Americans love to say things like "follow your passion," "pursue your dreams," or "do what you love and love what you do." But do these mantras truly represent the path to vocational clarity, personal fulfillment, and human flourishing?

Not according to a new study by researchers from Stanford University and Yale-NUS College, which found that "following your passion" is likely to lead to overly limited pursuits, inflated expectations (career, economic, or otherwise), and early or eventual burnout.

The study's authors concluded:

People are often told to find their passion as though passions and interests are pre-formed and must simply be discovered. This idea, however, has hidden motivational implications … Urging people to find their passion may lead them to put all their eggs in one basket but then to drop that basket when it becomes difficult to carry.

Although our culture tells us to "look within," assuming a fixed set of passions to guide us on our way, researchers found more positive results among those who allow room for interests and intelligence to develop over time. The study encourages us to ask: Are we still looking only to the self or are we looking outward and upward as well? As David Brooks once wrote: "Most successful young people don't look inside and then plan a life. They look outside and find a [need or God's call], which summons their life."

Possible Preaching Angles: Surely it is better to say "develop your passion" than "find your passion," as the study concludes. But as we do so, let's remember to follow the voice of God and consider the needs of our neighbors and then align our hearts and hands accordingly.