Do what you love

Long essay, but examines what work you do, why and how people end up doing what they love.

If you can overcome the ADD that the internet seems to give everyone, give it a read. Made me think, anyway.

http://paulgraham.com/love.html

You should of called us Neanderthals with the attention span of goldfishs. Always goads these suckers to reading something long just to prove you wrong.

Alas, I can't say I found this article very thought provoking. I actually found it pretty dull and it got harder to read as it dragged on.

That might be because at the age of 20 I pretty much figured out life, or at least figured it out for me.

Why, what did you want to do? Do you do it now?

Maybe more useful for me because I've never really considered what I want to do. Always thought I'd just do whatever made money, which is actually a terrible idea.

Sorry Zzonked. Caught me on the wrong day, tl;dr

Too long. Lost interest.

inb4dena

Sorry, having to scroll down to see the rest demotivates me.

Pretty much the response I imagined, fair enough.

Nothing hurts more than the subtly masked 'I am disappointed'.

I agree.

I think it's down to straight from the early age though. To ever do what you love or enjoy you have to put the work in. If you work hard throughout education, which let's be honest isn't hard you gain all the relevant qualifications to do what you want, or love and more with experience.

Those who don't put in effort will have to usually settle for doing stuff which people have left to chase their dream, stuck in a dead end job and staying there due to nothing else on the horizon.

Kind of becoming weird how after college I'm no longer in the protective educational bubble and on my own, where I can't have another chance or get people to hand things on a plate and I have to go out there and achieve it myself with no help, as in the real world it's every man for himself and to do what you love you have to be the best.

Zzonked wrote:Why, what did you want to do? Do you do it now?

Maybe more useful for me because I've never really considered what I want to do. Always thought I'd just do whatever made money, which is actually a terrible idea.

I want to be a social worker, but I know I don't have the talent or patience for that so that's not going to work. So I'm working on a degree that has to do something with something I'm good at, dealing with criminals.

Either way to me it doesn't really matter, I've made up my mind. No matter what path I take in life, it is going to suck, because life sucks, it's basically suffering until you die, and unless you get lucky and are born into money or with a talent you can exploit for money it's going to suck no matter how hard you work, and even if you do have money it's going to still suck.

Basically I've made up my mind to not expect anything in life, no hopes, no dreams, just continue the struggle and try to make life suck a little less for everyone around me as much as I can until I die.

Zzonked wrote:Pretty much the response I imagined, fair enough.

I say you infract all of them. Why post if you are just going to say you didn't bother reading.

Fuck that irritates me.

Calm down big man.




Edit-Didn't mean to sound patronising.

Ché Guayaba wrote:

Zzonked wrote:Why, what did you want to do? Do you do it now?

Maybe more useful for me because I've never really considered what I want to do. Always thought I'd just do whatever made money, which is actually a terrible idea.

I want to be a social worker, but I know I don't have the talent or patience for that so that's not going to work. So I'm working on a degree that has to do something with something I'm good at, dealing with criminals.

Either way to me it doesn't really matter, I've made up my mind. No matter what path I take in life, it is going to suck, because life sucks, it's basically suffering until you die, and unless you get lucky and are born into money or with a talent you can exploit for money it's going to suck no matter how hard you work, and even if you do have money it's going to still suck.

Basically I've made up my mind to not expect anything in life, no hopes, no dreams, just continue the struggle and try to make life suck a little less for everyone around me as much as I can until I die.

See, the article addresses the first thing you said

Of course, figuring out what you like to work on doesn't mean you get to work on it. That's a separate question. And if you're ambitious you have to keep them separate: you have to make a conscious effort to keep your ideas about what you want from being contaminated by what seems possible. [6]

It's painful to keep them apart, because it's painful to observe the gap between them. So most people pre-emptively lower their expectations. For example, if you asked random people on the street if they'd like to be able to draw like Leonardo, you'd find most would say something like "Oh, I can't draw." This is more a statement of intention than fact; it means, I'm not going to try. Because the fact is, if you took a random person off the street and somehow got them to work as hard as they possibly could at drawing for the next twenty years, they'd get surprisingly far. But it would require a great moral effort; it would mean staring failure in the eye every day for years. And so to protect themselves people say "I can't."

Seems like you have a very jaded view about life (even if a bit tongue in cheek, I can't tell).

It's what you make of it really, positive reenforcement actually works, I do it quite often. Just tell myself shit and eventually it starts becoming true.

I read that part and it only annoyed me, I think the example was stupid, even if you practice for 20 years you will never even come close to Leonardo if you aren't born with that talent. I think, "you can do anything you set your mind to" crap is one of my biggest annoyances, because that's not true.

I don't know, maybe I'll read this again later, might find something worth thinking about on a second read. You should never read something only once after all, and I read this at like 4:30 in the morning with no sleep, so you know, that might of affected my viewpoint.

I dont see how positive reinforcement works at all

Sean wrote:I dont see how positive reinforcement works at all

I read a book about it, apparently people who've had reconstructive plastic surgery still think they're deformed for like 21 days. There has to be a mental switch, not just a physical one. If you make yourself believe something for a relatively long period of time, it eventually becomes true, srs. For example, if you think you're ugly for your whole life, you'll start thinking it's true, even if it's not. Therefore you must tell yourself the opposite, for like 3 weeks according to the book, and that starts to become true instead. The mind is a powerful thing

This is off topic from the OP though, this is more about self image and outlook.

Anything I would have loved to have done is not something I could realistically do. Either not talented enough, don't live in the right area....or don't have the financial support.

I don't think anyone appreciates when you say "I could have done this if I tried"...because either you're being arrogant, or you simply didn't try so that's your fault. So yeah.....I have not put much effort into education for the last 7-8 years. I was tired and bored of it already by then....IMO I think I could have succeeded had education been different..I just don't think it really worked for me.

Still...I am going to do something that isn't really what I love (yet anyway....maybe I will end up loving it)...but it's something I can do, have an interest in (computers), and the pay is good. In 3 years I expect to be on about £28k...so the progression is good.

A job I would love....something like football...never talented enough. A tennis player or racer....not enough money at all. I would have loved to do some kind of outdoor sport too....but I live in London....there's wrong location completely.

A lawyer...a historian...despite being academically great....I have never had the motivation.....maybe because I don't want a career that is academic.

If I could choose to be anything I want, I would choose to be a professional soccer player. I didn't really put in the effort to do it though.

Like Lux said, if you don't put in the effort, you only have yourself to blame.

Life is risks.

If you're happy and content with getting on how you do that's fine, but to succeed you need to take risks and gamble, to achieve your ultimate goals.

I also second 'If I tried I could've done so much better'.

Why fail in not trying when it's far more respectful to try and fail.

crump wrote:I also second 'If I tried I could've done so much better'.

Why fail in not trying when it's far more respectful to try and fail.

Motivation.

I can't help being who I am, I'm true to myself and for me.....trying would have been a nightmare for me...I did it for probably 6 months in 8 years and I thought "Never again", I hate this. I didn't really know what I wanted to do at uni if I did go...but what I did know is that I can't stand 3/4 years of trying, so I didn't.

I'll work my socks off in a job...but revising? homework? Fuck that. I know that I'm not lazy, that path is just not for me. Life is more important than money, for me the trying required was not worth it...if it was something I loved...then I probably would have put the effort in.

Besides.....I will probably be earning a lot more than many people who come out of uni with massive debts anyway

Read all of that because i'm a focused bastard.

I think for things like being a professional sportsman or having a natural talent you either have to be aware of what you want to do very early on, or know you have that talent, usually both.

Deciding "I want to become a professional footballer, I will" won't make you Messi. It won't even make you good, if you have a complete lack of co-ordination and balance.

I'll give an example. I wanted to be an F1 driver when I was younger. I'd still jump at the chance.

But how to get in? I'm 18, 6'1'' so naturally heavier and therefore a slower driver than others. I have no experience of it bar the occasional karting outing. I've had a grand total of two driving sessions. I am not rich by any stretch of the imagination.

The chances of me getting the money to get myself into motorsport while i'm still able to improve are astronomical.
The only person I've heard of make it starting essentially at my age was named Bruno Senna and was already karting at a young age, largely down to his uncle's prowess, before he was forcibly prohibited.

This do what you love idea is nice, but in a lot of cases, looking at people's circumstances and skillset, I'd have to say it would be "learn to love something more realistic" or "love what you do" rather than "do what you love".

Lux wrote:

crump wrote:I also second 'If I tried I could've done so much better'.

Why fail in not trying when it's far more respectful to try and fail.

Motivation.

I can't help being who I am, I'm true to myself and for me.....trying would have been a nightmare for me...I did it for probably 6 months in 8 years and I thought "Never again", I hate this. I didn't really know what I wanted to do at uni if I did go...but what I did know is that I can't stand 3/4 years of trying, so I didn't.

I'll work my socks off in a job...but revising? homework? Fuck that. I know that I'm not lazy, that path is just not for me. Life is more important than money, for me the trying required was not worth it...if it was something I loved...then I probably would have put the effort in.

Besides.....I will probably be earning a lot more than many people who come out of uni with massive debts anyway

What are you working as?

Lux wrote:
Still...I am going to do something that isn't really what I love (yet anyway....maybe I will end up loving it)...but it's something I can do, have an interest in (computers), and the pay is good. In 3 years I expect to be on about £28k...so the progression is good.

What would this job be, if you don't mind elaborating.

Have a nice day.

I wanted/still want to be a policeman. Be a miracle if that happens now.

I wouldn't mind driving around and striking fear into every driver nearby. Always had a soft spot for becoming an officer. But decided to go a different route.

Have a nice day.

Phadunkin Donuts wrote:I wouldn't mind driving around and striking fear into every driver nearby. Always had a soft spot for becoming an officer. But decided to go a different route.

Have a nice day.

Your sig lacks a Rayquaza. You Lose.

Point wrote:I wanted/still want to be a policeman. Be a miracle if that happens now.

Become a lawyer?

GK01 wrote:

Point wrote:I wanted/still want to be a policeman. Be a miracle if that happens now.

Become a lawyer?

Wouldn't have the patience to sit and read all the law books.

ahlycotc wrote:What are you working as?

Phadunkin Donuts wrote:What would this job be, if you don't mind elaborating.

Have a nice day.

Workshop Engineer here http://www.businesssystemsuk.co.uk/

It's a trainee role, after a year or so of this, learning about the company, how to fix computers, build servers, how to use their call recording technology etc..I will be working in their central London office as an engineer

I didn't just get it off the back of nothing though...last 6 months I have been on a course getting relevant knowledge and some qualifications.