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When I was a young kid, I remember that we used to ask each other "what's your favourite color?" a lot. At the time, this question used to panic me. I mean, r

When I was a young kid, I remember that we used to ask each other "what's your favourite color?" a lot. At the time, this question used to panic me. I mean, red's pretty neat, but then so's blue. Yellow's nice, and so on. It's only with the benefit of hindsight that one sees that it's an artificially narrow question. A child would make that mistake, but not an adult, right? Well, that's how I see the "do what you love," argument manifesting here. The things that define your true passions aren't going to be the dreams that you dreamed as a child, or as a teenager. You are always developing as an individual, and the things that you love are capable of redefining themselves. One thing that I hear time and time again is that "X" is fun until you have to do it for a living; that's not doing what you love, that's clinging to a bad mistake. You can do what you love by finding something you enjoy and by applying love, there's no mystical "true love" of careers that is imposed from on high. Hmm, what I just wrote was properly glib, wasn't it?

resnamen 15y ago
I totally agree. I love the "favorite color" example too, and I still feel the same panic nowadays - what a crap example of a security question! I enjoy the feeling of developing expertise, and I can thrive even when tasked with something that isn't very sexy on the outside -- as long as I own the task, take responsibility for the outcome, and am able to find nontrivial issues to tackle along the way.
corin_ 15y ago
I agree with your points, but ironically they're not the case for me. I do have a favourite colour, bright magenta (I do worry that it's stereotypical of me, being gay, but I certainly never made a concious choice, and I'm not someone who makes my sexuality obvious to people, so... hopeflly a coincidence). As to the thing you love.. well actually there's quite a few, right now I really love my job. but the thing I always wanted to do was music, from a young age. From 9-13 I actually was a professional singer in a very good choir (professional meaning being paid well, a couple of recordings a year, many international concerts), and despite having been there and done that, it's still what I would really love to do for the rest of my life. Love doesn't always have an expiry date.
Entaroadun 15y ago
Not glib, just personal experience :)

resnamen 15y ago

I totally agree. I love the "favorite color" example too, and I still feel the same panic nowadays - what a crap example of a security question! I enjoy the feeling of developing expertise, and I can thrive even when tasked with something that isn't very sexy on the outside -- as long as I own the task, take responsibility for the outcome, and am able to find nontrivial issues to tackle along the way.

corin_ 15y ago

I agree with your points, but ironically they're not the case for me. I do have a favourite colour, bright magenta (I do worry that it's stereotypical of me, being gay, but I certainly never made a concious choice, and I'm not someone who makes my sexuality obvious to people, so... hopeflly a coincidence). As to the thing you love.. well actually there's quite a few, right now I really love my job. but the thing I always wanted to do was music, from a young age. From 9-13 I actually was a professional singer in a very good choir (professional meaning being paid well, a couple of recordings a year, many international concerts), and despite having been there and done that, it's still what I would really love to do for the rest of my life. Love doesn't always have an expiry date.

Entaroadun 15y ago

Not glib, just personal experience :)