I love Joseph Campbell but his advice to his students to “follow their bliss” may not always be optimal.

I read the AI book “Mind Inside Matter” in the late 1970s, and even though I have done a ton of non-AI architecture and software development, I have also been able to work on AI problems like knowledge representation, expert system, NLP, neural networks, and deep learning starting in 1982. I definitely followed my bliss, but I have never been world class in my profession, but I have enjoyed myself.

The platitude is directed toward those living a life they feel is negative, but who slog through for whatever reason: fear of change, obligation to other people, etc.

Taken as feel-good, head-in-the-sand optimism, of course it's facile advice.

But imo there is genuine wisdom in it, and it's this: You are much more likely to do something well, and to continue to do it until you reach a high-level of expertise, if you don't have to force yourself to do it. People who naturally love working out are more likely to be fit. That's what the heuristic is.