Help with defining life vision or purpose - 50,000 and 40,000 foot views
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Oogiem
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More on Generalists
If you are a generalist you might like to read Barbara Sher's Refuse to Choose book. It talks about different types of generalists and gives some concrete pointers on how to make that all work for you.
There is no shame in being interested in lots of things. I think the ability to get excited about lots of stuff is a gift and should be encouraged.
If you are a generalist you might like to read Barbara Sher's Refuse to Choose book. It talks about different types of generalists and gives some concrete pointers on how to make that all work for you.
There is no shame in being interested in lots of things. I think the ability to get excited about lots of stuff is a gift and should be encouraged.
SiobhanBR
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A Great Read for the "Generalist"
Try "The Renaissance Soul: life design for people with too many passions to pick just one" by Margaret Lobenstine.
When I started reading this it spoke to me immediately as I have so many specific interests in writing, music performance, crafts, and sports, while furthering my career as a practising Environmental Engineer. Not to mention the very important roles of wife, sister, friend, daughter and soon-to-be mommy.
To bring this back to GTD... the GTD system is so perfect for the Renaissance Soul. As an example, I'm going through my day and I see an ad for Rosetta Stone and think - I want to learn Gaelic! - I put it on my someday/maybe list with a note that Rosetta Stone offers a program and maybe even a weblink. Then, I don't have to think about it. My someday/maybe list is very, very long!
If you are like me, your specific interests vary over time, so specializing in one current passion could very well end up making you unhappy in the long term. Once I get good at something, I'm ready for another challenge. It means I will never be a world-famous flautist (are there really any?) but I can still enjoy playing with my mom and husband at weddings and church services.
Cheers!
Try "The Renaissance Soul: life design for people with too many passions to pick just one" by Margaret Lobenstine.
When I started reading this it spoke to me immediately as I have so many specific interests in writing, music performance, crafts, and sports, while furthering my career as a practising Environmental Engineer. Not to mention the very important roles of wife, sister, friend, daughter and soon-to-be mommy.
To bring this back to GTD... the GTD system is so perfect for the Renaissance Soul. As an example, I'm going through my day and I see an ad for Rosetta Stone and think - I want to learn Gaelic! - I put it on my someday/maybe list with a note that Rosetta Stone offers a program and maybe even a weblink. Then, I don't have to think about it. My someday/maybe list is very, very long!
If you are like me, your specific interests vary over time, so specializing in one current passion could very well end up making you unhappy in the long term. Once I get good at something, I'm ready for another challenge. It means I will never be a world-famous flautist (are there really any?) but I can still enjoy playing with my mom and husband at weddings and church services.
Cheers!
Principles to live by, and to live for
Nickv, Navigare1954 and all:
This is a great thread. I've been myself dealing with the same questions lately, and I've turned 51 y/o a couple of weeks ago! Certainly, I've already been at some of the places some of you, because of your age, are thinking about right now: I have two boys already in college - with whom I have a wonderful relation -, I pursued quite a few careers and studies throughout my life which were either passions or important quests, and many times of course just the result of necessity, and major things about which I am very enthusiastic are still to come. I am a Renaissance type guy, no question about. My interests go from fitness and health (I was a judo national champion and martial arts instructor, at present a shiatsu therapist) to spirituality ( I started meditating when I was in my 20's, majored in philosophy in my BA and Judaism in my MA) to a passion for technical skills (carpentry, bike maintenance, web design to name a few), art (literature and dance mainly), science... you name it.
Many times during my life I struggled to identify myself only with one of my interests... it seems to make life much easier. But that's not me. And thinking it more deeply, this necessity is not mine (and may be not yours), but rather a requisite of a society that has become too heavily demanding on specialization (a development of the division of labor at the industrial revolution, I think).
Excuse me for the long introduction, I thought it was necessary to state my point (and it is related to that of #17, paulmwilliamson):
Instead of searching for a life goal, as a link in a chronological chain that would become a reality sometime in the future, you can live right now by your values and beliefs. These are not links at the end of a chronological chain, but principles that permeate all the links in the concatenation of your life, so that you are entirely you, entirely accomplished at every single moment of your life: dating, pursuing a career, at your workplace, with your family and friends... Obviously we want and need to achieve certain goals in life. But there is no need to depend on their achievment or wait untill some future time when they will come true to feel fully realized and have a meaningful life. It doesn't quite make sense. Besides, as Janis Joplin said once talking about love: "if you have it today you don't wait till tomorrow, cause... tomorrow never happens, it's all the same f***ing day"
So values, beliefs, cultivating certain traits of character as paulmwilliamson said above or as you prefer to phrase it, these are accessible to you right now. Not things to achieve in the future, but principles to live by, and to live for, right now.
Gee, I think I better start blogging. Sorry for this long post.
Nickv, Navigare1954 and all:
This is a great thread. I've been myself dealing with the same questions lately, and I've turned 51 y/o a couple of weeks ago! Certainly, I've already been at some of the places some of you, because of your age, are thinking about right now: I have two boys already in college - with whom I have a wonderful relation -, I pursued quite a few careers and studies throughout my life which were either passions or important quests, and many times of course just the result of necessity, and major things about which I am very enthusiastic are still to come. I am a Renaissance type guy, no question about. My interests go from fitness and health (I was a judo national champion and martial arts instructor, at present a shiatsu therapist) to spirituality ( I started meditating when I was in my 20's, majored in philosophy in my BA and Judaism in my MA) to a passion for technical skills (carpentry, bike maintenance, web design to name a few), art (literature and dance mainly), science... you name it.
Many times during my life I struggled to identify myself only with one of my interests... it seems to make life much easier. But that's not me. And thinking it more deeply, this necessity is not mine (and may be not yours), but rather a requisite of a society that has become too heavily demanding on specialization (a development of the division of labor at the industrial revolution, I think).
Excuse me for the long introduction, I thought it was necessary to state my point (and it is related to that of #17, paulmwilliamson):
Instead of searching for a life goal, as a link in a chronological chain that would become a reality sometime in the future, you can live right now by your values and beliefs. These are not links at the end of a chronological chain, but principles that permeate all the links in the concatenation of your life, so that you are entirely you, entirely accomplished at every single moment of your life: dating, pursuing a career, at your workplace, with your family and friends... Obviously we want and need to achieve certain goals in life. But there is no need to depend on their achievment or wait untill some future time when they will come true to feel fully realized and have a meaningful life. It doesn't quite make sense. Besides, as Janis Joplin said once talking about love: "if you have it today you don't wait till tomorrow, cause... tomorrow never happens, it's all the same f***ing day"
So values, beliefs, cultivating certain traits of character as paulmwilliamson said above or as you prefer to phrase it, these are accessible to you right now. Not things to achieve in the future, but principles to live by, and to live for, right now.
Gee, I think I better start blogging. Sorry for this long post.
Wow! I can't thank everyone enough for all their input on this. I am also very happy to see that others are finding this thread useful.
I have tried a few of the activities and some of them have helped. I have defined my personal areas of focus and am starting to think about what I want those to look like 2 and 5 years from now - this helps to define projects. I have continued to struggle with defining my life vision but through sustained introspection I have learned a little more about how I want to lead my life. Over the last few weeks I have become increasingly worried that I will never have, "the answer." I worry that the more time I continue to dedicate (now about half to 1 full hour daily) to this introspection the less time is available for action. This is a nagging thought - but I know that action without purpose is pointless. The most bothersome thought is that I am not taking advantage of my current job because I fear that to put too much work into it would be pointless because it would lead me into a position where so much of the wrong types of activity would be demanded from me. Overall I still feel like I am in "limbo" until I define this vision and this is uncomfortable - I really do want to live in the present but I am starting to feel like worrying so much about defining my purpose is holding me back from that.
Marcelo - your post is really helpful to me given my current state - the timing is stunning. I think the biggest flaw in my thought process was trying to envision my "life vision" as an end goal - your post brought that thought to light. I think my vision for myself is going to consist of a "way" of living - evolving in reaction to the changing conditions of my awareness of myself and my surroundings.
I have tried a few of the activities and some of them have helped. I have defined my personal areas of focus and am starting to think about what I want those to look like 2 and 5 years from now - this helps to define projects. I have continued to struggle with defining my life vision but through sustained introspection I have learned a little more about how I want to lead my life. Over the last few weeks I have become increasingly worried that I will never have, "the answer." I worry that the more time I continue to dedicate (now about half to 1 full hour daily) to this introspection the less time is available for action. This is a nagging thought - but I know that action without purpose is pointless. The most bothersome thought is that I am not taking advantage of my current job because I fear that to put too much work into it would be pointless because it would lead me into a position where so much of the wrong types of activity would be demanded from me. Overall I still feel like I am in "limbo" until I define this vision and this is uncomfortable - I really do want to live in the present but I am starting to feel like worrying so much about defining my purpose is holding me back from that.
Marcelo - your post is really helpful to me given my current state - the timing is stunning. I think the biggest flaw in my thought process was trying to envision my "life vision" as an end goal - your post brought that thought to light. I think my vision for myself is going to consist of a "way" of living - evolving in reaction to the changing conditions of my awareness of myself and my surroundings.
SiobhanBR
Registered
Your job as just a job
One concept that you may want to consider is using your paying job in a way that works for you and fits your life goals. For some, this mean that the job is a way to get to what you really want, not a passion for its own sake.
For example, you may use your day job to get money to pay the bills and spend your free time pursuing your many passions. The requirement here is that your day job must allow you time off (mentally and physically) to pursue those other passions.
Or you get a job that will help you to develop skills that you can implement to pursue your passions (computer skills, perhaps). The requirement here is that your day job provides you opportunities to learn the skills you want to learn.
That said, even a job being used in this way should provide you with some sense of accomplishment. Life is way too short to spend 40 hours a week doing something you hate or that clashes with your fundamental principles.
One concept that you may want to consider is using your paying job in a way that works for you and fits your life goals. For some, this mean that the job is a way to get to what you really want, not a passion for its own sake.
For example, you may use your day job to get money to pay the bills and spend your free time pursuing your many passions. The requirement here is that your day job must allow you time off (mentally and physically) to pursue those other passions.
Or you get a job that will help you to develop skills that you can implement to pursue your passions (computer skills, perhaps). The requirement here is that your day job provides you opportunities to learn the skills you want to learn.
That said, even a job being used in this way should provide you with some sense of accomplishment. Life is way too short to spend 40 hours a week doing something you hate or that clashes with your fundamental principles.