Created by Brandon Liu (Harvard 2014) and Betsy Tsai (UCLA 2014) from Lynbrook High School.

1. MODULE #10
Finding Your Passion
Brandon Liu
Harvard University
2014
Betsy Tsai
UC Los Angeles
2014

2. Introduction
T h e p u r p o s e o f t h i s m o d u l e i s a c t u al l y n o t t o h a v e y o u r e a d t h e s e s l i d e s a n d
wa l k a wa y wi t h a c l e a r v i s i on o f wh a t yo u s i n c e r e l y l o v e t o d o , b u t r a t h e r
a t t a i n a n i n t r o d u c t o r y u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h a t p a s s i o n , l i k e s uc c es s a n d s e l f -
f u l f i l l m e n t i s o n e o f t h o s e i m m e a s u r a b l e t h i n g s t h a t y o u m u s t g i v e yo u r o wn
face to.
P a s s i o n i s s om e t h i n g t h a t yo u r o wn m i n d c o n c ep t u a l i z e s , s o i t ’ s e x p e c t e d
t h a t a s y o u r m i n d d e v el o ps a s a r e s u l t o f t i m e a n d e x p e r i e n c e , s o wi l l yo u r
c o n c e p ti o ns of yo u r g o a l s , yo u r p a s s i o n , a n d d r i v e . Be c a u s e “ p a s s i o n ” h as
s u c h a fl ui d c o n n o t a t i o n , i t’ d b e m o r e a p p r o p r i a t e t h a t we t i t l e t h i s m o d u l e ,
D e v e l o p i n g Yo u r P a s s i o n .
Best,
Brandon & Betsy

3. I. Don’t stress about finding
your passion.

4. PASSION COMES NATURALLY
 “Happiness is not a goal, it is a by -product ” –Eleanor Roosevelt
 Similarly, passion is not something that you actively seek. It is
something that will eventually come. And when it does, it creeps
on you slowly and naturally, so that you won ’t even notice that it
happened!

5. Developing your passion is a lifelong process.
 You should not be expected to find your passion in
high school
 Most people do not find their passion by college
graduation
 There is still so much in this world that you have yet
to experience!

6. Developing your passion is a lifelong process.
What does that mean for me? What can I do now?
 If you're thinking about college, don't feel as if college selection is
a burdensome choice that will seal your future.
 Think about schools as environments. Don't think of Johns Hopkins as
exclusively as a pre-medical school, or of Univ. of the Pacific as a
pharmacy school. The truth is, they're not.
 People simply don ’t “find” their passion in high school.
 That "passionate" work ethic you're looking for takes time to
develop. Focus on how you can best show your strengths.

7. “Passion” in high school
 Do what you love, and don ’t worry about finding a passion or
turning any of your activities into a life -long passion.
 No one in high school actually knows what it means to be
passionate about something, so don ’t listen if someone pressures
you to find your passion!
 The extreme few who are mature beyond their years may have
developed a passion, but they will understand that a passion
cannot be forced and that it takes a long time and great maturity.
 Focus on what you love.
 Just do what you love.
 Forget about “passion”
 Or, if you’re not sure what you love, try different things with an
open mind and open heart. You ’ll find what you love with time.

8. Perspectives
Brandon
"I would estimate that over 95% of people I've met in college still have not yet
found their passion. It's the common struggle shared by everyone here at
school. Nobody knows what they wants to do yet -- but that's exactly what
college is for!"
Betsy
"In high school, my own passion and sincere drive were incredibly important to
me to the point where I'd constantly ensure that I wanted to do the things I did
for emotional and intellectual development. However, I do think that because of
that, I turned a blind eye to other activities and college options because more
often than not I didn't give things the benefit of the doubt.“
Jessica E.
“You will be most successful doing the things you love.”

9. II. Be open-minded.

10. Don’t have an idea of what passion or
happiness looks like.
 Don’t be locked into what you already know or are
already good at, or what your community, or peers
influences you to think
 This includes what you do and how you think.
 Passion comes in varying degrees and in different
forms. You won't necessarily embody “passion” in the
same form or magnitude as someone else.
 That also doesn't make you any less of a person. The only thing
that could make you any less of a person is a bad attitude.
 Futility of Competition: Trying to be better than someone else
at something you don’t like might cause interpersonal and
intrapersonal pressures.

11. Perspectives
Brandon
“I’m continually surprised by all the things I learn as I’ve grown in college. I
always surprise myself by the way that I continually change in the way I think,
the things I enjoy, and the way I view the world. Always be open to what the
future has in store – you’ll never know what’s going to happen!"
Betsy
"Think about soulmates. How do you know for sure what your soulmate
looks like? If you are so bent on finding what you think fits you, you might
walk right by opportunities that will challenge you and shape you into a
passionate individual.”

12. Case Study | Annie W.
Story:
Annie was admitted to NYU's Tisch School of the Arts as a Film Production
major, and while she had a ball producing and screenwriting, she also found
her other classes intellectually compelling. After graduating, she worked as a
producer for CNN.
I met her as a Fulbright scholar in Israel, making documentaries about "youth
villages" and refugees and learned how she eventually found that she sought
to be do things in which she would be “contributing” more to the world. The
only way she could discover that was to be patient through the years.
She plans to attend Columbia University as a graduate student in journalism
and international relations.
Betsy
"Annie inspires me because while she did ultimately pursue film, her first love,
she allowed her open mind to see, understand, and live the narratives she saw
around her, probably in places she never anticipated as a college student, and
her life represents a remarkable synthesis of her past ambitions and her
sympathetic, sincere responses to the world around her."

13. Case Study | Rachael Ray
Story:
Rachael Ray is known primarily for her television presence and influence
America's food & lifestyle culture. Her bubbly talent and ambition has resulted
in her hosting 3+ shows of her own, as well as the publication of her own
lifestyle magazine, and the Yum-O! charity foundation.
However, although she launched her career by being discovered while
conducting classes at a gourmet market, she had dreams of a career in
writing and journalism, first.
What we can learn from her life is that what worked out for her did not
necessarily entail what she thought her calling was. We can't know for sure
where her "true" passions lie, maybe they've changed over the course of her
life. (It's likely.)
Betsy
"I once told my mom: 'hey, if this film thing doesn't work out, at least I can be
the next Rachael Ray.'"

14. In Closing…
Your career might not fully embody your passions, but you
can still live a happy, fulfilling life.
Don't lie to yourself.
You may have to “talk yourself up ”
in the future as far as networking and job -searching goes,
but don't talk yourself up to yourself .
Passion— if overrated and idealized,
can be very hard to attain. Show self-respect.
The brevity of this module can attest to how personal your
sense and practice of passion is to you, and how much you
should be a part of the decisions you make, and not us.
Be the best you can be, not simply the best.
Since when did “best” = “genuine?”

15. THANK YOU!
BRANDON LIU | BETSY TSAI
HARVARD UNIVERSITY |UC LOS ANGELES
B R A N D O N . K . L I U @ G M A I L .CO M | B E TSY RTSA I @ G M A I L .CO M