Would LOVE your insight on this...

[bluskygirl]

I need change... All the time. Every job I've ever had I get bored of as soon as the learning curve is flat; every hobby (with the exception of my current one) I become bored of once I feel I've sufficiently learned how to do it; in some ways it makes my life interesting, i.e. very spontaneous... but in other ways it makes life difficult for me. Like my job. I have a great job, but I've learned how to do it to the extent that I can perform it on autopilot, and so I get bored. This eventually will evolve to poor performance because I am uninspired. I am seemingly unable to find contentment in things. I always want them to change. Does this make sense? Does anyone else experience this?

This also causes problems for me in the sense that I take on new things as soon as I seem to be able to cope with my current situation; if I have free time, or there isn't enough demands on me, then I get a new pet or start a new project or hobby. If I had the money, I can guarantee that I would have a zillion hobbies. And it's not a problem of focus; if I'm interested in it, it's all I want to do until I've figured it out or become proficient.

I would like some feedback about this because as it is my own personal trait, I have trouble viewing it without my own bias. I tend to see it as negative within the confines of our society and how things work (it seems to me that people's lives are naturally geared towards routines and "ruts"). But when I look at it on it's own, I think it's a good thing- it seems to promote constant learning and new experiences. I guess I would like insight because I am having trouble trying to figure out how to function better; I feel as though I can't ever get ahead in life because I move so quickly from one thing to the next and in general our world operates much more statically than I do.

I would love to hear anyone's thoughts on this; including if you think this is something I need to change about myself in order to function better (and if that is the case, advice on where to start!).

Thanks for the feedback...

[Shamou]

I think that you should get a job where creativity is of the essence... that way... you would be challenged all the time... and could vent your energy and apply your curiosity in a meaningful way...

The very best of luck to you...

PS. - If you don't know where to get such a job... you have your first challenge... find it...
.

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by bluskygirl

I need change... All the time. Every job I've ever had I get bored of as soon as the learning curve is flat; every hobby (with the exception of my current one) I become bored of once I feel I've sufficiently learned how to do it; in some ways it makes my life interesting, i.e. very spontaneous... but in other ways it makes life difficult for me. Like my job. I have a great job, but I've learned how to do it to the extent that I can perform it on autopilot, and so I get bored. This eventually will evolve to poor performance because I am uninspired. I am seemingly unable to find contentment in things. I always want them to change. Does this make sense? Does anyone else experience this?

Yep, I experience this all the time. I guess that there are two approaches, which you will use alternately at different times. One is that you just drop the activity altogether and find a new one (eg change jobs). The other is that you keep aiming to get better and better in the activity, pushing yourself to new heights (eg getting better and better at the same job).

[Patricia]

I can relate too. The way I found around this was to not have a job at all and instead work for myself and monetize on the things that I'm passionate about. It's been working very well so far. If you work on different things, provided that you have self-discipline and can focus on each one of them enough to make them profitable and rewarding, as soon as one of them starts boring you, you switch to the other one (what I mean by that is: in my case, since I work for myself I have the flexibility to focus on a project for a week or switch between projects during the day, for example. It all depends on which project I want to grow at a certain given point or the opportunities that appear, so I still need to prioritize, but I have the freedom and flexibility to choose what I want to focus on most of the time). I'm not saying you'll be doing 10 things at the same time, running around like a chicken with its head cut off, but if you direct your energy into 2 or 3 things that you're passionate about and have the self-discipline to commit to each one of them, it can work very well. They can turn into 2-3 separate businesses (and they will sure keep you busy for a while ).

Another thought for you: instead of looking at your hobbies as things that you'd need money to do, why not turn some of your hobbies into sources of income?

I've always become extremely bored in most of the jobs I had. I greatly appreciate the freedom I experience today doing things I'm passionate about and putting my creativity to work, exercising a broad range of skills. That's what has worked for me. And overall I have found that there's a great sense of growth in the experience, much more than I have had in jobs, because I'm constantly challenging myself. I also noticed that in time you identify some patterns - even though it may seem that you're doing things that are completely unrelated, they usually share at least one common denominator and this helps you in identifying a clearer direction, possibly one that you'll want to keep. My common denominators have helped me a great deal in the direction of finding my purpose, the skills I want to use in the process of living my purpose as well my current medium of choice. From the outside looking in, it looks like I'm running completely separate businesses, but in fact they are all taking me in one single direction.

I found this book on Amazon one day - and I haven't read it yet, so I can't recommend it but it seemed interesting, so I'll leave the link for you:

The Renaissance Soul: Life Design for People with Too Many Passions to Pick Just One

I hope this helps.

[bluskygirl]

Ooohhh. That does sound like a great book. I may have to get myself a copy. Well, I'm glad to know that there are others out there that can relate. I often feel that I was "wired" incorrectly, because I just can't seem to fit in the same box that most people I know love and thrive in.

I would love to work for myself. I recently started a blog because I realized that two things I always do and always enjoy are writing (usually in the form of journaling) and researching/learning. So, I've created a blog centered around things that matter to me that I wish I knew more about so that I can learn about them, write about them and hopefully help others in the process. I have a million ideas for things I could do... but I lack the courage to make the 100% switch (being a single Mom can do that to you)! Hopefully this blog will steer me in some new directions and open some doors for me.

Thanks for all the feedback!

[Peter S C]

Personally I think this is a great trait to have.... as long as you recognize it and manage it accordingly. This means having a job where you can shine by being creative and/ or continually challenged.

[bluskygirl]

Well, I kinda thought of it as a good trait too... but I figured I was a bit biased.

I know that you're right. I have to find a place where I am continually challenged... inspired. I know that because when I am inspired I have drive and motivation that I can't explain.

Thanks for the reply...

[helga]

Originally Posted by bluskygirl

Ooohhh. I often feel that I was "wired" incorrectly, because I just can't seem to fit in the same box that most people I know love and thrive in.

I would guess that you are what Barbara Sher calls a "scanner." People who constantly want change and are interested in a zillion things. People who want to take all the college courses instead of specializing in one subject. The biggest problem scanners have is thinking that there is something wrong because they can't find their box, and be like other people. She's written a book for scanners called Refuse to Choose. and a forum where lots of scanners hang out.
You might also like Barbara Winter's Making a Living Without a Job. Not wired incorrectly at all.

[bluskygirl]

Thanks for the forum and book suggestions. I'll look into them when i get home tonight. IT is really helpful... the way you relay Barbara Sher's definition of a scanner sounds exactly like me. It has me super curious. Thanks again!

[Jason S]

Like many others on this post, I see a lot of myself in your description. Where I see it as a weakness is only when a new interest threatens to pull me away from a current activity before I have mastered it.

It's easy to underestimate the skill required to truly master a subject, especially if you're used to skimming the surface. I try to guard against this risk by giving myself goals for each hobby/interestthat are independent of anything else, milestone-based, and devoid of arbitrary end dates.

One area I recommend being cautious about adopting a "scanner" like approach is at work. There are already built-in career shifts as you progress in an organization--any organization, of any size, including entrepreneurial ones. These shifts occur once you start to master the functional requirements of a job. At that point, your focus shifts away from functional activities to more managerial and social ones; from there you move to more strategic and political realms. (And by political, I don't mean Machiavelian... I mean engaged in the inevitable process of making trade-offs, which is required to align the interests of diverse group members, who despite their shared goal, differ wildly in their opinions about how to achieve it.) Jumping from job to job to challenge yourself at the functional level prohibits you from leveraging your mastery to move to more social or strategic realms. Not that you should park yourself at one company and stay there, but job hopping every 2 years does have it's price.

I am starting to see more people job hop to satisfy their curiosity at functional levels who miss opportunities to learn how to manage or lead. Interestingly, they more they move, the more they reinforce their view of the world in terms of functional tasks only, and the more likely they become to underestimate the skill required to lead a diverse group. Their self-awareness suffers as a result; I've watched more than one person fall flat on their face because they confused mastery over a task with mastery of leading others in executing that task.

I think if you're not careful and deliberate in your approach, then moving too quickly from interest to interest can be sort of like falling in love with first gear and wanting to try it out on every make and model car you can find... One day, years from now, when I'm ready to hit the gas and really take off, will I kick myself for never having had the patience to learn how to use the four higher ones?