{"id":12347,"date":"2026-05-07T00:07:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T00:07:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=12347"},"modified":"2026-05-07T00:07:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T00:07:37","slug":"follow-your-passion-is-bad-advice-says-author-soman-chainani","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=12347","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Follow Your Passion\u2019 Is Bad Advice Says Author Soman Chainani"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>This week on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/how-success-happens\/id1288418637\">How Success Happens<\/a>, I got to catch up with someone who doesn\u2019t just build brands, he builds universes: bestselling author Soman Chainani, creator of the fantasy series <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/School-Good-Evil-5-Book-Set\/dp\/B088J48TPH\/ref=books_amazonstores_desktop_mfs_author_smart_catalog_4?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=SRAVp&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.aec507cb-142c-4f68-9ae5-803b8e7b33f1&amp;pf_rd_p=aec507cb-142c-4f68-9ae5-803b8e7b33f1&amp;pf_rd_r=135-9580434-2003616&amp;pd_rd_wg=LkqUA&amp;pd_rd_r=2579c539-7308-44a4-aeae-2019062c9dd7\">The School for Good and Evil<\/a><\/em>, and now the mind behind the wild new novel <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Young-World-Soman-Chainani\/dp\/0593905180\">Young World<\/a><\/em>. I first spoke with Soman back in 2021, when\u00a0<em>Good and Evil<\/em>\u00a0was being made into a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/80218885#:~:text=The%20School%20for%20Good%20and,Evil&amp;text=Best%20friends%20Sophie%20and%20Agatha,future%20fairy%2Dtale%20heroes%20and%20villains.\">Netflix flick<\/a>, and since then he has made a few bold moves. He ditched New York City for St. Louis, where his partner has a nearby goat farm, and he took a big step outside his fairytale comfort zone with this new one, which tells the story of a teenager who is elected President of the United States and sparks a global revolution of young leaders in the process. Betrayal, power plays and murder soon follow.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Listen below or watch above to check out the entire convo, and read on for Soman\u2019s insights to help you launch a revolution in your own success story in <strong><strong><span style=\"color: red\">three, two, one!<\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-listen-here\">Listen Here<\/h2>\n<p><iframe frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm?e=EML4619555611\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Subscribe now: <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/how-success-happens\/id1288418637\">Apple<\/a> |<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/7zAcFs6B1nwjGXPTpK6gPB?si=Kh-jG4ZZS_u0V92JhcsTvQ&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=1b7da5539ac742f3\"> Spotify<\/a> |<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@EntrepreneurPodcasts\"> YouTube<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-three-key-insights\"><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><span style=\"color: red\">Three<\/span> <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>Key Insights<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-stop-following-your-passion-and-start-following-your-advantage\">1. Stop \u201cFollowing Your Passion\u201d and Start Following Your Advantage<\/h2>\n<p>Soman is not a fan of the advice to \u201cfollow your passion.\u201d As he puts it, \u201cI\u2019ve never been into that advice because I often think your passion and your dream don\u2019t line up with what you\u2019re good at.\u201d Instead, he looks for the intersection of two things: what he\u2019s genuinely good at and what makes time fly by when he\u2019s doing it. Writing is hard and often a \u201cpain in the ass,\u201d but he recognizes that he\u2019s good at it, it makes hours disappear, and he ends the day feeling transformed and fulfilled.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Takeaway:<\/strong> Don\u2019t overlook your superpowers.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-be-willing-to-walk-away-from-your-own-franchise\">2. Be Willing to Walk Away From Your Own Franchise<\/h2>\n<p>At the peak of The School for Good and Evil\u2019s success\u2014with six books, two prequels, and a Netflix movie\u2014Soman realized that chapter of his life had hit its high watermark. He was being offered \u201cso much money to write more fairy tales,\u201d could have kept \u201cbanking money.\u201d He started a new Neverland series, but after writing two competent, marketable chapters, he felt \u201cthere\u2019s no energy here\u2026 it\u2019s missing whatever the fizzy thing is,\u201d and he never opened the document again. \u201cI\u2019d rather be a plumber or something,\u201d he joked, than keep writing something that felt dead. It was at that same moment that he saw a \u201cneon nuclear orange\u201d color that sparked his idea for a third political party for revolting youth, which took over his imagination.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Takeaway:<\/strong> When a \u201csure thing\u201d no longer has creative or strategic energy, have the courage to kill it fast so you can pursue the idea that actually feels alive.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/info.entrepreneur.com\/hsh\">Subscribe to the free\u00a0How Success Happens\u00a0Newsletter<\/a> for weekly inspiration.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-clear-the-noise-and-let-ideas-catch-up-to-you\">3. Clear the Noise and Let Ideas Catch Up to You<\/h2>\n<p>For someone who writes huge, intricate books, Soman\u2019s biggest creativity hack starts far from the keyboard. His writing days are built around intense physical routines\u20146 a.m. tennis with college players, hours of writing, another training block, then more writing\u2014repeated \u201cover and over and over again\u201d like a machine. When he\u2019s stuck, he disconnects. He says he\u2019ll drive an hour to his partner\u2019s farm without listening to anything, or walk and shower in silence, because \u201cyou just don\u2019t have the space for your brain to actually give you the ideas\u201d if every quiet moment is filled with podcasts or audiobooks. As he tells students, the answer \u201cis not in your head\u2026 it\u2019s in the flow, and the flow is in your body.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Takeaway:<\/strong> Protect distraction-free time and physical movement in your day so your best ideas have room to surface rather than being drowned out by constant content.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-two-free-resources-to-learn-more\"><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><span style=\"color: red\">Two<\/span> <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>Free Resources to Learn More<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dive deeper into Soman\u2019s world and get updates on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Young-World-Soman-Chainani\/dp\/0593905180\">Young World<\/a> and beyond on his website, <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/somanchainani.com\">somanchainani.com<\/a>, and follow him on Instagram, <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/somanc\/\">@somanc<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Learn award-winning author Emma Straub\u2019s secret to actually finishing your passion project.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-one-question-to-ponder\"><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><span style=\"color: red\">One<\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> Question to Ponder<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Soman tells students that if you lean too hard on AI to think for you now, you\u2019re \u201cflattening out what you\u2019re gonna become,\u201d giving up your chance at an above-average life in exchange for safe, average answers. <\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s one area where you are confident that AI can not match your particular superpower?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Email your answer to howsuccesshappens@entrepreneur.com\u2014my favorite responses will be read on a future episode.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-about-how-success-happens\"><strong>About How Success Happens<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Each episode of <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/how-success-happens\/id1288418637\">How Success Happens<\/a> shares the inspiring, entertaining, and unexpected journeys that influential leaders in business, the arts, and sports traveled on their way to becoming household names. It\u2019s a reminder that behind every big-time career, there is a person who persisted in the face of self-doubt, failure, and anything else that got thrown in their way.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>This week on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/how-success-happens\/id1288418637\">How Success Happens<\/a>, I got to catch up with someone who doesn\u2019t just build brands, he builds universes: bestselling author Soman Chainani, creator of the fantasy series <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/School-Good-Evil-5-Book-Set\/dp\/B088J48TPH\/ref=books_amazonstores_desktop_mfs_author_smart_catalog_4?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=SRAVp&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.aec507cb-142c-4f68-9ae5-803b8e7b33f1&amp;pf_rd_p=aec507cb-142c-4f68-9ae5-803b8e7b33f1&amp;pf_rd_r=135-9580434-2003616&amp;pd_rd_wg=LkqUA&amp;pd_rd_r=2579c539-7308-44a4-aeae-2019062c9dd7\">The School for Good and Evil<\/a><\/em>, and now the mind behind the wild new novel <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Young-World-Soman-Chainani\/dp\/0593905180\">Young World<\/a><\/em>. I first spoke with Soman back in 2021, when\u00a0<em>Good and Evil<\/em>\u00a0was being made into a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/80218885#:~:text=The%20School%20for%20Good%20and,Evil&amp;text=Best%20friends%20Sophie%20and%20Agatha,future%20fairy%2Dtale%20heroes%20and%20villains.\">Netflix flick<\/a>, and since then he has made a few bold moves. He ditched New York City for St. Louis, where his partner has a nearby goat farm, and he took a big step outside his fairytale comfort zone with this new one, which tells the story of a teenager who is elected President of the United States and sparks a global revolution of young leaders in the process. Betrayal, power plays and murder soon follow.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Listen below or watch above to check out the entire convo, and read on for Soman\u2019s insights to help you launch a revolution in your own success story in <strong><strong><span style=\"color: red\">three, two, one!<\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-listen-here\">Listen Here<\/h2>\n<p><iframe frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm?e=EML4619555611\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Subscribe now: <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/how-success-happens\/id1288418637\">Apple<\/a> |<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/7zAcFs6B1nwjGXPTpK6gPB?si=Kh-jG4ZZS_u0V92JhcsTvQ&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=1b7da5539ac742f3\"> Spotify<\/a> |<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@EntrepreneurPodcasts\"> YouTube<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/entrepreneurs\/follow-your-passion-is-bad-advice-says-soman-chainani\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week on How Success Happens, I got to catch up with someone who doesn\u2019t just build brands, he builds universes: bestselling author Soman Chainani, creator of the fantasy series The School for Good and Evil, and now the mind behind the wild new novel Young World. I first spoke with Soman back in 2021,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12348,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12347","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-green-brands"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12347\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}