You are not a fish, how to know the joy of fish?
Photo by Chelsea Bradley: Source:
The English version is tranlate by ChatGPT, I will fix it later.
Let’s start with a simple test, and rest assured, I won’t retain any of your personal information.
If you had to choose among the following three types of fish, which one would you like to be? Please select the fish that best represents your current state:
- Goldfish
- Dolphin
- Salmon
Well, regardless of which one you chose, there’s no correct answer. But that’s precisely the concept I want to discuss today, and it’s an idea I’ve been gradually developing over the past few years.
During my college days, Steve Jobs was still alive, and smartphones and social networks were just beginning to emerge as the next big thing. I certainly wasn’t a trendsetter, and I had no idea that smartphones would become the primary development core in the future. However, I did witness the constant advancements in web technology, and I experienced a mix of fear and excitement as new technologies arrived. What frightened me was the rising learning curve and the demand for specialization. What excited me was my passion for engineering, the pursuit of making things faster, more user-friendly, and more practical. Even though I didn’t believe that rapid technological progress was always beneficial, I was still inspired by the atmosphere and hoped that technology would bring about more progress in critical thinking.
Amid this trend, I became somewhat enamored with the aura of Steve Jobs, admiring his dedication to his passions and his famous commencement speech that had become widely circulated on the internet. In Taiwan, there was a wave of enthusiasm and praise for “passion,” and I still remember his mantra:
“Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” - Steve Jobs
I genuinely believed that this statement made sense. I also believed that life should be about pursuing what you love, or at the very least, continuously learning and satisfying your curiosity, something I thought I would do throughout my life.
But this brought about a dilemma: What did Jobs mean by “passion” in his speech? Was it a hobby you could persistently pursue? Was it finding a path that aligned with your inner aspirations? And even if you did find your calling, what if your passion kept shifting due to your ever-changing, adventurous personality?
With these questions about passion in mind, I transitioned from being an engineer to a role that involved more substantial interaction with people, a job that allowed me to work in various stores. Each job came with its set of challenges, and I experienced a mixture of excitement and anxiety due to my lack of familiarity with the tasks. However, my questions about passion remained unanswered, as I continued to explore these paths, hoping to eventually discover my purpose.
It was around 2018 when I came across “So Good They Can’t Ignore You” by bestselling author Cal Newport. The book challenged common misconceptions about pursuing passion and introduced a new perspective. Newport argued that passion is cultivated through continuous practice, where you discover the nuances of your work, progress from initial struggles as a novice to enjoying challenges, and gradually develop that passion.
In other words, the key to loving your work isn’t necessarily having an inherent passion for it; it’s the process of being praised by others, receiving social support, and refining your craft by identifying and improving upon subtle differences. The entire journey involves exploring and delving deeper into the same subject, and as you become more proficient, you experience an ongoing sense of satisfaction and joy.
With this fresh perspective on passion, I reevaluated my career journey. From my early days as an engineer, to a year spent working in restaurants and interacting with people, to my desire to work in a guitar shop, explore various career options, and ultimately landing a new job at a board game store with an uncertain future. I gradually realized that with more years of work experience, I started paying more attention to the finer details, seeking ways to improve and bring happiness to our customers. The more I excelled, the more satisfied and joyful I felt.
This seemed to confirm the arguments presented in “So Good They Can’t Ignore You” - the more we work, the more we love our work, and it becomes a guiding star on our journey to discover our passion.
Of course, if the story of pursuing passion were to end here, I should continue working at the board game store or at least within the tabletop gaming industry. However, the long-term experience also taught me that there were aspects of the industry I wasn’t interested in, such as game sales, the gap between player enthusiasm and store management direction, and a lack of ideas to improve store revenue.
More importantly, I gradually discovered that what truly interested me was how games could bring happiness to people, help them rediscover old friends in new ways, or, most importantly, challenge myself to become better. These aha moments for players during games became my primary focus.
This path began to deviate from the business model of the board game store. After some contemplation, and with the understanding that the tabletop gaming industry had transitioned from its initial explosive growth to a more stable phase, I felt it was time to pursue something new, something more challenging.
Honestly, when it comes to future career choices, in the short term, I may return to being an engineer, taking on the challenge of new technology and seeking fresh insights in business. But in the long run, the thing I want to challenge might be, as the ancient philosopher Zhuangzi and his disciple Hui Shi debated, whether a fish is happy swimming in the water.
This refers to a story where Zhuangzi and Hui Shi debated whether fish are happy when they swim in the water. Zhuangzi ultimately said, “I know it from the perspective of the bridge.” In other words, by observing from an outsider’s perspective, we can understand whether the fish are truly happy.
Just
like the initial question I asked you, no matter which fish you chose, I may not truly know if you’re happy. But if I can, I’ll find a job that allows everyone to discover themselves, and I can witness your happiness from the sidelines.
As for how painful this path will be or whether I’ll change course again in the end, I’ll take it one step at a time. After all, I’ve learned from my life experience that we should follow certain principles: “Act first, think second.”