How to get passionate at something?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the question of whether it is possible to consciously develop passion for subjects that one initially dislikes, particularly in the context of learning mathematics such as calculus and statistics. Participants explore various strategies and personal experiences related to motivation and engagement with challenging topics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question the feasibility of consciously cultivating passion for something one hates.
  • Others suggest that finding beauty and elegance in the subject matter may help foster interest.
  • A participant proposes that transferring passion from a final goal to the tedious tasks required to achieve it could be beneficial.
  • Some express that a structured approach to practice may alleviate the tedium of learning difficult subjects.
  • There are mentions of cognitive behavioral therapy as a potential analogy for developing interest in math.
  • Participants share personal anecdotes about how historical context and influential figures in a field can ignite passion for learning.
  • Humor is used throughout the discussion, with some participants engaging in light-hearted banter about the topic.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

There is no consensus on whether passion can be consciously developed, and multiple competing views remain regarding the strategies for fostering interest in challenging subjects. Some participants express skepticism about the ease of developing passion, while others propose various methods to enhance motivation.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge that individual experiences with passion and motivation can vary widely, suggesting that there may be many distinct paths to becoming passionate about a subject.

  • #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 :).
 
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  • #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.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #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.
 

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