101: How to Find Out if You Were Born for This: Interview with Chris Guillebeau
There’s plenty of shallow advice online about following your passion and throwing caution to the wind. The trouble with that approach is passion alone doesn’t pay the for the gas in your car or your morning latte. But what is a dream job without passi
A lot of people talk about dream jobs, but few people take the practical steps to make them a reality. Do you know what your dream job looks like? Or if it even exists?

There’s plenty of shallow advice online about following your passion and throwing caution to the wind. The trouble with that approach is passion alone doesn’t pay the for the gas in your car or your morning latte.
But what is a dream job without passion? How do you know what you were made for? How can you discover your purpose?
Few people have more experience pursuing a calling while practically providing value to others than my friend, Chris Guillebeau. In his latest book, Born for This, Chris explores the idea of calling and how to find the work you were meant to do.
This week on The Portfolio Life, Chris and I discuss misconceptions about calling, fulfilling your mission in life, and why everyone does not need to be an entrepreneur. Listen in as we talk about embracing the failure of false starts to discover for your life’s work, and the intersection of three components to validate your dream job.
Listen to the podcast
To listen to the show, click the player below (If you are reading this via email or RSS, please click here).
[powerpress]
Show highlights
In this episode, Chris and I discuss:
How to help people find the work they were meant to do
Compiling great stories into a compelling narrative
The truth about how we make big life decisions
How you can make your day job more like your dream job
Why you need a broad vision to guide an adaptive strategy
Where failure fits into the process of discovering your calling
How to know you’ve found the thing you were meant to do
Quotes and takeaways
"Giving up on something isn’t necessarily a failure." —Chris Guillebeau
Just because you have a day job, doesn’t mean it can’t be your dream job.
Your calling involves following a passion and connecting it with skill to make something viable.
The effort to get skilled at something often leads to growing a passion for it.
Resources
How to Create Your Own Freedom, Live an Adventure, & Do Work That Matters
The Dip by Seth Godin
Born for This: How to Find the Work You Were Meant to Do by Chris Guillebeau
Born for This bonuses
Download the full interview transcript here
Do you know what your dream job is? How does it relate to your day job? Share in the comments