Tim Ferriss, what an absolutely fascinating human being. I’ve listened to his podcasts for years and have started reading Four-Hour Work Week. I wrote several months ago about using curiosity to find help find your passions, but Tim paints a different picture, suggesting that excitement is the key. I love this. What excites you? What a wonderful question. I get really excited about landscapes, about travel, photography, about engaging human beings (to learn from and help develop them) and about starting new ventures. I love comedy and stories, the personal tales that bind us together, I love film and stories of motivation that drive people to unspeakable achievements . . . well, unspeakable, but then talk about them, so . . . ahem, onwards! I also love technology and how it betters us as human beings. However, here is where the analysis has to start. Let’s work backwards. I love technology but to a limited degree. I like a good laptop for my writing and picture editing, a drone for fun and picture taking, and a good camera to pursue my hobbies. I don’t have the passion to delve deep into development code or wire up my house to automatically turn the lights on and off. I don’t have a smartwatch and don’t give a shit about the latest smartphone releases. Indeed, I use my phone to write, read and take photos (again, photography). Phone calls and text messages are usually related to work or conversing with the same four or five people. So, do I really love technology or do I just get a small buzz out of the little things I have? Probably the latter. Let’s move on. Film, comedy and stories. I have tried writing some scripts and enjoyed it but it is a hard graft when writing multiple characters alone. So that goes on the back-burner (I have a friend that has shown some interest in writing together, but it can wait). I love the escapism of films and the plot turns, admiring the writing and style (again, the writing). Comedy is a constant though. I watch and study comedians: the timing; the loops; the observation; the absurdity; the anger and frustration; the situations to induce a full belly-laugh. Let’s keep going. Which leaves travel and photography. I almost become sad when seeing something spectacular and not having a camera to capture that instant forever. But am I good at photography? Probably not. I do receive compliments from friends but am I making the best out of it that I could? No. As too with language. I enjoy writing, I enjoy the art and dedication needed to weave a well-crafted sentence, but would I enjoy it so much if I were to receive a deadline every week to complete a task on a given subject with the conclusion already provided regardless of the narrative? Absolutely not. I write because I enjoy it, no more. I believe the same with travel because it is exciting. When travelling for a year I was exhausted after 6 months. Ten years later when travelling for 4 months, I was exhausted after 3. Can I travel all the time? No, I don’t think so. Doing it sporadically is what makes it special. And so, whirlwind conclusion time:
Since actions speak louder than words, I will search for some medium-level photography courses, some English writing courses and place an advert for free advice on interviews, development and leadership. None of the above I feel I will pursue individually as a career apart from that in leadership and developing others. But combining them all? Yes, it can be done. I could relate stories of my travels, showcasing my photography to illustrate them and write about them in the context of learning, development and leadership. Standing up in front of an audience of 200 and exposing myself (steady) in terms of vulnerability of what I’ve learnt in terms of my limits and mental health, making terrible jokes and relating good stories? That scares the shit out of me if I’m honest, which is why I think I should do it.
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