The English version is tranlate by ChatGPT, I will fix it later.

This should be my second time working in Taoyuan.

The first time I came was because of a job assignment at a music school. At that time, I was assigned by the boss to work between two different branches. Honestly, I found it quite interesting and got to know different store employees and guitar teachers. I’m not sure if I had my own biases, but I always felt that musicians were a bit eccentric, unconventional, and their attitudes often changed when it came to their preferences, which always piqued my interest and led me to chat with them.

Sometimes when I look back on that period, I can’t be sure if it was a happy and joyful time or if I was just trying to escape and find another way. But I am grateful that during that short period, I met various people with different personalities, adding some color to my memories.

This time, after a gap of a few months, the nature of the work is different, and it’s the hot summer season.

The English version is tranlate by ChatGPT, I will fix it later.

During elementary school, what were you in such a hurry to get home for?

To do homework? Or was it because your family had prepared a special hotpot dinner for you, and you couldn’t wait to indulge?

I remember during my elementary school days, when I rushed home after school, besides the fried chicken wings waiting for me, my immediate goal was to turn on the TV and watch my favorite animated shows. The journey home was a race, and I always took the shortest route. I would hurry as fast as my legs could carry me.

In Taiwan during those days, there were cartoon programs on weekdays from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM. We only had free-to-air channels, so I couldn’t enjoy as many channels as my friends, but that one and a half hours of cartoons was all I needed.

Those days were quite special. I would rush home, eagerly anticipating dinner while my eyes were glued to the TV. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen, even during dinner. It was only when the boring news started that I would reluctantly shift my focus to my homework while keeping an eye on the TV for the 8 PM program.

Reflecting on those days, I remember them fondly. But as I got older, I became engrossed in video games during my junior high school years, which felt like a perfect balance between games and animated shows. After high school, due to the longer commute to school, these habits gradually faded away. After coming home, there was barely time to eat and focus on schoolwork.

This lack of self-arranged routine seemed to continue into my professional life as well. I have been searching for an answer – something I could do every day that excites me.

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:

1. Goldfish
2. Dolphin
3. 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?