by hbr.org — Jon M. Jachimowicz —It seems like we’re constantly told to pursue work that we’re passionate about. At least in the United States, this advice follows people from school and into their careers. As billionaire investor Ray Dalio advises in his book Principles, “make your passion and your work the same thing.” Doing so is said to be the path to success. This is perhaps why a recent study found that young people rank achieving their career passion as their highest priority — above making money or getting married. Finding a fulfilling job was deemed nearly three times more important than having a family by the teenage respondents. But, for many people, this simply isn’t feasible. Not every job affords the possibility of pursuing a passion. And most people care deeply about many different things — not all of which will be how they want to earn a living. A growing body of research suggests that pursuing your passion does indeed improve your well-being but that where you do it is far less critical. In fact, several studies show that doing something you are passionate about outside of work rather than in it benefits both your career and your personal life.

Why we should pursue passion outside of work

While pursuing passion at work is known to increase work engagement and job performance, it’s both unrealistic and risky to rely on work as the only means through which to do so. Some jobs don’t allow employees to focus on their interests, and the jobs that do aren’t always financially viable. In some regards, following and finding passion at work could be seen as a luxury for the privileged few — those who can afford to choose exactly the right professions. Tying work to what you are passionate about can also be harmful over the long-term. When you stake your whole self-worth on your job, you become less resilient to adverse events, such as layoffs or negative performance reviews. It can also make it harder to switch off after working hours and get the respite necessary to regain energy for the next day. Plus, it deprives us of the many benefits that come with engaging in outside activities and hobbies — for example, stress reduction, higher energy, and increased levels of creativity, all of which may boost work engagement and retention. One recent study even showed that people accrued greater benefits when their personal passions and their actual work were very different. It’s important to realize that the desire to pursue passion at work is a modern phenomenon — and one relatively unique to the United States. In other countries, particularly European ones, people more commonly find fulfillment outside of work. For example, nearly half of Germans are members of at least one after-work club, which allows them to engage in favorite activities such as sports or gardening in their personal time. In the U.S., by contrast, only few Americans have hobbies or extracurriculars that they actively pursue.

BEIRUT (REUTERS) – TENS of thousands of protesters took to the streets in Lebanon on Friday to mark independence day with a fresh wave of demonstrations against a ruling elite accused of rampant corruption and steering the country into deep crisis. The unprecedented wave of nationwide protests erupted five weeks ago, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri on Oct. 29. Despite a worsening economic crisis, deeply divided politicians have yet to agree on a new government.

Protesters waving Lebanese flags packed central Beirut’s Martyrs Square where music blasted into the night. Many protesters said they felt like they were celebrating independence for the first time. “This year independence day is different. Before, they marred it with their system of sharing power and corruption. Today, we are demanding a clean independence and a country where we can live in dignity and pride,” said a protester who gave her name as Hind. “It’s important to show up today of all days and be united as a country. Everyone is realizing what true independence looks like,” said Lydia, 21, who was protesting in Beirut.

A military parade usually held on the seafront near Martyrs Square was relocated to the defense ministry where Hariri, still serving as prime minister in a caretaker capacity since his resignation, attended a low-key ceremony with President Michel Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Hariri, who is aligned with Western and Gulf Arab states, is at odds with Aoun, Berri and the powerful Shi’ite group Hezbollah over the make-up of the next government. Broadcaster al-Jadeed noted an “unusual” silence between Hariri and Berri while other members of the government chatted to each other. Lebanon is facing its worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war, rooted in years of state corruption and waste. The crisis has spread to the financial system where the pegged Lebanese pound has weakened, dollars have become scarce and banks have imposed controls to prevent capital flight. Aoun, in a televised speech marking independence day on Thursday, said it was “not the time for speeches, words and celebrations”. “It is time for work, serious and diligent work because we are in a race against time.” (Reporting by Dala Osseiran and Nadine Awadalla; Editing by Tom Perry and Peter Graff) Copyright 2019 Thomson Reuters.

Lebanese hold 1st “civil parade” to celebrate Independence Day

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration is withholding more than $100 million in U.S. military assistance to Lebanon that has been approved by Congress and is favored by his national security team, an assertion of executive control of foreign aid that is similar to the delay in support for Ukraine at the center of the impeachment inquiry. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday congratulated Lebanon as the country marked its independence day but made no mention of the hold-up in aid that State Department and Pentagon officials have complained about for weeks.

It came up in impeachment testimony by David Hale, the No. 3 official in the State Department, according to the transcript of the closed-door hearing released this week. He described growing consternation among diplomats as the administration would neither release the aid nor provide an explanation for the hold. “People started asking: What’s the problem?” Hale told the impeachment investigators. The White House and the Office of Management and Budget have declined to comment on the matter. The $105 million in Foreign Military Funding for the Lebanese Armed Forces has languished for months, awaiting approval from the Office of Management and Budget despite congressional approval, an early September notification to lawmakers that it would be spent and overwhelming support for it from the Pentagon, State Department and National Security Council.

As with the Ukraine assistance, OMB has not explained the reason for the delay. However, unlike Ukraine, there is no suggestion that President Donald Trump is seeking “a favor” from Lebanon to release it, according to five officials familiar with the matter. The mystery has only added to the consternation of the national security community, which believes the assistance that pays for American-made military equipment for the Lebanese army is essential, particularly as Lebanon reels in financial chaos and mass protests. The aid is important to counter Iran’s influence in Iran, which is highlighted by the presence of the Iranian-supported Shiite Hezbollah movement in the government and the group’s militias, the officials said. There is opposition to aid to the Lebanese army from outside the NSC. Pro-Israel hawks in Congress have long sought to de-fund the Lebanese military, arguing that it has been compromised by Hezbollah, which the U.S. designates as a “foreign terrorist organization.” But the Pentagon and State Department reject that view, saying the army is the only independent Lebanese institution capable of resisting Hezbollah. Outside experts agree.

BEIRUT (AP) — A Lebanese soldier who shot and killed a protester in Beirut last week was charged Thursday by a military prosecutor with murder, state-run National News Agency said. The agency said a colonel who was on the scene with the soldier at the time was also charged. The soldier could get a death […]

by Alice Hackman| Agence France Presse — BEIRUT: At an anti-corruption rally in Lebanon’s capital, 16-year-old Mariam Sidani said she had skipped school to protest against politicians who care nothing for her life prospects. “No one’s taking care of my future,” she said, her face flushed after a day in the sun. “I want to live in my own country, not be forced abroad,” she said, her long hazel hair flowing over her backpack straps. At the heart of Lebanon’s 1-month-old protests, a young generation of activists is coming of age and demanding a country in which they can see themselves thriving and growing old.

With humorous songs, satirical art and creative slogans, they are demanding the overhaul of an entire political class they see as inefficient, corrupt and out of touch. Many of the protesters were born in 2000 or later, learning online what life is like overseas, and they say what is on offer in Lebanon is simply not good enough. “All over the world students are fighting for climate justice,” Sidani said. “But we don’t even have a sea,” she said of a polluted coastline that is largely privatized and to which access is prohibitively expensive. ‘Worse than season 8’Near the seat of Cabinet, students dance to the booming beat of a rapper from the northern Akkar region demanding “the fall of the regime.” A young female university student holds up a poster depicting top politicians as sharks. “Let’s go hunt,” it reads.

Another student deplores the country’s endless political crises and crumbling economy with a pop culture reference. “It’s so bad you made me forget how bad season 8 was,” her poster says, referring to TV series Games of Thrones. Like their older counterparts, Lebanon’s Generation Z demand 24-hour electricity, clean water, healthcare, better garbage management, more public spaces and an end to corruption. But in a country where more than 30 percent of youth are unemployed, they also just want jobs. Tina, a high school student, said she wanted a future not defined by the ability to pay bribes or call in a favor from someone influential. “We want to stay here with our families and find jobs without personal connections,” she said, clutching a cardboard poster that denounced parents who effectively buy their children good marks in school. Not far off, dancing among the crowd, 19-year-old Sandra Rizk had flown back to Lebanon from her first year at university in Italy to take part in the protests. “We have really intelligent people who are leaving this country to go and fix other ones. It shouldn’t be like this,” she said. “Those people have to come back and repair Lebanon,” said the fashion design student, short curly brown hair framing her face. ‘Social justice’Analyst Nadim Houry said the new generation of demonstrators had surprised people. “Everyone expected them to be too lethargic from all these hours on YouTube and social media,” said the executive director of the Arab Reform Initiative. “But similar to their cohort in places as far as Hong Kong, they have shown themselves to be more political and articulate than their predecessors,” he told AFP.

Nadine Awadalla, Eric Knecht — BEIRUT (Reuters) – Protesters prevented Lebanon’s parliament from holding its first session in two months on Tuesday, escalating a wave of demonstrations against rulers blamed for steering the country towards economic collapse. Banks reopened after a one-week closure, with police stationed at branches and banks applying restrictions on hard currency withdrawals and transfers abroad. The protests erupted last month, fuelled by corruption among the sectarian politicians who have governed Lebanon for decades. Protesters want to see the entire ruling class gone from power.

Lebanon’s economic troubles have increased since then. Despite the depth of the economic crisis, the worst since the 1975-90 civil war, politicians have been unable to form a new government since Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri quit on Oct. 29. Near parliament on Tuesday, gunfire was heard as several dozen protesters forced two SUVs with official plates and tinted windows to turn back as they approached the building, Lebanese television showed. The vehicles sped away after they were struck by demonstrators chanting “Out, out, out!”

Parliament postponed the session indefinitely. “This is a new victory for the revolution and we are continuing until we achieve our goals,” said protester Abdelrazek Hamoud. The session’s agenda had included reelecting members of parliamentary committees and discussion of an amnesty law that would lead to the release of hundreds of prisoners. Protesters were angry the MPs were not tackling their demands for reform. Security forces had fanned out before dawn, shutting down roads around parliament with barbed wire. Police scuffled with protesters who tried to remove a barbed wire barricade. A protester waves a Lebanese flag next to a bonfire during ongoing anti-government protests in Beirut, Lebanon November 19, 2019. REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares Ahmad Mekdash, a civil engineer, said: “They should be meeting right now to form a new cabinet and not to pass laws, especially laws that aren’t urgent.”

By BASSEM MROUE and MARIAM FAM — BEIRUT (AP) — Young men chanting the “people want to bring down the regime” gathered outside the office of Lebanese legislator Mohammed Raad, the powerful head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc. One shirtless man grabbed a metal rod and swung it at the sign bearing Raad’s name, knocking it out of place as others cheered. It was a rare scene in the southern market town of Nabatiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold. The protests engulfing Lebanon have united many across sectarian lines and shattered taboos, with some taking aim at leaders from their own sects, illustrating a new, unfamiliar challenge posed to the militant group.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah built a reputation among supporters as a champion of the poor and a defender of Lebanon against Israel’s much more powerful military. It and its Shiite ally, the Amal party, have enjoyed overwhelming backing among the Shiite community since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war, making them a political powerhouse that, along with allies, has dominated recent governments. But now many protesters group Hezbollah into the ruling class they are revolting against, blaming it for wrecking the economy with years of corruption and mismanagement. Protesters want that entire political elite out. Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and Amal’s chief, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, have not been spared. “All of them means all of them, and Nasrallah is one of them,” protesters have chanted at some Beirut rallies. The demonstrations that erupted Oct. 17 spread throughout the country, including predominantly Shiite areas in the south and the eastern Bekaa Valley. “The heavy participation of the Shiites … posed a main challenge: that there’s a large number from the sect that doesn’t accept the current situation,” said Hilal Khashan, professor of political science at the American University of Beirut. “That’s why there was a swift and decisive decision to nip this in the bud.” In several instances, men suspected of being Hezbollah and Amal supporters beat up protesters and destroyed their tents. Some of those who had criticized Nasrallah and Berri on social media appeared in videos, after apparently being beaten, to apologize for what they did. Amal denied any link to those behind the beatings, saying in a statement that they should be arrested and that they violated the movement’s belief in freedom of opinion. Hezbollah has survived many threats over the past years, including charges by a U.N.-backed tribunal for the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005 — an accusation Hezbollah strongly denies — a ruinous war with Israel in 2006 and the war in neighboring Syria, where Hezbollah has sent thousands of fighters to back President Bashar Assad, losing an estimated 2,000 men.

by thenational.ae — Sunniva Rose — As Lebanese politicians seemed to be caught in a disastrous deadlock on Sunday, the anti-establishment protest movement scored its first electoral win, voting in an independent to lead the Beirut Bar Association. Melhem Khalaf won by a comfortable margin against Nader Gaspard, a candidate backed by the Free Patriotic Movement, Lebanese Forces, Progressive Socialist Party and the Future Movement. Pierre Hanna, previously backed by the LF, PSP and Future Movement, withdrew his candidacy in favour of Mr Gaspard to try to secure his win. “We hope this day will renew democracy within Lebanon’s institutions,” Mr Khalaf said in his victory speech. Until now, the Beirut Bar Association had not taken a formal stance on the month of mass protests against corruption, poor governance and a crumbling economy.

But as Mr Khalaf’s name was announced, many in the crowd of lawyers at the tally cheered and broke into chants of “thowra”, or revolution. Meanwhile, a plan by parties to form a new government to tackle the dire economic situation and address the demands of protesters appeared to fall apart. Two days after he was chosen by Lebanon’s most powerful political parties to be the country’s next prime minister, veteran politician Mohammad Safadi withdrew his candidacy on Saturday evening. As the country faces a possible “total economic meltdown with potential violence”, its political system is “completely paralysed” by the mass protests that started on October 17, analyst Imad Salamey said. After resigning on October 29, caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri had reportedly agreed to meet protesters half-way by forming a small government of technocrats. An apolitical government is one of the key demands of protesters. Triggered by a suggested tax on WhatsApp calls, the protest movement quickly became a rejection of the entire Lebanese political system, based on sectarianism. But Mr Hariri’s proposal was reportedly dismissed by President Michel Aoun, who wants politicians to be part of the new government.

by AFP — BEIRUT: The US embassy in Lebanon said on Saturday it supported the one-month-old anti-government protest movement in Lebanon. “We support the Lebanese people in their peaceful demonstrations and expressions of national unity,” the embassy said on Twitter. Lebanon has since Oct 17 been swept by an unprecedented cross-sectarian protest movement against the entire political establishment, which is widely seen as irretrievably corrupt and unable to deal with a deepening economic crisis. The government stepped down on Oct 29 but stayed on in a caretaker capacity, and an economic crisis has also battered the country.

Some local players, notably the powerful pro-Iranian Shiite movement Hezbollah, have accused “external parties” and Western embassies of supporting the popular uprising, including through financial backing. Several mass rallies are planned for Sunday in cities across Lebanon to keep up the pressure on the country’s ruling class. On Saturday, an initiative dubbed the “revolution bus” traversed the country. Leaving Akkar region in the north in the morning, the bus – decorated with the names of protest hotbeds in the multi-confessional country – arrived early in the evening in the southern city of Sidon. According to protesters, the initiative sought to break down geographical and sectarian barriers and overcome the collective trauma of the 1975-1990 civil war. In an incident that became emblematic of inter-sectarian schisms during that deadly conflict, a bus was strafed by gunfire.

by Nicky Harley — thenational.ae — Former finance minister Mohammad Safadi has withdrawn his candidacy to be prime minister of the next Lebanese government. In a statement, Mr Safadi said it would have been difficult to form a “harmonious” cabinet supported by all parties. He said he hoped outgoing prime minister Saad Hariri would be designated again for the post. On Thursday, three of Lebanon’s main political parties agreed on the 75-year-old billionaire businessman as their choice to become Lebanon’s new prime minister. Caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), had confirmed on Friday that Mr Safadi would be nominated for the post when formal deliberations on forming the next government begin in parliament on Monday. But on Saturday evening Mr Safadi said in a statement that he had decided to withdraw following consultations with political parties and a meeting on Saturday with Mr Hariri. “It is difficult to form a harmonious government supported by all political sides that could take the immediate salvation steps needed to halt the country’s economic and financial deterioration and respond to the aspirations of people in the street,” the statement said.

By Ahiza Garcia, CNN Business – San Francisco (CNN Business)Bill Gates is back on top. On Friday, Gates surpassed Amazon (AMZN) CEO Jeff Bezos to reclaim the distinction of richest person in the world, with a net worth of $110 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. It’s the first time the co-founder of Microsoft […]