So Good They Can't Ignore You

In this eye-opening account, Cal Newport debunks the long-held belief that "follow your passion" is good advice.

Not only is the cliché flawed-preexisting passions are rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work-but it can also be dangerous, leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping.

After making his case against passion, Newport sets out on a...

In this eye-opening account, Cal Newport debunks the long-held belief that "follow your passion" is good advice.

Not only is the cliché flawed-preexisting passions are rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work-but it can also be dangerous, leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping.

After making his case against passion, Newport sets out on a quest to discover the reality of how people end up loving what they do. Spending time with organic farmers, venture capitalists, screenwriters, freelance computer programmers, and others who admitted to deriving great satisfaction from their work, Newport uncovers the strategies they used and the pitfalls they avoided in developing their compelling careers.

Matching your job to a preexisting passion does not matter, he reveals. Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before.

In other words, what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it.

With a title taken from the comedian Steve Martin, who once said his advice for aspiring entertainers was to "be so good they can't ignore you," Cal Newport's clearly written manifesto is mandatory reading for anyone fretting about what to do with their life, or frustrated by their current job situation and eager to find a fresh new way to take control of their livelihood. He provides an evidence-based blueprint for creating work you love.

SO GOOD THEY CAN'T IGNORE YOU will change the way we think about our careers, happiness, and the crafting of a remarkable life.

卡尔·纽波特

麻省理工学院计算机科学博士，分布式算法专家，畅销书作家，高人气博主。

曾以“美国大学优等生荣誉学会会员”的最高荣誉毕业于达特茅斯学院，后在麻省理工学院取得计算机博士学位，目前是乔治城大学计算机科学副教授。

他创办了深受美国中学生欢迎的博客“Study H acks”，该博客专注于研究如何深度学习、高效工作。

纽波特的其他畅销作品有《如何在大学里脱颖而出》《如何成为尖子生》《如何考进世界顶尖名校》。《优秀到不能被忽视》是他的第4本著作，曾入围2012年度800-CEO-READ最佳商业图书奖，被《公司》杂志（Inc.）评选为2012年度企业家最佳读物之一，荣登《环球邮报》（The Globe and Mail）2012年度10大商业图书榜单。