Do What You Love and Other Lies About Success and Happiness

1. "Do What You Love" is a Myth Hiding the Reality of Work

Ultimately, all of these romanticized motivations are masks, hiding the simple fact that work is work, even if it produces something cherished or beautiful.

Work is labor. The popular narrative that success and happiness come from doing work you love is a powerful myth. This idea suggests that enjoyable work leads to wealth and fulfillment through a simple, rational choice. However, even for celebrated figures like Michelangelo, creating masterpieces involved physical strain, mental anguish, and tedium – it was labor, not just passion.

Romanticized motivations. Myths about artistic or fulfilling labor often focus on passion, genius, or vision, masking the reality of work's physical and mental demands. Historically, work was often seen as virtuous precisely because it was difficult and required self-sacrifice, serving a purpose beyond individual pleasure. The modern DWYL narrative flips this, making pleasure and self-fulfillment the virtues of work.

Hiding the reality. This romanticized view obscures the fact that most work, even in creative or professional fields, involves mundane, difficult, or unpleasant tasks. It also hides the power structures and economic necessities that shape what work is done and by whom. The DWYL myth suggests that if you don't love your work, you simply haven't found the right job, ignoring the fundamental nature of work as labor performed under specific conditions.

2. The DWYL Ethos Justifies Exploitation and Ignores Class

Encouraging workers to pretend otherwise is disingenuous and exploitative.

Narcissistic schema. The "Do What You Love" (DWYL) creed is fundamentally narcissistic, encouraging self-gratification and willful ignorance of others' working conditions. It frames work as self-actualization, making discussions about wages, hours, or safety seem "crass" when passion is supposedly the primary motivator. This justifies exploitation, particularly for unpaid or underpaid labor.

Ignoring class realities. DWYL promotes a denial of class politics, suggesting that the type of work one does is purely a matter of personal choice and passion, rather than being heavily influenced by socioeconomic background. This ignores the reality that access to "lovable" and well-compensated jobs is often restricted by class boundaries, requiring expensive credentials and connections that are out of reach for many.

Blaming the poor. This ethos contributes to the idea that if people are successful because they choose work they love, then those who are poor or exploited must have "chosen" their circumstances. This aligns with narratives that condemn the poor, framing their struggles as a result of moral failing or lack of effort, rather than systemic issues of wage stagnation, benefit erosion, and wealth concentration.

3. Work Defines Public Identity, Making Invisible Labor Undervalued

To be seen is to be seen from and within the market.

Work as identity. In contemporary society, a job title often serves as a primary public identity, determining social status, recognition, and whether one is considered "interesting." The DWYL ethos reinforces this, suggesting that "lovable" work not only provides income but also a prestigious public profile, granting visibility and a platform to be heard.

Invisible workers. This focus on visible, "lovable" work renders other forms of labor invisible or undervalued. Workers whose labor operates outside this ethos, such as low-wage service workers or those in precarious positions, are often ignored or seen as lacking a recognizable identity. Their essential contributions are overlooked because their work doesn't fit the romanticized ideal.

Marketplace visibility. Public exposure and identity have become increasingly tied to the marketplace. To be seen and recognized often means being visible within the context of consumption or production. This marginalizes work that is not easily commodified or does not contribute directly to profit, reinforcing the idea that only market-validated labor confers worth and identity.

4. The Mirage of Autonomy: Work is Increasingly Surveilled and Managed

I always felt really disempowered to do the right thing.

Promise vs. Reality. The "you" in DWYL implies worker autonomy and self-determination, suggesting that individuals are free to pursue their unique visions. However, this promise is often a mirage in today's workplace, where intrusive management and surveillance techniques are increasingly common across various sectors, from call centers to professional offices.

Constant monitoring. Workers are subjected to extensive monitoring, from tracking devices noting physical movements to sociometric badges analyzing tone of voice and interactions. This surveillance aims to manage workers' social interactions and align their desires with company goals, often restricting their ability to act on their own judgment or prioritize human needs over efficiency metrics.

Disempowerment. This pervasive control undermines workers' sense of autonomy and satisfaction. Managers and administrators, themselves often subject to make-work and pressure, exert discipline that can feel arbitrary and alienating. The drive to align personal desires with employer aims, fueled by DWYL rhetoric, becomes a tool for control, making workers feel disempowered even when they might want to do "the right thing."

5. Costly Credentials and Debt Trap Workers in Submissive Roles

The genius of this form of social control is that it elicits the active participation of the population in the construction of its own discipline.

The down payment. Access to "lovable" knowledge work typically requires expensive college degrees, creating a significant financial barrier. While a degree may increase lifetime earnings compared to not having one, this is often because non-degree holders' wages have fallen sharply, and many graduates end up in jobs that don't require their costly education.

Debt as social control. The soaring cost of education forces the vast majority of aspiring professionals into massive student debt. Unlike other forms of debt, student loans are nearly impossible to discharge, creating a lifelong burden. This debt acts as an insidious form of social control, making workers more submissive, less likely to challenge the status quo, and more accepting of precarious conditions to secure any job that can help repay loans.

Eroding opportunities. Despite incurring significant debt for credentials, many graduates face a landscape of disappearing entry-level jobs, unpaid internships, and de-skilled professional roles. The promised middle-class comfort and autonomy are elusive, leaving many overqualified and underemployed, highlighting the treachery of the DWYL promise when the required "down payment" is so high and the return uncertain.

6. Tiered Work Systems Exploit Hope for Cheap, Precarious Labor

Hope is a powerful driver of cheap labor because it is internalized by the worker; it is what Lordon might call an “intrinsic affect.”

Hope labor. Many workers, from interns and adjunct faculty to temporary staff, perform uncompensated or undercompensated work in hopes of securing future, better-paid employment. This "hope labor" is a powerful internal motivator that employers exploit by creating tiered work systems where a few desirable positions at the top are dangled just out of reach of a large, cheap, and disposable bottom tier.

Arbitrary divisions. These tiered systems often arbitrarily divide workers with similar skills and credentials, offering vastly different pay, benefits, and security. The promise of moving up fuels competition among bottom-tier workers, discouraging collective action and encouraging them to accept exploitative conditions as a necessary step, or "paying their dues."

Perpetual precarity. For many, the hope of advancement never materializes. Internships don't guarantee jobs, adjunct positions remain precarious and low-paid, and temporary roles become "permatemping" without the benefits or security of permanent employment. This system traps workers in a cycle of low wages and insecurity, demonstrating how hope, when cultivated by employers, can become a punitive tool.

7. The Culture of Overwork is Unproductive, Harmful, and Class-Biased

Overwork, then, isn’t an expression of passion but the manifestation of anxiety and alienation.

"Sleep is for the weak." The DWYL ethos, particularly in high-pressure environments, promotes a culture of overwork and sleep deprivation, framing it as a sign of passion and dedication. This valorizes workers who seemingly transcend basic human needs for rest and relationships, presenting them as heroic icons of productivity.

Counterproductive reality. Despite the rhetoric, extensive research shows that overwork is counterproductive, leading to decreased productivity, increased errors, and higher rates of illness and accidents. The historical understanding in manufacturing was that working beyond 40 hours was inefficient, a truth often ignored in today's white-collar sectors where hours spent in the office are lazily used as a proxy for passion.

Class disparity in rest. While professional workers may choose to overwork out of ambition or anxiety, the working poor often sleep the least out of necessity. Low wages force many to work multiple jobs, leaving insufficient time for rest, care, or other pursuits. The myth of the passionate, unsleeping superworker obscures the reality that those with the least material comfort are the ones who literally cannot afford to rest.

8. Reimagining Work: Beyond Profit, Passion, and Constant Production

Why do work? For most, the primary answer is, plainly, for the income, whatever other motivations—service to the community, stewardship of the land, religious obligation, even love—come into play.

Work's true purpose. The primary reason most people work is for income to meet basic needs, not solely for passion or self-fulfillment. The DWYL ethos distracts from this fundamental reality, pushing workers to prioritize endless production and consumption even when it leads to environmental degradation, inequality, and personal burnout.

Questioning centrality. The current system, where survival depends on selling one's labor and relentless economic growth is prioritized, has led to widespread precarity and environmental crisis. It's time to question why waged work must be the central organizing principle of our lives, overshadowing human needs for rest, care, community, and non-economic pursuits.

Towards a postwork imaginary. Alternative models and demands, such as equitable work distribution, reduced working hours, ample leave, and universal basic provisions (like child allowances or healthcare), challenge the necessity of constant toil and market dependence. These "utopian" demands prefigure a world where human well-being, not profit or endless production, is the priority, allowing time for the "awesome, almost limitless proportions" of freedom outside the marketplace.

Last updated: May 4, 2025