One of the things I do online is a whole lot of reading. I enjoy reading articles that stimulate me as much as I read tabloid-style voyeuristic posts about celebrities. Yes, I just read pretty much anything that catches my attention, especially when they are viral.
And sometimes, I find a gem in an article that I want to share with the world – or at least, my little small world. That’s where Twitter comes in. I load Twitter with random everyday posts and links to articles that inspire me.
But there are times when I do want to say something more than just 140 characters, or quote an article in its entirety (usually also longer than 140 characters, surprise surprise). I tend to forget that that’s why I have my blog. This blog started as that kind of place. Now it has grown into a Japanese blog mostly, so I hardly write about anything else that is in my mind.
There is more to me than just my passion for Japan, so I thought I’ll start blogging about other things that matter to me, all over again… Going back to the roots of this blog, I guess. Yes, Japan is still a huge part of it, but there are also many other interests and passion that kept me awake at night.
For now, let this be a good conversation starter…
We’ve all had that experience where we get so wrapped up in something that minutes turn into hours and hours turn into “Holy crap, I forgot to have dinner.”
Supposedly, in his prime, Isaac Newton’s mother had to regularly come in and remind him to eat because he would go entire days so absorbed in his work that he would forget.
I used to be like that with video games. This probably wasn’t a good thing. In fact, for many years it was kind of a problem. I would sit and play video games instead of doing more important things like studying for an exam, or showering regularly, or speaking to other humans face-to-face.
It wasn’t until I gave up the games that I realised my passion wasn’t for the games themselves (although I do love them). My passion is for improvement, being good at something and then trying to get better. The games themselves — the graphics, the stories — they were cool, but I can easily live without them. It’s the competition — with others, but especially with myself — that I thrive on.
And when I applied that obsessiveness for improvement and self-competition to an internet business and to my writing, well, things took off in a big way.
Maybe for you, it’s something else. Maybe it’s organising things efficiently, or getting lost in a fantasy world, or teaching somebody something, or solving technical problems. Whatever it is, don’t just look at the activities that keep you up all night, but look at the cognitive principles behind those activities that enthral you. Because they can easily be applied elsewhere.
Source: Mark Manson
This really made me think about what it is that I thrive on. And what I *should* be thriving on. The balance between finding my own passion and actually living a purposeful live that is more than just my selfish desires.
Why do I love doing so many different things? Why do I enjoy blogging and sharing my experience of Japan among other things? Why am I 24/7 on Facebook? Why do I love photography and do weddings/couples mostly? Why am I enjoying my current job so very much? These are questions that I need to ask myself…
What about you? What are the cognitive principles behind the activities that make you forget to eat and poop?