If given the choice....

by NEWWORLDSLACKER 2 Replies latest jw friends

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  NEWWORLDSLACKER

  If you were given the choice to either be an expert in one specific area and not pursue anything else....or be able to do quite a few different things pretty well but excel in none what would you choose?

  This is a question im trying to come to terms with at the moment. I find joy in a great many activities..... I take care of my family of four meanwhile -Im an artist( mostly painting and sculpting)-Hot rod and custom bike mechanic/machinist- I write music-am a carpenter for hire- computer building(nerd)-at my job im a chemist and systems mechanic- im also a shade tree inventor-If it breaks I can fix it ...and all of my friends and family know that im there for them when they need me. Uhhh....sometimes I think about cutting loose a field of interest to make more time to refine the others. And to make matters worse as I get older im realizing that ignorance is bliss and with knowledge bring responsibility. And once you know something its there forever.....barring brain damage of some sort of course.

  the cliff notes to this thread?> I often feel overwhelmed yet I have an insatiable desire for knowledge, to understand things with my own mind and create with my own hands.

  well I guess my initial question is at least viable.

  NwS
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  seattleniceguy

  Heya, NewWorldSlacker!

  I think I can identify with you. I've always told people that at any one time, I'm playing with three more interests than it is possible to juggle. I kind of like that - I like having twelve different books on my desk with bookmarks indicating various stages of progress - but at the same time, I sometimes feel like I would do far better to choose a couple to focus on more intently.

  Where I am now is, I don't think you really have to choose one or the other. I think you can choose one or two interests to delve into more deeply, and still do the shallow interests. You just have to do the shallow ones a little more shallowly. Maybe cut out a couple of the really fringe ones.

  I will tell you that the most fulfilling and exciting time of my life was when I lived in Japan. I studied the language with a zeal that could only be called maniacal. After I got into the swing of it, I could work on it for 13, 14 hours a day. The blistering progress you can see when you attack something like that is pretty rewarding. Come to think of it, I'd really like to do something like that again.

  So maybe I'd suggest doing an experiment: pick one interest and devote ungodly amounts of time to it for a month or two. See how you like it. Maybe all of this is actually my subconscious trying to talk to myself....

  Anyway, those are my two cents.

  SNG
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  asleif_dufansdottir

  Well, I'm in grad school and planning on getting a PhD...so I guess my answer is obvious...neither an expert nor good at several different things!