By: Jessica Amortegui

The past 15 years, I have evaluated job opportunities with surgical precision. I believed that the right move would land the right role and everything would, in turn, feel divinely right. While I was unsure of my ETA at dreamjob.com, I was sure of this: When I crossed the finish line, I would be ablaze with passion – mentally turned on and emotionally tuned in.

To get there, I heeded the advice of worldly sages. “Follow your bliss,” said Joseph Campbell. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do,” famously quipped Steve Jobs. A co-worker’s email salutation quoted Confucius: “Choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life.” Every email exchange served as a reminder of how stunted I was. Would I ever transform my worker bee mindset into an evolved state of spellbinding self-actualization? As far as I could tell my work still felt like, well…work.

I know now that this well-intentioned inspiration is better suited for a magnet than a career motto. Research suggests that the very pursuit of happiness can make us less happy. The same holds true for the pursuit of passion in our jobs. The reason is simple. People who are happier typically don’t have better lives. They take their good enough life and know how to harvest extra joy. As for people who love their jobs, they take a pretty good job and create something amazing.

A recent study, led by Patricia Chen at the University of Michigan, debunked the notion that you have to find the perfect job fit to find your passion. It turns out that we can divide the working world into two camps: those with a fit mindset and those with a develop mindset. Those with a fit psyche subscribe to the Ken and Barbie syndrome—they seek perfection in a role. The other cadre of folks—the clear 20 percent minority—believes that you can cultivate passion. And when it comes to overall happiness and success, an unexpected finding unfolds.

Which mindset is more predictive of finding passion and garnering success? The study found that the two mindsets are neck-and-neck in the passion race; both groups were similarly passionate and satisfied. Moreover, both groups felt equally successful and made comparable incomes. It turns out that “settling” at your good enough gig may be the panacea to your passion woes.

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