What are your passions?
September 14, 2007 7:19 AM Subscribe
Other than rewarding work, family and friends, what makes life worthwhile? What are your passions?
Do you have a single avocation as a counterpoint to your work day life, or many hobbies? Is work your main source of fulfillment, or does time with family and friends matter most, or something else? Does your physical location matter to you? If you had more time off, how would you fill your hours?
Daniel Dennett said in a TED Talk, "Find something more important than you are and dedicate your life to it" is the secret to happiness. What was it, and how did you find it?
Do you have a single avocation as a counterpoint to your work day life, or many hobbies? Is work your main source of fulfillment, or does time with family and friends matter most, or something else? Does your physical location matter to you? If you had more time off, how would you fill your hours?
Daniel Dennett said in a TED Talk, "Find something more important than you are and dedicate your life to it" is the secret to happiness. What was it, and how did you find it?
This post was deleted for the following reason: This is pretty dang chatfiltery.
Being able to create/produce things myself that make me more self-reliant: bread, clothing from scratch (no patterns), jams, hand hammered and set jewelry, pickles, food in my garden. Others at times think it strange that I make so many things that I can more simply go out and buy, but I derive great satisfaction from knowing that I do these things, and do not need to depend on others to do them for me. I love being able to pass some of these things down to my daughters, my friends, and see that they treasure them. I like knowing that I will create things that will outlive me, and that will define who I was to others. I love the nurture and caring that are in a piece of handmade clothing, or a beautiful piece of jewelry, and that I can communicate those things without words to others.
posted by Flakypastry at 7:42 AM on September 14, 2007
posted by Flakypastry at 7:42 AM on September 14, 2007
The thing that I dedicated my life to is me. Unlike Mr. Dennet, I think there's nothing more important in our lives than we are.
I've spent a lot of time trying to engineer the things around me to find happiness. I would think that if I could just have something or know something or someone or look a certain way or have a certain career everything would be awesome. Except something would always happen or the one thing I was hoping for took too long or things didn't work out when I planned the way I planned. Eventually it just clicked with me that the only place I can find happiness is inside of myself by making the choice to be happy every day. Some days/weeks really suck still, but there's always a twinge of hope even when I'm not feeling good because I know that I can choose to be happy. I can ask myself in any situation what I can do at the moment to be happier and I can choose to make that a priority. External things are pretty much out of my control, but my attitude towards what's going on is in my hands. It's a lot easier for me to be fully present for others if I've taken care of myself first.
Ultimately, my counterpoint to my work or my hobbies or my family is me and what I really want and need. That's how I discovered work that brings me joy and satisfaction and that's how I discover where I need to go and what I need to do on any given day.
posted by Kimberly at 7:43 AM on September 14, 2007
I've spent a lot of time trying to engineer the things around me to find happiness. I would think that if I could just have something or know something or someone or look a certain way or have a certain career everything would be awesome. Except something would always happen or the one thing I was hoping for took too long or things didn't work out when I planned the way I planned. Eventually it just clicked with me that the only place I can find happiness is inside of myself by making the choice to be happy every day. Some days/weeks really suck still, but there's always a twinge of hope even when I'm not feeling good because I know that I can choose to be happy. I can ask myself in any situation what I can do at the moment to be happier and I can choose to make that a priority. External things are pretty much out of my control, but my attitude towards what's going on is in my hands. It's a lot easier for me to be fully present for others if I've taken care of myself first.
Ultimately, my counterpoint to my work or my hobbies or my family is me and what I really want and need. That's how I discovered work that brings me joy and satisfaction and that's how I discover where I need to go and what I need to do on any given day.
posted by Kimberly at 7:43 AM on September 14, 2007
What makes my (and Mrs. Bonanza's) life worthwhile?
Volunteering.
School, Church, Community, Sports, Clubs, Charities...
There is nothing mores selfish, self centred and egotistical to do than to volunteer, and make you feel like you have done something with your life.
If you want your life to be "worthwhile", help others; do it for nothing, and expect nothing back.
And no, I am not being facetious
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 7:54 AM on September 14, 2007
Volunteering.
School, Church, Community, Sports, Clubs, Charities...
There is nothing mores selfish, self centred and egotistical to do than to volunteer, and make you feel like you have done something with your life.
If you want your life to be "worthwhile", help others; do it for nothing, and expect nothing back.
And no, I am not being facetious
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 7:54 AM on September 14, 2007
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You know you've found it when in the midst of doing it you look up and notice that 3-4 hours have passed without you noticing.
"The feeling of being hurried is not usually the result of living a full life and having no time. It is on the contrary born of a vague fear that we are wasting our life. When we do not do the one thing we ought to do, we have no time for anything else—we are the busiest people in the world."
(Eric Hoffer (1902-1983), U.S. philosopher. Reflections on the Human Condition, aph. 156 (1973).)
And one more thing: just do it. Don't worry about it being bad, or whether you have perfect tools or a perfect situation / environment, or if you're ever going to make money doing it. Just do it. You'll eventually amaze yourself.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 7:26 AM on September 14, 2007 [3 favorites]