On a sunny afternoon in 2005, Steve Jobs exchanged his signature black turtleneck for a gown and red stole. Standing before the anxious crowd of Stanford graduates, he delivered the words that encapsulated the philosophy of the modern workforce: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Jobs wasn’t the first to coin the idea “do what you love,” and he wouldn’t be the last. Sociologist Lindsey J. DePalma noted that the sentiment had already been growing for decades before Jobs took the commencement stage. Over twenty years later, the popular saying shows no signs of disappearing. A brief internet search brings up multiple books and even a dedicated website of courses that promise to “help you discover what makes you happy, monetise your passion and do what you love, for life.”
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Brianna Lambert
Brianna Lambert is the author of Created to Play: How Taking Hobbies Seriously Grows us Spiritually. She is a staff writer for Gospel-Centered Discipleship, and her articles and essays have appeared in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, and Common Good. She lives in a rural community outside Indianapolis with her husband and three kids.
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