(how to be) Passionate~!(?)

[minakichan]

I'm having one of those "What the heck am I going to do with my life?!" moments, AGAIN. Last time I had one, I posted here and got some positive responses, so I'll dip into that pool again, if that's all right. Sorry for the emo; thanks in advance.

So people keep telling me that if I want to be successful at what I do, I have to have passion-- therefore, I shouldn't go pursue a career in something I have no interest in. After much introspection, I have come to the conclusion that the most straightforward way to that this is impossible. This leads only the more roundabout route-- how does one become passionate about something? I've heard people on teh intarwebz discuss how passion can be taught, but it's been very vague, so I was hoping to draw from people's experiences. If you've ever had something you find extremely dull that you now love, how did that change come about? What tips might you have for someone who wants to emulate these results?

For me, it's been pretty difficult to "change my attitude" about things (which is why I'm eternally cynical; it's not like I WANT to be...), but I figure that since I don't want to hate my life for the rest of my life, I'll try to change. However, I know it's not as simple as saying "OK, I'm going to brainwash myself to love my career now." Honestly, I can say that I'm actually pretty happy with my life as it is now, but I dread entering The Real World where people say that it actually matters, and I figure three years is good a time as any to shape up before I have to hit it.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

I don't really know mate. The only time I didn't have passion for anything in my life were for the few years I suffered from moderate depression and severe anxiety.
Have you been diagnosed with depression or something similar?
Because passion is not so much taught as it just exists (to my reckoning).

[Dante]

Passion isn't something taught or purchased, that's hogwash fed to the masses by the capitalists dogma machines . (Cooperations love to act like they know more then their employees and throw heaps of cheesy books upon them...)

I find that most people are passionate at what they're good at because other people value them for their talents in that area. In school, this can be difficult because you hang out with a lot of other people in your major area. Because they are all good at the same things you are good at, it seems as though they don't quite value you for your talents as much as you think they should. Thus you lose your passion for the subject and think you should seek something else out and leave that area behind. But if you were to go there, then you'd find that those individuals would find your old area of interest to be of value and your new area of interest would be the same as theirs and... well you'd be in the same place you were.

This is were diversifying your talents comes into play and finding alternate hobbies that distinguish you from your classmates. Do other physicists think I'm the best physicist that ever walked the Earth, probably not (they even see me when I make some really stupid mistakes). But given some free-time outside of homework, can I draw on photoshop like a wizard, code out the universe and discuss philosophy? Yep.

Realize that those who don't know your current knowledge will see your achievement as impressive (having never taken the road themselves). So to that end you are gaining value now (even if you're not applying it to the next major advance in your field quite yet). That can act at least as a social starter for passion (refreshing that which originally got you excited about the subject in the first place is another source).

By the way, is it true you're actually going to MIT O_o.

[GhostontheNet]

What you are experiencing is called existential vertigo, and it happens when you climb the summit of possibility and look down at the myriad of possibilities that lie before you and feel a sudden rush of doubt, fear, and anxiety. While it's no fun and certainly full of anxiety to go through such times, I wouldn't worry about it like it was something abnormal. Truth be told, I think it is difficult to go through one's college years without experiencing at least some measure of existential anxiety. I'll be honest here: sometimes I wish I was dead, but like I always tell myself, life is troubling and uncertain, but I'm willing to risk it. So then, how does one get back down from the high mountain and get passion? Quite simply, by making real decisions. Go out and take risks, make goals and do them, make plans and do them, get things done one by one over and over again until the things that army of ones can do is unthinkable, struggle and persevere against everything that stands in your way until you become a heaven-bent force unstoppable by any power on earth, and most importantly of all, learn from Kierkegaard that "to need God is a human being's highest perfection." Oh, and while you're at it, you should go and purchase The Essential Kierkegaard and start reading stuff by Soren Kierkegaard like The Sickness Unto Death, Either/Or: A Fragment of Life, Fear and Trembling, and The Lily in the Field and the Bird of the Air. Kierkegaard knows very well the kind of things people like you and I go through, and he'll help you grow through it in ways you could never imagine.

[Puguni]

[quote="minakichan (post: 1257421)"]
So people keep telling me that if I want to be successful at what I do, I have to have passion-- therefore, I shouldn't go pursue a career in something I have no interest in. After much introspection, I have come to the conclusion that the most straightforward way to that this is impossible. This leads only the more roundabout route-- how does one become passionate about something?

For me, it's been pretty difficult to "change my attitude" about things (which is why I'm eternally cynical]

HI. I STALK YOU. No, not really, but you've posted quite a few of these. Not that it's a bad thing, because it's important.

I don't think it's about changing attitude. I think it's about changing your life to satisfy your attitude. It's not about brainwashing either, because you're still lying to yourself. Then you'll hate yourself, unless you're a masochist.

Isn't it scary that I know you're studying accounting? I think you are, at least. If not, then whatever. I find it kind of amazing that you study accounting at MIT of all places. MIT. Where you have musical stairs. Don't you have other hobbies that's not directly art related? You like to talk a lot about how you're sure you're not going to like your job but you're going to force yourself to like it because it's good for you to do so. Why can't you find another job that is equally as lucrative, but you'll hate less? I'll wait for you to answer that.

I'd like to reiterate that you go to MIT. College is supposed to open doors to more opportunities, not close more.

[minakichan]

Have you been diagnosed with depression or something similar?

I was close to suicidal during high school, but I can honestly that I'm happy with the way things are now. I like my life now. I just get anxious sometimes because as they say, college is the best time of your life! IT ALL GOES DOWNHILL FROM HERE.

I find that most people are passionate at what they're good at because other people value them for their talents in that area. In school, this can be difficult because you hang out with a lot of other people in your major area. Because they are all good at the same things you are good at, it seems as though they don't quite value you for your talents as much as you think they should. Thus you lose your passion for the subject and think you should seek something else out and leave that area behind. But if you were to go there, then you'd find that those individuals would find your old area of interest to be of value and your new area of interest would be the same as theirs and... well you'd be in the same place you were.

You know, I think you've hit something there. I used to love science because I was making great grades in it in high school, but then I started to hate it in college when my grades plummeted . In terms of business/finance (my major), I majorly epic fail at it, so it makes me sad =(. I suppose passing off that "passion" to a prospective employer could just come down to sitting down and studying more.

What you are experiencing is called existential vertigo, and it happens when you climb the summit of possibility and look down at the myriad of possibilities that lie before you and feel a sudden rush of doubt, fear, and anxiety. While it's no fun and certainly full of anxiety to go through such times, I wouldn't worry about it like it was something abnormal. Truth be told, I think it is difficult to go through one's college years without experiencing at least some measure of existential anxiety. I'll be honest here: sometimes I wish I was dead, but like I always tell myself, life is troubling and uncertain, but I'm willing to risk it. So then, how does one get back down from the high mountain and get passion? Quite simply, by making real decisions. Go out and take risks, make goals and do them, make plans and do them, get things done one by one over and over again until the things that army of ones can do is unthinkable, struggle and persevere against everything that stands in your way until you become a heaven-bent force unstoppable by any power on earth, and most importantly of all, learn from Kierkegaard that "to need God is a human being's highest perfection." Oh, and while you're at it, you should go and purchase The Essential Kierkegaard and start reading stuff by Soren Kierkegaard like The Sickness Unto Death, Either/Or: A Fragment of Life, Fear and Trembling, and The Lily in the Field and the Bird of the Air. Kierkegaard knows very well the kind of things people like you and I go through, and he'll help you grow through it in ways you could never imagine.

The risk-taking thing sounds REALLY cool. I've definitely been stuck in my comfort zone, and maybe it's just the stagnation that's getting to me. At the same time, I don't quite know what kinds of exciting "real decisions" and risks I can make in college. ._.

As for Kierkegaard, I don't really like him that much, but maybe that has to do with the fact that I had to make a boring presentation about him in high school. Hahaha...

HI. I STALK YOU. No, not really, but you've posted quite a few of these. Not that it's a bad thing, because it's important.

I don't think it's about changing attitude. I think it's about changing your life to satisfy your attitude. It's not about brainwashing either, because you're still lying to yourself. Then you'll hate yourself, unless you're a masochist.

Isn't it scary that I know you're studying accounting? I think you are, at least. If not, then whatever. I find it kind of amazing that you study accounting at MIT of all places. MIT. Where you have musical stairs. Don't you have other hobbies that's not directly art related? You like to talk a lot about how you're sure you're not going to like your job but you're going to force yourself to like it because it's good for you to do so. Why can't you find another job that is equally as lucrative, but you'll hate less? I'll wait for you to answer that.

I'd like to reiterate that you go to MIT. College is supposed to open doors to more opportunities, not close more.

I'M SORRY! I'm being emo and... well, all of these posts seem to coincidentally fall around the same time of each month. Let's just put it at that. I'm always really repetitive and I know it gets really annoying (most of my friends totally tune me out now), so I'll try not to do this anymore.

Not accounting (God, no), but Finance. Which is pretty much just as dull, but it makes a lot more money. MIT's like #2 in the nation for undergrad business or something, so I guess that's my motive. I don't really have any interest in any other fields (I hate science, I'm not really artsy enough for humanities). When you say "Why can't you find another job that is equally as lucrative, but you'll hate less?" Hahaha, that's business. It's my last resort. I was going to be an engineer during a particularly misguided phase of my life. And honestly? No, pretty much all of my hobbies are anime-related... XD;;; Right now, my hobbies are what's keeping me going, and I love that. At this point, I still think anime can keep me from doing drugs or whatever, but I keep getting warned that I won't get a good job if I'm not passionate, and that's what scares me. (Also, we have musical stairs?)

I'M SORRY in 3 days my emotions will be all balanced out and I'll read this thread and be like "Dang, what the heck was wrong with me?"

[Puguni]

[quote="minakichan (post: 1257613)"]
Not accounting (God, no), but Finance. Which is pretty much just as dull, but it makes a lot more money. MIT's like #2 in the nation for undergrad business or something, so I guess that's my motive. I don't really have any interest in any other fields (I hate science, I'm not really artsy enough for humanities). When you say "Why can't you find another job that is equally as lucrative, but you'll hate less?" Hahaha, that's business. It's my last resort. I was going to be an engineer during a particularly misguided phase of my life. And honestly? No, pretty much all of my hobbies are anime-related... XD]

No, it's cool. It's important that you are ok with your prospects, because if you don't, then you wake up every morning and think why am I alive [which is what I'm afraid of, ha ha.]

Maybe you could do something business related for some anime company. Maybe then you could get good deals on DVDs or something. Or live in Japan. International business? Make it work for you...you shouldn't resign yourself to tediousness in the workplace. Maybe you should be passionate about the path you're taking. Finance sounds super dull, but it's a step towards cooler business jobs?

(I thought I read somewhere that MIT had musical stairs in some dorm, as in, every step was one note. I imagined a couple of people getting on the stairs and jumping up and down to play Happy Birthday for someone. I swear that's why I almost applied to MIT. They had the coolest looking dorms ever. My friend told me that our friend got to paint her hallway BLACK with RED LIGHTS. Instead I get an old dorm that ladybugs like to invade.)

[EricTheFred]

Minakichan....

You are freaking 19 years old. Don't start thinking you're locked in NOW. Good gosh, I can't imagine it. You have at least a decade before you even have to suspect you're locked in.

I earned my BSEE at the tender young age of 33. After I had been a music-school student, a tool-and-die technician, a draftsman, a CAD operator, and a UNIX sys admin.

Was I being a little ADHD? Yeah. But I think I clearly demonstrated that someone can wander a bit without settling down. I have settled down, now. I'm in analog circuit design for one of the world's biggest semiconductor manufacturers. My wide range of early experience was actually a plus in getting this job, not a minus.

Don't sweat it. Get your MIT degree, because it will impress the crap out of people for years to come, but don't be thinking it's some kind of shackle. If anything, it's a heck of a foundation upon which to add an MBA, and then you can go do some other degree if you're still not happy.

My son worries that he won't make it if he gets a music performance degree. Mind you, this is a kid who takes lessons from a member of a major symphony orchestra, and who has impressed a number of other professionals along the way. He's going to get into a high-ranking conservatory no matter what, on recommendations alone. Still, he worries. So, I told him, "Listen, if you can't support yourself on performance, you go back and add pedagogy and teach. Then you can support yourself on that while you go try something else. Or, you may discover you love teaching. You will have something to work with. At 22 or so, fresh out of school, that's all you need."

[RFC]

I'm new here, but I feel a pull to reply. I am in college myself, and only recently (last few years) have I found out what my profession will be. I didn't fall into it though. God dragged me into it. I used to question where to go because, similar to you, my only real-to-true hobby was anime. So at first I tried drawing. Failed. I'm not a great actress either (even though people say I have decent improv). So early one day, at 3:00 am, I began writing a fanfic. Looking back it was horrible, but slowly in the years following that, God began to making writing a bigger and bigger part of my life. Now I know that's what I'm going into. For now, that's where God wants me. My jobs will be unsteady most likely and pay checks will be small, but that's not the point. The important thing is doing what God wants and He will give you joy in it. Even if you don't know what "job" you'll have or what degree to get, that's ok! Do you smile at your teacher as you enter your class even when you don't really like how he teaches? Do you ask the girl who's carrying a lot of books if she needs help? Do you look at every life as someone God lovingly created and you set out to always show His love to them? Then you're doing God's will! You're doing exactly what you need to be doing! You're doing nothing wrong! God has an awesome and wonderful plan for your life! My best friend doesn't know what degree to go for either. But she's ok with that. She knows that as long as she does God's will, God will give her passion for Him and a happiness beyond anything any job can offer.
So my bottom-line advice is: Leave your future with God and live everyday showing His love to others and He will give you the passion (and direction in life) to keep going no matter what!

[RFC]

I'm new here, but I feel a pull to reply. I am in college myself, and only recently (last few years) have I found out what my profession will be. I didn't fall into it though. God dragged me into it. I used to question where to go because, similar to you, my only real-to-true hobby was anime. So at first I tried drawing. Failed. I'm not a great actress either (even though people say I have decent improv). So early one day, at 3:00 am, I began writing a fanfic. Looking back it was horrible, but slowly in the years following that, God began to making writing a bigger and bigger part of my life. Now I know that's what I'm going into. For now, that's where God wants me. My jobs will be unsteady most likely and pay checks will be small, but that's not the point. The important thing is doing what God wants and He will give you joy in it. Even if you don't know what "job" you'll have or what degree to get, that's ok! Do you smile at your teacher as you enter your class even when you don't really like how he teaches? Do you ask the girl who's carrying a lot of books if she needs help? Do you look at every life as someone God lovingly created and you set out to always show His love to them? Then you're doing God's will! You're doing exactly what you need to be doing! You're doing nothing wrong! God has an awesome and wonderful plan for your life! My best friend doesn't know what degree to go for either. But she's ok with that. She knows that as long as she does God's will, God will give her passion for Him and a happiness beyond anything any job can offer.
So my bottom-line advice is: Leave your future with God and live everyday showing His love to others and He will give you the passion (and direction in life) to keep going no matter what!