re: Are You Better Off Quitting Your Life's Dreams?

Thats true.

I also think people throw around the word "dream" without any real context. When I sit and think about what I wanted to be when I was a kid, I draw a blank. I liked almost everything in some form or fashion. I enjoyed soccer, football, baseball etc. I read books, loved to draw, and enjoyed the shite out of some legos.

I didn't always care about being the best or whatever. Those thoughts never came to me until years later with reflection.

Now, I can say I just enjoy spending time trying new things. Family, a book, riding dirt-bikes, I just enjoy experiencing life.

Like right now I am really into Eudro with my dirt-bike. Fun and very challenging. 5 years from now it might be something else.

I do know this, I can't stay idle.

Yes. Put a deadline date on it.

Message boarding can be a dream!

Reminds me of The Iceman Cometh

quote:

---

You mentioned earlier about giving up a former passion of yours. Do you have something new these days that lights a fire in your belly?

---

I wanted to be a writer of any sort--columnist, reporter, blogger, novelist, screenwriter, whatever, as long as I had an audience. I got a small taste of it in college as a columnist and editor of a now-defunct weekly entertainment rag. It was a lot of work, and that part I enjoyed. Immense pressure and deadlines bring out the best in me (skills, not personality). The part I didn't like was the reality of what it takes to make money doing this thing I thought I loved. I like to write. I don't like being told what to write about, and what I'm allowed and not allowed to say on an assigned subject in order to please advertisers. It's not that I'm a delusional free spirit who doesn't realize publishers have to run a business. I did what it took to avoid hindering the revenue stream, and I did it willingly and adeptly. But there's not exactly passion in churning out repetitive content so that the 18-24 demographic can read easily digestible text in between the bar ads.

Then there's the other side of writing -- fiction. Can't even tell you how many ideas for a novel or screenplay I've mused about in a Word document. Can't tell you how many I've started and abandoned. It's a passion I've willingly let go. I know I'm a skilled writer, but only recently have I accepted that I just can't craft a story. I do not have the talent to write good fiction. Now I'm in a career that helps me hone my writing, editing, and management skills in a purely technical environment. It's fulfilling work because I'm good at it, but the daily emotional and mental energy I dedicate to the job leaves little left to dedicate to a hobby in the same field.

Things that light a fire in my belly now are things that I'm not paid to do formally. Electronics/technology is a passion of mine, especially computer hardware. I've acquired a lot of knowledge over the years, and I even like to impart that knowledge, and that's kind of the reason I haven't pursued a career in IT. I still want to enjoy it. I love video games, too, but I know being a full-time reviewer or Twitch.tv streamer would totally kill the enjoyment. I also like to paint sometimes, and try to learn another musical instrument when I have the patience. I also like to build and fix things I've never built or fixed before, and learn new software skills like video editing, 3d modeling, graphic design, and sound mixing, just because. I guess my true passion is having the freedom to do stuff however I want to do it and when I feel like doing it. There really isn't a career in that, and if there were, I probably wouldn't enjoy it.

What if Jesus had given up on his dreams? Did you consider that?

Very cool. Thanks for sharing.

i'd rather die free then be a fat slave