Beginning of the Journey

I still remember vividly that as a kid, the most exciting moment was always – when I was about to create something new. To begin sketching my favorite robot character from my favorite cartoon, to begin assembling LEGO bricks into a fast car of my dream, or to begin creating a World Cup 1990 collection capturing the epic dual between Germany and Argentina national soccer teams. I got so pumped getting started creating something I was passionate about, and sure enough, I enjoyed as much and was fully devoted in the whole process of creation, finishing, and showing them off.

I couldn’t quite remember though, when I started losing it. It might just have happened less and less over time, as I got busier in school and then at work, developed many other interests and hobbies. Suddenly I’m far from being a creator anymore. Through schools and works, I feel I’m conditioned to be much more practical than imaginative, more logical than artistic, more organized than creative. These qualities are never either or, right or wrong, but I’m just much more inclined toward one side of the spectrum. And I moved on with my life without realizing the transition or that I lost something I used to love.

Except when every time I’m asked “what do you ultimately love to do?”

It always got me thinking. Build a successful business? Be a head of product for an established company? Retire with shitload of money and travel the world? All of these will be AWESOME if I ever will accomplish some, but no not quite, it’s got to be something else. I still don’t have a crisp answer to date, but I always found myself spitting out something like:

“I dream of being able to write my own songs with my guitar someday”

“I really want to ultimately write a book or two and share the best of what I know or love to the world”

“Maybe create a coffee shop I love working in everyday without worrying much about profit?”

These are totally different dreams. But the more I talked about them, the more I realized there’s at least one common theme behind them: Creation on top of my passion. I enjoy music so much though I never properly learned an instrument, I love learning and helping others be successful, and I’ll DIE if such precious thing as coffee disappear from the world tomorrow. But it appears that, simply enjoying them are not enough. Deep down, I have the desire to be creating.

Wait, isn’t it exactly how it was when I was a kid? I was passionate about animated robot, fast cars, and sports (I still mostly am), and I love creating things of my own around them. I got the most joy and excitement in the whole process of creation around my passion.

That’s it. I see that little spot of inner fire that is always there but just ignored, and I want to reignite it. Where do I start? Without getting too much into analysis-paralysis which risks for no action, I decide to just start from writing about what I’m passionate about. Coffee, fitness, books, product management, or more. It’s a form of creation, and I believe it will also help me better understand my own passions.

So this is a start. We’ll see how far I take it.