I'm currently a sort of junior/senior majoring in accountancy. Is meticulously keeping track of business transactions my life's passion? Hell no. But I've chosen accountancy because the field lays down the base rules of how we keep track of our economy (which is something I'm interested in), and I will come out of school with an employable skill.
The whole "passion" thing just.. doesn't resonate with me. I'm not sure it ever has. What is the feeling granted by a passion? How do you identify it?
I think of it as always wanting to do and always being willing to do something -- whatever it is -- that will get you closer to your goal (passion). But that has never been a part of my personality (not as a late-teen or adult at least); there are several goals I'd love to attain or at least consistently pursue, but there is no willingness in me to do nearly anything about it. Its hard to describe, but its summed up by the following sentiment:
I wake up and nothing matters, every day.
The closest thing to motivation I've come up with is, "I'm here and alive. Might as well do something with it." Doesn't seem to be a very potent as far as motivational thoughts go.
Psychologists have come up with some evidence that mood (I think this all falls under mood) is determined in significant part by genetics. Maybe I need drugs for my particular genetic heritage to survive in the contemporary environment. I'm sure I could do something differently and improve my productivity, because I've such things, but it is difficult to maintain (ie. quit doing X thing which eats times/provides little relative value compared to 100 other things that could be getting done) Honestly, 80% of the productive output I've generated during the past year has been while I was high (medicated? idk) on adderall or weed.
There seems to be an asymmetry in the way my brain responds to the world. My family's problems make me sad when I shouldn't care if nothing matters, but I don't have much of a response when a good grade is returned to me or someone praises me or my work. What's there to be done about that?
I'd like to hear about passions that you've experienced.
btw thx for making the thread its good to read about the different fields people are in and shit they're doing.
On October 16 2012 09:07 iop wrote: For the guys in jobs, tell us what you're doing, why, what you hope to get out of it and what the plan for after is.
I work for Spotify as an Analyst, I absolutely love working here, because it's a super cool company with really smart people. What do get out of it? Well, working for a start up in always fun, the entrepreneurial environment has it's benefits. Not sure what the plan is, but I'm enjoying my job so hopefully i'll be here for quite some time.
nice, and what does an analyst at spotify do? from what background do u land that role? enjoying what ur doing for its own sake and not for the extrinsic benefits is so huge imo
It's essentially Revenue forecasting for all Markets in Europe, but also looking at user growth and usage (amongst a ton of other things). I've worked in the IT industry for the past 5 years basically, and went from Sales/Marketing over to an Operations type role.
I would make more money at other companies (and have had other offers), so I'm not in it for the money per say, i.e. extrinsic benefits.
Oh, and will watch the video once I get home from work. But is this my true passion? Probably not, not 100% what it would be, but it's definitely something with Music / Sports. But I really like what I'm doing, and wouldn't want to do anything else right now.
Milkman lol i didnt spend half a thousand on a phone so i could play it cool and be all stealth
I am currently running a small start-up, 4th year of university (business) and playing poker on the side. Yet, when I watch this video I can only think of one other thing. All of the things above, I do them because I want to achieve financial freedom. I wish I could be piss of rich, but not REALLY want in. My goal is to have 2-6k of passive income every month, to do that, I need around 200k in a savings account. At this point I'm only mildy interested in poker, as university and my business are a grind basically.
This video resonates with me cause I truly have a passion, powerlifting. Unfortunately, powerlifting is nothing u can make money off, as all PT's are piss poor and it won't be on the olympics within the next 20 years prolly.
I expend around 2 hours at the gym everyday. I happily beat myself mentally and phisically for the chance to add 20kg to my lifts every year, which to some people is obv insanse. Not to me, cause not only I enjoy the results but the process. To give you an idea, Andy Bolton (WR Deadlift holder) programed an entire year to beat his PR by 5kg (on the deadlift only) or something ridiculous like that.
When not im the gym, I'm constantly looking for videos or articles on technique and training, to find more ideas that can help, even the slightest ones. Its really small stuff, but it all adds up. I would train twice a day like the bulgarians, given the chance.
On the relationships thing, it is indeed tough. I used to go out 3-4 times a week, get drunk with my friends and sometimes (my game sucks) hook up with girls. Now I can't really go out that much cause I need the sleep, and heavy drinking affects my training, so I can only drink sparringly and saturday is the only day I can get drunk if I wish it (cause I take sunday off).
But I fucking love it, and is all worth it. Anything else I do (besides getting stronger) is about having enough money to support my sport and not being piss poor and eventually have a family on my own with a decent standard of life.
My tangible goals are breaking the world tested (not roids) Squat, bench and total RAW records @ 183. After that I'm going after the open ones (might or might not juice, its a far ahead decision). Deadlift record is out of reach (fuck you ed coan).
I think I'll have an honest shot at the bench press record within 2-3 years.
"There was for me only one thought and one desire- to become strong- and everything else had to bow before this unconditional goal." - Maxick
Xervean United States. Oct 16 2012 16:25. Posts 682
The problem with natural powerlifting contests is people can go on steroids and get their strength up really high and then cut them out before the competition so they pass the drug tests. Some of the stuff is undetectable after a few weeks. But I guess if you are really that close to making the world record then it will be even more satisfying when you beat everyone naturally. GL SIR!
I just recently took up bodybuilding again and have been having really good results. I have been eating 7-8 meals a day, weight training 4 days a week (doggcrapp style), and doing cardio every day. It's giving me a lot of energy and I feel good. It's definitely a lifestyle change and the most important thing is continuing to string together days of efficient action. I've gained about 8 lbs so far and lost some bodyfat. I know a lot of it's muscle memory because I used to weigh a fairly solid 230 back in 2004.
On October 16 2012 05:56 k4ir0s wrote:
one of the best TED talks imo. I guess i'll chip in
Sadly i've been losing my passion for poker lately, ever since I started i've been playing on and off, making just enough money to live comfortably. Now i'm depressed, with little drive / motivation, no work experience and no clue what to do with my life. feels bad man :/
It feels like I lack purpose in life...not sure if everyone goes through this phase? maybe i'll do some overseas volunteering soon and try to work towards something bigger than me.
.
This... i suck at poker, and i dont know wtf im going to do with my life when i graduate from university, like in 1 year.
I don't think there exists a fulfilled poker player in this world, based on the psychology of the gamer and what keeps you motivated. You have to be striving always, and these desires are rarely satisfied, and when a desire is satisfied it's only for a brief period until many more begin and are unsatisfied. An important aspect of it is that when we are striving to accomplish our next goal, we become self-absorbed and we take things for granted, and the negative always outweighs the positive because of it, so we end up getting more dissatisfied than satisfied when we play poker in general. Self-centeredness is the enemy of happiness. I think being an online poker player might be one of the worst things as far as leading a fulfilling life. It contributes to no one other than us, so we can't give our best and develop as individuals like the ones who work for something bigger than themselves. I have given up on it years ago.
To answer the question, I don't see myself having a career, ever. I am interested in certain subjects and will always be actively studying but I see no point in pursuing them on an academic level unless I would want to become a teacher, which I don't. And if you aren't completely passionate about what you're doing, I see having a career as an enslavement.
fuck I should just sell some of my Pokemon cards, if no one stakes that is what I will have to do - lostaccount
Once again Loco ruins everyone else's fun
I do agree that online poker is hardly a fulfilling career if it's the central pillar of ur life, however if you just treat it as a convenient way to make money while u pursue other endeavors (hobbies/passions) I think that some degree of fulfillment can be reached. Or maybe you can just have a bunch of kids and hope they fulfill your empty heart as they suffer in this cruel world -.-
btw loco whats your plan to sustain urself if u dont wanna "work" ever?
Studying interesting subjects forever does sound like a pleasant enough activity but that dsnt pay bills :/
On October 16 2012 08:31 Svenman87 wrote:
For the guys in jobs, tell us what you're doing, why, what you hope to get out of it and what the plan for after is.
I'm currently a technology specialist at a large us bank. I'm working there because it's a great place to have a career as well as the benefits are pretty sweet. 6% full matching to a 401k as well as annual profit share. I've gotten 3 promotions within 2.5 years, I contribute that directly to wanting to be the best at everyone of my positions (I first strive to learn everything, then be the best on the team, then be the best in the area. I hope to working here a career as well as get my own business up off the ground (basically geeksquad at 75% cost)
Can't really fault this, sounds like some corporate crushing is going on atm. If I had to ask a question, do you think you'll be alright if the promotions at some point cease and youre stuck in the same position, or in some way you're no longer matching/exceeding expectations for what external benefits you hope to get out of doing what you're doing? By the sound of it my read is you're pretty money/"success" motivated (nothing wrong w/ that incase u confuse this for criticism which it's def not) and are loving the rush of earning, investing wisely to secure your future and moving up the ladder. Basically, ignoring those nice things, do you find what youre actually doing good fun for its own sake? Just want to know.
I do like to challenge myself otherwise I find myself getting complacent, but if I can't see my future in a company long term I don't really see much of a point working their longer than I need to. If that means I eventually jump ship in 10 years to continue my career path at another company so be it. As it stands though, I'm really enjoying my job and the people I work with and work for. There is a lot of competition now for promotions and it's a lot different in an office setting vs a sales setting. You can clearly see who is a better performer looking at a few reports, but in an office where there aren't as many figures sticking out to show who is better at what it becomes a lot more politics and networking. My next step is to find a mentor as well as join organizations within the company for more networking opportunities.
On October 16 2012 18:32 Loco wrote:
I don't think there exists a fulfilled poker player in this world, based on the psychology of the gamer and what keeps you motivated. You have to be striving always, and these desires are rarely satisfied, and when a desire is satisfied it's only for a brief period until many more begin and are unsatisfied. An important aspect of it is that when we are striving to accomplish our next goal, we become self-absorbed and we take things for granted, and the negative always outweighs the positive because of it, so we end up getting more dissatisfied than satisfied when we play poker in general. Self-centeredness is the enemy of happiness. I think being an online poker player might be one of the worst things as far as leading a fulfilling life. It contributes to no one other than us, so we can't give our best and develop as individuals like the ones who work for something bigger than themselves. I have given up on it years ago.
To answer the question, I don't see myself having a career, ever. I am interested in certain subjects and will always be actively studying but I see no point in pursuing them on an academic level unless I would want to become a teacher, which I don't. And if you aren't completely passionate about what you're doing, I see having a career as an enslavement.
To play devils advocate pursuing your subjects at a tertiary level would probably expose you to a different set of thinking, ideas and knowledge. The end goal doesn't have to be teaching. There are many students (at least in this country) that are 'careeer students' who basically go from degree to degree studying the subjects that interest them (we are talking 4-5 degrees and hundreds of thousands in HECS-HELP fees).
Relating back to the TED talk you may be afraid of failing at university and so don't pursue it, inventing whatever excuses to justify your reasoning.
On October 16 2012 23:04 Uptown wrote:
No not really, but no the subject matter of that video, I watched it last year and thought the guy was a moron.
2c
It's pretty obvious the guy isn't a moron.
Last edit: 17/10/2012 02:14
1
RICHI8 United States. Oct 17 2012 03:21. Posts 1341
I found myself in a position a lot of people on here are in right now but this was back in early 2010. I was a struggling low stakes player and then decided to shut the door on poker for good in January of 2010. I farted around jumping from job to job while I figured out what I wanted to do. Eventually I saw that Software and Web development were in high demand and the barriers of entry were relatively low as long as you didn't want to work for some mega corporation.
This was about ~1.5 years ago. I started off studying mostly Web front-end based coding but quickly grew bored of it because of all it's dumb details and inconsistencies. About a month after this I got more into the programming side of things and absolutely fell in love. From there I just studied general programming concepts obsessively every night after I got home from my crummy sales job. 5 months later I landed my first Junior gig at a start up. 7 months after that i scored my first mid level position at a different company.
I'm still working in it and absolutely love it. I would definitely say this is my passion. I can go to work for 8 or 9 hours a day and then come home and spend another 3 to 4 on programming. There's just so much to learn. I really think a lot of poker players would enjoy programming. I can see a lot of similarities that the two have or require. Just off the top of my head:
- Usually ending up in similar, yet slightly different situations
- Requires humility to continually get better
- A lot of analysis and thinking
- Requires tough skin and self evaluation
- Knowing when to walk away from a problem and come back later
To make things even better, there is almost no financial requirements to learning how to program -- just time and dedication. To anyone interested, this is a great site of links to excellent free resources on programming for all sorts of different languages:
While I currently work for someone else I do not think that will always be the case. Once I feel a bit more grounded in my abilities I plan to expand my studying into non-programming related things. Hopefully this will draw up some inspiration and passion about something else than I can use my programming abilities to make better.
1
eestwood United Kingdom. Oct 17 2012 03:30. Posts 698
I used to work as a software engineer (sw developer) and I hated it. Was trying to work for different companies during like 3 years after the uni and it always ended up with me hating the job / bosses / colleagues. Even worked in a cool startup company in London and I just had to quit the job.
BUT the money was pretty good and thats why most people do it. When I hear ppl who work office jobs sayin they love their jobs and wouldn't do anythin else that just sounds like a cognitive dissonance type of thing to me
Its kind of weird when I hear poker bosses like Longple etc sayin they want to do somethin else, because for me when you can make more money by yourself than by working for a corporation you are the bosss and you are winning
On October 16 2012 19:56 MiPwnYa wrote:
btw loco whats your plan to sustain urself if u dont wanna "work" ever?
Studying interesting subjects forever does sound like a pleasant enough activity but that dsnt pay bills :/
I don't have a plan.
Spare a dollar?
fuck I should just sell some of my Pokemon cards, if no one stakes that is what I will have to do - lostaccount
On October 16 2012 23:04 Uptown wrote:
No not really, but no the subject matter of that video, I watched it last year and thought the guy was a moron.
2c
He does remind me of a moron tho:
lol
fuck I should just sell some of my Pokemon cards, if no one stakes that is what I will have to do - lostaccount
On October 16 2012 18:32 Loco wrote:
I don't think there exists a fulfilled poker player in this world, based on the psychology of the gamer and what keeps you motivated. You have to be striving always, and these desires are rarely satisfied, and when a desire is satisfied it's only for a brief period until many more begin and are unsatisfied. An important aspect of it is that when we are striving to accomplish our next goal, we become self-absorbed and we take things for granted, and the negative always outweighs the positive because of it, so we end up getting more dissatisfied than satisfied when we play poker in general. Self-centeredness is the enemy of happiness. I think being an online poker player might be one of the worst things as far as leading a fulfilling life. It contributes to no one other than us, so we can't give our best and develop as individuals like the ones who work for something bigger than themselves. I have given up on it years ago.
To answer the question, I don't see myself having a career, ever. I am interested in certain subjects and will always be actively studying but I see no point in pursuing them on an academic level unless I would want to become a teacher, which I don't. And if you aren't completely passionate about what you're doing, I see having a career as an enslavement.
To play devils advocate pursuing your subjects at a tertiary level would probably expose you to a different set of thinking, ideas and knowledge. The end goal doesn't have to be teaching. There are many students (at least in this country) that are 'careeer students' who basically go from degree to degree studying the subjects that interest them (we are talking 4-5 degrees and hundreds of thousands in HECS-HELP fees).
Relating back to the TED talk you may be afraid of failing at university and so don't pursue it, inventing whatever excuses to justify your reasoning.
On October 16 2012 23:04 Uptown wrote:
No not really, but no the subject matter of that video, I watched it last year and thought the guy was a moron.
2c
It's pretty obvious the guy isn't a moron.
So would picking up the books from those classes at the library, or watching free lectures from the university online, no?
fuck I should just sell some of my Pokemon cards, if no one stakes that is what I will have to do - lostaccount
3
PuertoRican United States. Oct 17 2012 04:11. Posts 13037
I'm currently in school, but I have awhile before I graduate.
I've decided on a major, which is Linguistics. I'm going to move back to Asia again and teach English after I graduate, so I talked myself into taking up a degree in language, since it revolved around what I wanted to do in the future as well as being an easier degree to obtain than my original choice, International Business.
All I basically do is go to school, come home and study, while getting distracted with reading MMA websites/posting MMA news/watching MMA every Friday and Saturday. I manage to fit in 2-3 different TV shows into my schedule, depending on the time of the year. Currently I'm watching Alphas, Boardwalk Empire, and The Walking Dead, with the former ending in one week.
p.s. I go trail running on the weekends with friends, although my knees were in rehab for the past couple of weeks after I finished the "Tough Mudder" run. During the last obstacle, which is this area where you get electrocuted, I got zapped toward the end and fell to my knees, getting a deep scrape on one of them which had me limping for 6-7 days. I'll start running again within the next 2 weeks.
On October 17 2012 02:30 eestwood wrote:
When I hear ppl who work office jobs sayin they love their jobs and wouldn't do anythin else that just sounds like a cognitive dissonance type of thing to me
I guess, I'm the exception the the rule.
Milkman lol i didnt spend half a thousand on a phone so i could play it cool and be all stealth
On October 17 2012 02:30 eestwood wrote:
I used to work as a software engineer (sw developer) and I hated it. Was trying to work for different companies during like 3 years after the uni and it always ended up with me hating the job / bosses / colleagues. Even worked in a cool startup company in London and I just had to quit the job.
BUT the money was pretty good and thats why most people do it. When I hear ppl who work office jobs sayin they love their jobs and wouldn't do anythin else that just sounds like a cognitive dissonance type of thing to me
Its kind of weird when I hear poker bosses like Longple etc sayin they want to do somethin else, because for me when you can make more money by yourself than by working for a corporation you are the bosss and you are winning
I like working for myself and even though Longple is more talanted then me I think I've made more monies then him so far and I actually have a fairly high net worth. However, I can see the point in having a pay check each month and not having to worry about downswings and such as much.
As for what I find interesting I've recently started doing a lot of research about various gold/silver miners and some other companies. My goal is to make a bit of money in those and from PLO the next few years and gradually put more and more money into high dividend stocks with decent growth potential. If I can get a portfolio of maybe 400k or so I'll have enough passive income to work maybe half time and still make enough to live comfortably. Not sure if I'll reach that though considering how I hope to buy a house the next few years without getting into debt and then maybe try and write a few books on various subjects, get at least a blue or purple belt in BJJ at some point and. In the long run it'd be nice to retire at 40 or so and spend time doing various interesting shit, spending time with my family and see if I can't make my mark on my small part of this world.
Brasil. Oct 16 2012 20:52. Posts 5230
