular questions about how she is writing these books, and will be answering them in an upcoming post.
I will note that the author has removed some of the links from her website and revised her book review to include a lot more information about what she believes in (even though she doesn't want to reveal her name). I have updated the article with new information.
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Categories: Uncategorized . . Author: jonnyisbadlyafraid.com .
Conclusion: Read It For Yourself
If you still want to give this book a shot, click here.
I know it's hard to trust someone who has no credentials but is telling you to buy a self-published book for $29.95. I understand that, and I'm not asking you to blindly trust me. What I'm saying is that the information in the book is so wrong that even the author knows it's wrong! She removed her name from her website and Amazon reviews and later posted an explanation of who she was, why she wrote the book, and how she came about doing it.