Follow Your Passion: The Smart Way

The advice of “follow your passion” has its share of detractors. You would hear rebuttals such as:

·        “Passion is fleeting.”

·        “Following your passion is inherently selfish.”

·        “You need skills, not passion, to pay the bills.”

·        “Are you crazy?”

But every once in a while, a book comes up with a coherent plan to have your cake (follow your passion) and eat it too (flourish in your chosen path). Ana Maria “Penny” Bongato’s Career Shift: Follow Your Passion is an invaluable guide for those who want to migrate to another career where he or she can be a whole lot happier.

Most inspirational books and talks would just fire you up. I’ve had enough of sound bites like “What would you do if you were not afraid?”, only to be left on your own to figure out what to do next.

Not this one. In Career Shift, you will have on your hands 30 years of wisdom from Penny’s extensive experience in HR, talent development and coaching. Check out her resume on pages 16-17 and you’ll feel like she has crammed three lifetimes in one. For starters, I graduated with a degree in chemical engineering. But she had that and a degree in industrial management engineering, both in five years. (Did Penny ever eat or sleep in college?)

I find Penny’s writing style to be warm, conversational, motivational, and instructive. This reflects her being the first Filipino to be a certified Jack Canfield trainer in his famed Success Principles, which by itself is a high distinction. Her “I want you to win” personality shines as this book:

·        gently makes you face the three common fears that holds you back (sorry, no spoilers as to what these three are)

·        brings you to a solution-oriented mindset on how to address those fears

·        helps you crystallize what your passions are (yes, plural) and prioritize them

·        shares practical tips on finding mentors

·        gives ideas on how to make the most of an unwanted shift

·        and more!

Career Shift is also a delightful read with its real-life success stories, both Penny’s and others’. I can’t resist this, but one example stood out for me. I admit to being a fan of Cal Newport who is one of those anti-passion thought leaders. In his book So Good They Can’t Ignore You, he cited a woman who was so passionate for yoga that she left her day job and opened a yoga studio. Later, she was forced to close it down and subsist on food stamps. 

Well, Newport hasn’t met Dinah Salonga (pp 32-34), who left a lucrative IT career to open a thriving yoga studio (yes, even amdist the pandemic, see https://ph.phonebooky.com/blog/yogaplus-interview/). Hint: Newport’s example went solely by emotional highs. Dinah studied for her new career.

Career Shift has a special resonance for me. I will be retiring in two years and Penny’s book will be a must-review resource as I wind down my manufacturing and marketing career and forge new ones until I conk out.

But whether you are a millennial or a “feel-lennial” like me, Career Shift: Follow Your Passion deserves to be in your top five books for career strategy and development. Be ready to wear out the pages from constant reference, as well as pack their margins with notes and ideas.

After all, there is a reason why the book cover features a compass.

More about the author, check out linkedin.com/in/pennybongato/ where you can learn about her other books. Career Shift is her first.

Order information: You can order directly from the author by emailing [email protected], through her website pennybongato.com, or through Feast Books.

About the reviewer: Nelson T. Dy is an author, speaker and trainer on career, relationship, and spirituality issues. His day job is being an Assistant Vice-President running two factories for a well-known beverage conglomerate. Follow him at Linkedin as he continues to share his insights through articles such as the one you just enjoyed.