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My Problem

Discussion in 'Self Improvement' started by RobinCoenBrosFan, Jun 2, 2018.

  1. RobinCoenBrosFan

    RobinCoenBrosFan Fapstronaut

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    I’m INCREDIBLY critical of myself. Still in New York, moved into new place (long story), still no job or acting roles, possible date on Tuesday. I have to work SUPER hard at landing these gigs because I won’t be able to pay September’s rent if I don’t. I also do not feel like true success nor true satisfaction have come into my life yet. I know it takes time but still dissatisfied. I’m trying to find some sort of alternative medium to acting also (like blogging about scenic design or editing or the movies or something like that, that’s the next step). But some days it just does not feel like true success was meant for me and my brain keeps telling me I’m a loser even though I have to tell it to fuck off every time. It just seems so far off.
     
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2018
  2. guy209

    guy209 Fapstronaut

    I know the feeling bro. I have also been struggling lately to find satisfaction in what I do. I'm studying for an M.A in clinical psychology and I am very critical of myself for not working hard enough and not feeling enough passion for what I do. The problem with these feelings is very well described in your post.
     
  3. Giuoco

    Giuoco Fapstronaut

    The short answer to your problem is that "follow your passion" is incredibly bad advice. If it were good advice, 90% of kids would be major sports stars or Hollywood actors, right?

    There is a fantastic book I'd recommend called: "So Good They Can't Ignore You" by Cal Newport. He argues against the passion mindset and gives some fantastic practical advice about building up skills and finding truly rewarding work. People who are passionate about their jobs don't have a pre-existing passion (99%) of cases - what they usually have is a particular skill which is valuable, control over their work and lots of options to be able to change what they do. It's these factors that help build "passion" for their work.
     
  4. RobinCoenBrosFan

    RobinCoenBrosFan Fapstronaut

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    The speaker as my college graduation commencement five years ago was a writer for the show “Dexter,” and his message was basically “follow your passion,” but I think the message should’ve been “follow your passion but with marketable skills at the same time or otherwise a fallback.” The student loan debt epidemic with millennials (I got very lucky on this front and do not have any because my grandparents paid for my college through inheritance) was already a terrible problem at the time, and thus slightly more emphasis should have been placed on merely getting a job that pays these peoples’ bills. It’s great to have a passion about something, but don’t constantly force it or think about it, and be realistic about how you approach that passion. And nice profile pic, wubba lubba dub dub!
     
    Giuoco likes this.

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