help finding my passion and mission

horologist2018 · 2019-08-16T14:39:51+00:00

To answer your question, I'm going to talk about myself some.

Starting at about fourteen (I'm in my 30s now), I started getting multiple interests, like you, and would focus on them for a period of time before moving onto something else.

Chemistry, computer programming, writing, making wine, making beer, art, tattooing, taxidermy, mechanics. I would go back and forth on these things, and never become a master of any of them. I thought one would be my passion (I thought for a while that tattooing was my passion), but would lose interest after a few months, and move to something else. At one point I was doing NES homebrew video games. Coding + Art = A mixed skill that allowed me to homebrew some NES games. Fun, but not my passion.

One day I was in an antique store, and I saw this clock. This beautiful old 1800s clock. I bought it, and thought "I CAN FIX THIS!" So I did. I brought it home, figured it out, and fixed it. I fixed it poorly, but I got this old 1800s wind up clock working.

A bug bit me. I got on craigslist and started buying broken mechanical clocks. I would try to fix them, break them while trying, fix some, etc. I started to get pretty good at it. So I decided since my new hobby was getting expensive, I would start advertising clock repair.

Customers came in hoards.

I started making a pretty good profit. After realizing I found something I enjoy, and can make really good money at, I grew my business with my profits. This is when I started working on watches (pocket watches and wrist watches).

Now here's where it gets interesting:

The knowledge it takes to repair clocks is very similar in skillset to creating and repairing jewelry. Also, a lot of the tools you use are fairly interchangeable (albeit, jewelry specific tools are more vast, and more expensive). So I started fixing jewelry, creating jewelry, etc. It had a different learning curve, but it was within my skillset that I developed.

So I started advertising jewelry repair, and selling jewelry that I've either made, or keep in stock from popular companies.

For several years now, I've owned and operated a successful Clock, Watch & Jewelry Store.

Is this my passion? Fuck an A it is. I love it with a burning passion. I love taking an old piece of shit 1800s clock that belonged to someone's grandmother, and bringing it back to life. I love when a young girl comes in with her grandmother's ring, and wants me to resize it to fit her. The joy on these people's faces is fulfilling to me. Also, considering the insane amounts of technical skill it takes to repair a clock, or watch, or even resizing a gold wedding ring, I feel like I run a magic shop. People come into my store and marvel in the mysteries they see. When I'm testing a pocket watch, and making small adjustments with the customer standing behind me, invariably they're going to say something like "How on Earth did you learn this?!" or "I can't believe someone still does this type of work! It's AMAZING!"

Every day I feel like I'm a living representation of one of those facebook feed videos that shows some old guy with insane skill in a dead art, that gets thousands of likes and compliments on that person's skill.

My point is, with all of this talking about myself: I didn't hunt for my passion. We found each other. And I couldn't be happier.

I still have my other interests. I find myself reading chemistry text. I still make wine. I'm no longer interesting in computer programming at all; but I understand it. I don't tattoo anymore, but I love tattoos.

Anyway. Don't worry about it. Continue to be interested in everything that catches your eye. Explore your interests. If you get bored with it, put it on the backburner and move on to something else. You'll find something that hooks you like heroin. Who knows when?

LeatherBoundWisdom · 2019-08-16T12:05:52+00:00

A few things I can add.

Journal a lot. You have to investigate for yourself what you want to do with whatever life is. If you don't have a solid reason "why", you won't have good discipline.
You're also very young. I wouldn't focus on specialization just yet. Your mind hasn't even developed enough to know what it really likes. Focus on the general things that we confidently know are part of any successful life plan, lifting/diet, reading, and game (cold approach recommended). Fashion is also a good one.
Think long term. It's very important to become disciplined as soon as possible, but develop a gradual routine that will ensure you make it there. Don't get caught up in short term results, like fad diets or super restrictive routines, because you'll just have failure after failure as the years go by until you learn to be patient and accept that you won't be alpha Chad in 3 months.

Best of luck.

HornedBul · 2019-08-16T15:26:55+00:00

Unlike how some people romanticize it, passion can be aquired.

I'll give my example. I was a fat fuck at 22yo. Decided to take my workouts seriously and dieting. Got fit. Unhealthy eating habits + a mild depression made me regain some of the weight at 25, which I was struggling to lose. Meanwhile instead of doing the "typical bodybuilding" workouts, I started doing powerlifting / strength oriented workouts. Made incredible gains. Within 6 months I knew strength training was my passion.

Recently I've started frequenting dancing classes, and I never really enjoyed dancing. I've been noticing I'm increasingly liking to dance. Still not sure how I will like it in the future, but it's a definite possibility.

There's an expression a redpiller uses, which I think is pretty good. Fill in the blank: "I lose track of time when ________"

Whatever activity you're filling the blank in, is a good idea to pursue (unless it's something not productive)

FereallyRed · 2019-08-16T16:24:49+00:00

You're doing it right.

You're 16. Your teens are discovery time. Try new things. Learn new things, think about alternative lifestyles, try new identities.

Enjoy the variety, welcome the wanderlust.

Very few know what they want to be at 16. And that's more than ok.

[deleted] · 2019-08-16T11:23:22+00:00

Just search for it.

thenewyorkmind · 2019-08-16T14:32:03+00:00

Read Mastery

PickUpScientist · 2019-08-16T21:57:19+00:00

if there's one thing you should know about any skill, its that on the way to mastering it there is going to be a phase where the novelty is gone, but you still suck at it. pushing through that phase is important, because when you get good at that skill it becomes effortless, and that's when the fun begins.

dr_pavel_im_cia_ · 2019-08-16T11:52:13+00:00

lift

Jesusfeminist · 2019-08-16T11:28:36+00:00

You can start a football podcast/ online show / editing highlights/ foot ball meme page/ football highlight page

So many fucking options. Use your fucking brain

Title	help finding my passion and mission
Author	isl4m_alderson
Upvotes	10
Comments	15
Date	August 16, 2019 11:15 AM UTC (7 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askTRP
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/asktrp/comments/cr4xh5/help_finding_my_passion_and_mission/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askTRP/help-finding-my-passion-and-mission.249223 https://theredarchive.com/post/249223

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