How to get passionate at something?

  • Thread starter f0olyco0ly
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In summary, it is possible to consciously make yourself passionate about something you hate, but it takes practice and determination. It is important to find the beauty and purpose in the task and to transfer your passion for the end goal to the tedious steps along the way. With time, the once-hated task can become enjoyable and even fulfilling. It is a process that requires patience and persistence, but the rewards can be great.
  • #1
f0olyco0ly
Is it possible to consciously make mysef passionate at something i hate?
 
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  • #2
I find that chocolate sauce helps.
 
  • #3
f0olyco0ly said:
Is it possible to consciously make mysef passionate at something i hate?
Sounds to me like you're already passionate about it.
 
  • #4
What might that something be??
 
  • #5
micromass said:
What might that something be??

Oh...
I just assumed that it was a sexual question... :blushing:
 
  • #6
Danger said:
Oh...
I just assumed that it was a sexual question... :blushing:

That explains the chocolate sauce...
 
  • #7
Hate it with a passion?
 
  • #8
Eheh guys you're so funny, are you comedians?
 
  • #9
f0olyco0ly said:
Eheh guys you're so funny, are you comedians?
Not me. I think that I caught Evo doing a stand-up routine in Baton Rouge a few years ago, but I'm not sure.
 
  • #10
Danger said:
Not me. I think that I caught Evo doing a stand-up routine in Baton Rouge a few years ago, but I'm not sure.

Man, you should try, you would have a bright career, you're killing me with your humour, now don't exaggerate because they might arrest you.
 
  • #11
f0olyco0ly said:
they might arrest you.
"They" can't. I'm a Canuck, so Yank humour police have no jurisdiction over me. :approve:
 
  • #12
sit and close your eyes and imagine how you would do it, step by step and how you would overcome potential problems.
 
  • #13
Pythagorean said:
sit and close your eyes and imagine how you would do it, step by step and how you would overcome potential problems.

Jeez, Python... we had a good thing going here, and you had to go getting all "practical" on us... :rolleyes:
What ever are we to do with you?
 
  • #14
f0olyco0ly said:
Is it possible to consciously make mysef passionate at something i hate?
I suppose you're talking about something you need or want, in some sense, to learn, but find difficult or unappealing for some reason.

Is what you're talking about a necessary tool in some more encompassing endeavor that you are sort of passionate about learning and doing?
 
  • #15
ThomasT said:
I suppose you're talking about something you need or want, in some sense, to learn, but find difficult or unappealing for some reason.

Is what you're talking about a necessary tool in some more encompassing endeavor that you are sort of passionate about learning and doing?

Yes, exactly.I need to learn calculus and statistics which i don't like at all as a tool to "get" something else that i want.
So i figured that if there exists cognitive behavioural therapy to "cure" depression, maybe there's another "tool" that would make me interested/passional about math, i mean people get attracted/passional about different things, i want that kind of passion.

So i would be a thousand times more productive in my efforts.
 
  • #16
Danger said:
Jeez, Python... we had a good thing going here, and you had to go getting all "practical" on us... :rolleyes:
What ever are we to do with you?

Well, we could keep our conversation going forever, sadly i don't know you, you don't know me, you were a little rude to me, targetting a new member like me to have fun with the people you already know on this forum.

I'm not a "serious guy" , but i made this thread with a purpose , i could accept you making fun of it if we were friends, but we're not.
But for now this is not the place for me to exchange humour, maybe it will be in the future, maybe it won't, for now i have other places where to have fun.
 
  • #17
f0olyco0ly said:
Yes, exactly.I need to learn calculus and statistics which i don't like at all as a tool to "get" something else that i want.
So i figured that if there exists cognitive behavioural therapy to "cure" depression, maybe there's another "tool" that would make me interested/passional about math, i mean people get attracted/passional about different things, i want that kind of passion.
Assuming that you are somewhat passionate about becoming proficient wrt the more encompassing thing, then that should provide sufficient motivation to keep to a schedule of practicing the stuff that you now find somewhat tedious.

The good news is, the more you practice and learn the necessary tedious stuff, the less tedious it will seem. You might even grow to like it in and of itself, independent of your encompassing goal.

So, the behavioral therapy consists of just doing it in an organized/systematic way. But in the beginning you can ease the pain by keeping in mind your higher goal, and that there's only one way to attain it.

I suppose everybody, except savants and certain geniuses, goes through this to a certain extent. Contemplating spending countless hours on something that you regard as dry and uninteresting can be daunting. But I promise you that if you can bring yourself to passionately stick to a reasonable practice/study schedule, then you will be rewarded. If you feel like skipping a session, then remind yourself why it's necessary and why you're doing it. If you feel like stopping early, remind yourself. When you reach the time limit for a particular session, then do just a bit more, and so on. Eventually, the stuff that was hard at first becomes more or less permanently internalized, automatic, intuitive. You begin to see connections and possibilities that you never saw before. Then it becomes fun.
 
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  • #18
To get what you want, you have to do some wax on, wax off. If you want to get passionate about it, transfer your passion for the final goal to the tedious goal.
 
  • #19
Thanks, i guess there's no magic pill.
It's interesting how some people get this passion in an istant though.
The problem is that the passion in my higher goal isn't strong either, but at least there's something.
 
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  • #20
Find the beauty, elegance and exquisiteness in it. It's there. Even calculus and statistics. Grow to appreciate how beautifully it does the job it's designed to do. Moreso - does the job you want it to do to pursue your primary passion.
 
  • #21
Jimmy Snyder said:
To get what you want, you have to do some wax on, wax off. If you want to get passionate about it, transfer your passion for the final goal to the tedious goal.
Thanks. You have a knack for stating things as clearly and simply as possible. I think this is also a main ingredient (ingredient?) and primary reason why your humor is humorous. It's insightful and to the point.
 
  • #22
ThomasT said:
... primary reason why your humor is humorous...
Well, to hear Jimmy tell it, it's actually because his wife beats him until he gets funny.
 
  • #23
Danger said:
Jeez, Python... we had a good thing going here, and you had to go getting all "practical" on us... :rolleyes:
What ever are we to do with you?

It's my social role, I can't help it. I've been called eater of worlds and party pooper.
 
  • #24
f0olyco0ly said:
Thanks, I guess there's no magic pill.
Not for us more or less normal humans.
f0olyco0ly said:
It's interesting how some people get this passion in an instant though.
Maybe they don't. I would suppose that there are as many distinct paths to becoming passionate about something as there are people who are passionate about something.
f0olyco0ly said:
The problem is that the passion in my higher goal isn't strong either, but at least there's something.
What is your higher goal?

As an aside, one of the things that got me passionate about learning certain things was learning about their history, their development, and the people involved. Learn about the giants in whatever field(s) you might be interested. It might help generate some passion. At least, I don't think it can hurt to do that.

The turning point for me was when somebody told me that radio waves are like ... light. This eventually led to learning about the accomplishments of Maxwell, Faraday, then to Einstein, etc. Einstein was especially influential. I wanted to understand how he thought. I don't think I do, exactly, understand that, but I think I do understand his 1905 papers. Anyway, the point is that studying the methods and results of the preeminent contributors to any field might increase your passion to learn more, and more, about it.

Anyway, best of luck, and, enough talk ... get to work. :smile: And let us know from time to time how you're doing. There are lots of PF contributors knowledgeable in calculus, statistics, etc. So ask questions here if you get stuck on something ... paying particular attention to what the Science Advisors and Mentors have to say.
 
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  • #25
DaveC426913 said:
Well, to hear Jimmy tell it, it's actually because his wife beats him until he gets funny.
:smile:
 
  • #26
And here, I thought it was because my jokes had stood the test of time.
 
  • #27
f0olyco0ly said:
you were a little rude to me, targetting a new member like me to have fun with the people you already know on this forum.
I'm sorry that you interpreted it that way, and I offer my profound apologies. Humour is my way of welcoming new members. If this had been in a sub-forum other than GD, my response would have been more serious. This is where we have fun. Keep in mind, as well, that your original post was incredibly lacking in details. It's not always in your best interest to leave things like that to the imaginations of strangers.
 
  • #28
Danger said:
I'm sorry that you interpreted it that way, and I offer my profound apologies. Humour is my way of welcoming new members. If this had been in a sub-forum other than GD, my response would have been more serious. This is where we have fun. Keep in mind, as well, that your original post was incredibly lacking in details. It's not always in your best interest to leave things like that to the imaginations of strangers.
Nicely done, imo. You are, evidently, a Dangerous person. What's your middle name?
 
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  • #29
f0olyco0ly said:
Yes, exactly.I need to learn calculus and statistics which i don't like at all as a tool to "get" something else that i want.
So i figured that if there exists cognitive behavioural therapy to "cure" depression, maybe there's another "tool" that would make me interested/passional about math, i mean people get attracted/passional about different things, i want that kind of passion.

So i would be a thousand times more productive in my efforts.

Force yourself to do practice problems. Set aside some time every day to do some. When you get good, you'll enjoy it more. I find you enjoy things you're good at more than things you're bad at.
Plus there's that feeling of success when you do a problem and look in the back of the book and find out you got the right answer.

Even if you don't like calculus, you might enjoy some of it. I certainly didn't enjoy all of it, but some of it was actually fun.
 
  • #30
ThomasT said:
What's your middle name?

Bruce, by virtue of being a direct descendant of Robert the Bruce. Every male in my maternal lineage has Bruce as part of his name.
 
  • #31
Danger said:
I'm sorry that you interpreted it that way, and I offer my profound apologies. Humour is my way of welcoming new members. If this had been in a sub-forum other than GD, my response would have been more serious. This is where we have fun. Keep in mind, as well, that your original post was incredibly lacking in details. It's not always in your best interest to leave things like that to the imaginations of strangers.

No worries :).
 
  • #32
ThomasT said:
As an aside, one of the things that got me passionate about learning certain things was learning about their history, their development, and the people involved. Learn about the giants in whatever field(s) you might be interested. It might help generate some passion. At least, I don't think it can hurt to do that.

This is great advice. I've been having trouble in maths class this semester, and I bought a new book to read, https://www.amazon.com/dp/0691141347/?tag=pfamazon01-20, on recommendation from many reviewers @ Amazon. It's a history of the maths leading up to, and coming out of the discovery of this curious number, and it's a joy to read! :)

I also recently read "Eureka Man", about Archimedes, "The Poincare Conjecture", and a biography of Paul Dirac, and each one inspired me to find about some new topics and apply myself a bit more. I struggle with maths, big time, but books like these give me some perspective and help motivate me to keep learning.
 
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  • #33
If a person have passion, nothing is impossible for him.
Wrong. Having passion does not automatically guarantee success. e.g. I can be passionate about violins. But that does not make me a violin player?

We cannot called focus as 'passion'.Passion is big thing than Focus.
Passion applies for artistic thoughts. Focus applies for anything in general.
 

1. How do I find something that I am passionate about?

Finding your passion can be a journey and may take some time. Start by exploring different activities and hobbies that interest you. Reflect on what brings you joy and fulfillment. It may also be helpful to talk to friends and family or seek guidance from a career counselor.

2. Can passion be developed or is it something you are born with?

Passion can be developed and nurtured over time. While some people may have a natural inclination towards certain activities, passion can also be cultivated through practice, dedication, and a positive mindset.

3. What are some ways to stay passionate about something in the long run?

To maintain passion for something, it is important to set goals and continually challenge yourself. Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who share your passion and support your growth. It is also crucial to take breaks and practice self-care to avoid burnout.

4. How can I turn my passion into a career?

Turning your passion into a career may require some strategic planning and hard work. Start by researching job opportunities in your field of interest and gaining relevant skills and experience. Networking and building a strong personal brand can also help you stand out in the job market.

5. What should I do if I lose passion for something I used to love?

It is normal for passion to ebb and flow, and it is okay to take a break from something you used to love. Take the time to reevaluate your goals and interests, and try to find new ways to reignite your passion. If necessary, don't be afraid to let go of something that no longer brings you joy and explore new opportunities.

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