Follow your bliss, etc, etc

When trying to decide on a career path or a "calling" for our lives, the advice we're often given is:

• Follow your bliss
• Do what gives you energy
• Do something you feel passionate about
• Do what resonates with your deepest desires

The advice-giver is usually energetic and sincere, and probably lucky that their passion is socially respected.  Other people, with less socially accepted passions (like Jeffrey Dahmer, who loved to kill people and drink their blood), would probably not give the same advice (were he still alive).  Dahmer suffered from low self-esteem, because his passions were in conflict with his desire to be socially accepted.

This is an extreme example, of course, but it illustrates the problem.

The problem with "following your passions" is that our passions themselves are innate.  Many tests exist to prove this.  For example, the Myers-Briggs test can determine whether you are energized by people (extroverted) or by your internal thoughts and ideas (introverted).  These dimensions don’t change much with age, and they can't be taught.

Some passions allow you to attain a high-paying job, with social perks.  Other passions land you in jail.  "Follow your passions" means following your genetic proclivities, but you don’t have much choice over those.