Excess in the Pursuit of Excellence
They say that on your deathbed you don’t regret the things you did, you regret the things you didn’t do.
I’m a pretty enthusiastic, and I know what I love. What I love might evolve somewhat over time, but there are always a few things I’m intensely interested in.
When I find something I enjoy, I prefer to enjoy it a lot. Especially when I’m getting better at it. Especially when the effort is paying off! Becoming excellent at things I enjoy is the biggest thrill to me. If I die today I can honestly say I’ve spent a lot of time doing things I love and have become pretty good at many of them!
For example, when I first tried ocean fly fishing I immediately loved it. It is not easy, at least not how I do it. It’s not uncommon to find me standing in knee deep water perched on slippery rocks in the surf. To add the to the difficulty, my favorite quarry, the striped bass, is nocturnal so I’m often fishing in the dark. Although I loved it from the beginning, it is far more fun now that I’m good at it. I catch more fish. I can confidently fish in more types of locations giving me flexibility and a wider range of beautiful places to fish.
In order to improve, I’ve been known to take entire months and dedicate them to fishing! Yes, partly this is hedonistic: it’s fun! I also experience absolutely beautiful places I’d never see otherwise, whether a nearby beach at sunrise or the massive lagoon on Christmas Island (directions from the US: go to Hawaii, bang a left, stop a few miles before the equator). Partly this is intellectual: I enjoy learning more about nature including the tides, fish, bait types, migration patterns, etc. And of course partly it’s competitive – you either catch fish or not! They are either big or small.
Many would say my fishing is, or at least has been, excessive at times. One spring/summer/fall I fished almost every night (I was in the emergency room one night after an accident and missed fishing). But my concentration on fishing that year has paid BIG dividends. I’m a much better fisherman now. Even if I sneak out for only an hour or two, I enjoy it more and have better chances of catching fish because of that year I dedicated to improving my fishing skill. My effort that year is still paying dividends, and probably will my entire life! It was an excellent investment of time and effort in something I truly enjoy.
I find that regardless of how much I might enjoy something, I don’t do it excessively and compulsively unless it’s something where the excess matters, where the excess improves my ability and hopefully my pleasure, and where by making the extra effort I stand a chance of becoming truly excellent.
I’m a pretty enthusiastic, and I know what I love. What I love might evolve somewhat over time, but there are always a few things I’m intensely interested in.
When I find something I enjoy, I prefer to enjoy it a lot. Especially when I’m getting better at it. Especially when the effort is paying off! Becoming excellent at things I enjoy is the biggest thrill to me. If I die today I can honestly say I’ve spent a lot of time doing things I love and have become pretty good at many of them!
For example, when I first tried ocean fly fishing I immediately loved it. It is not easy, at least not how I do it. It’s not uncommon to find me standing in knee deep water perched on slippery rocks in the surf. To add the to the difficulty, my favorite quarry, the striped bass, is nocturnal so I’m often fishing in the dark. Although I loved it from the beginning, it is far more fun now that I’m good at it. I catch more fish. I can confidently fish in more types of locations giving me flexibility and a wider range of beautiful places to fish.
In order to improve, I’ve been known to take entire months and dedicate them to fishing! Yes, partly this is hedonistic: it’s fun! I also experience absolutely beautiful places I’d never see otherwise, whether a nearby beach at sunrise or the massive lagoon on Christmas Island (directions from the US: go to Hawaii, bang a left, stop a few miles before the equator). Partly this is intellectual: I enjoy learning more about nature including the tides, fish, bait types, migration patterns, etc. And of course partly it’s competitive – you either catch fish or not! They are either big or small.
Many would say my fishing is, or at least has been, excessive at times. One spring/summer/fall I fished almost every night (I was in the emergency room one night after an accident and missed fishing). But my concentration on fishing that year has paid BIG dividends. I’m a much better fisherman now. Even if I sneak out for only an hour or two, I enjoy it more and have better chances of catching fish because of that year I dedicated to improving my fishing skill. My effort that year is still paying dividends, and probably will my entire life! It was an excellent investment of time and effort in something I truly enjoy.
I find that regardless of how much I might enjoy something, I don’t do it excessively and compulsively unless it’s something where the excess matters, where the excess improves my ability and hopefully my pleasure, and where by making the extra effort I stand a chance of becoming truly excellent.
posted by Ted Demopoulos at 12:29 AM
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