Is Your Passion Simply What You're Good At?

[thenondualtankie]

Is it true that the main driving force behind your level of passion for something, or how much you enjoy doing something, is simply how good you are at doing that thing? A pretty bleak viewpoint: our minds are programmed so selfishly that, deep down, the true reason for enjoying something is just because you're good at it.

Let me know your experiences and thoughts. 

[Yarco]

I'd say it's kind of the opposite.

A kid gets good at drawing comics because he enjoys doing it so much. It's fun and effortless for him. He doesn't automatically enjoy doing it because he's naturally good at it.

 It certainly helps if you've got a natural talent for something. That way you don't have to suffer through being bad at it for years until you get to to the enjoyable part. 

But I don't know of anyone that just picked up a guitar and became a musical prodigy. Or was instantly a pro at computer programming. You pick up a skill because you have a vision for what it'll do for you in the future. Whether that's playing Wonderwall at the beach to pick up chicks, create a new piece of software, or whatever.

The more you enjoy the activity itself, the more likely you are to grind through the difficult and boring parts as well.

[Thought Art]

passion and skill are correlated but there may be other factors 

[puporing]

What aligns the most with your highest values. 

[Danioover9000]

@Yarco

23 hours ago, Yarco said:

I'd say it's kind of the opposite.

A kid gets good at drawing comics because he enjoys doing it so much. It's fun and effortless for him. He doesn't automatically enjoy doing it because he's naturally good at it.

 It certainly helps if you've got a natural talent for something. That way you don't have to suffer through being bad at it for years until you get to to the enjoyable part. 

But I don't know of anyone that just picked up a guitar and became a musical prodigy. Or was instantly a pro at computer programming. You pick up a skill because you have a vision for what it'll do for you in the future. Whether that's playing Wonderwall at the beach to pick up chicks, create a new piece of software, or whatever.

The more you enjoy the activity itself, the more likely you are to grind through the difficult and boring parts as well.

   You love using my passion in your examples 

[Danioover9000]

@thenondualtankie

On 7/7/2022 at 11:40 AM, thenondualtankie said:

Is it true that the main driving force behind your level of passion for something, or how much you enjoy doing something, is simply how good you are at doing that thing? A pretty bleak viewpoint: our minds are programmed so selfishly that, deep down, the true reason for enjoying something is just because you're good at it.

Let me know your experiences and thoughts. 

   Personally the farthest in my childhood I felt extreme passion are dinosaurs and video games. There was a time when I was failing at video games and it sucks, but there were images in my head for what I wanted in those games, even though they were short term, they re energized me to keep going until I could pick up a PlayStation console of any version, of any game control, and within minutes be playing really well. Likewise with dinosaurs, although it's mainly the Jurassic Park movies, but a few dinosaur documentaries and how the art was made to depict them was enough to overcome the boredom of me reading through scientific books on dinosaur fossils and other very technical terms, I didn't know then that it really was just the artwork and not the other heavy logic formats that presented those dinosaurs that I was resonating to. I guess it all depends on your life experiences so far, other lines of development in your other areas of life, states, personality type, cognitive and moral development and stages of development you are at that helps you further hone in on what you're passionate about.

   I'm really good at walking and eating, am I super excited and passionate for my walks and foods? Not really, unless I'm identified as and in states of being that align with those interests, like being a fit person or being a chef, then maybe I would be but it's so effortless and easy for me that it's no longer super exciting and passionate to admire my ability to walk around the garden, or to tongue around the foods in my mouth. So, there's an active shifting balancing act between difficulties, like easy, normal and hard mode.

   You'll have to elaborate on that bleakness for me, what do you mean?