Have you ever thought about turning your hobby into a job?

Yesterday afternoon, after meeting my friend VK from Vista Think Tank, I walked from Chifeng Street to the Eslite Life Nanxi store on Nanjing West Road. I saw a new book about Tang Feng, the title is “[Ideas are the protagonist: Tang Feng, the “genius digital minister” who caused a sensation in Japan, 30 ways to break out of the cocoon thinking] (https://www.books.com.tw/exep/assp.php/vista/pr oducts/0010925348?utm_source=vista&utm_medium=ap-books&utm_content=recommend&utm_campaign=ap-202206)》. This book is beautifully bound and quickly caught my eye.

A philosophy of life that prioritizes fun

Tang Feng said: “Both passion and mission will be exhausted after a period of time, but happiness can last for a long time. We should prioritize fun, not a sense of mission.”

I was actually not surprised that she would say this. Because many years ago, when he was Tang Zonghan, I had a written conversation with him on the Internet. At that time, he fully felt the fun of being immersed in the online world.

The book mentioned that Tang Feng said as early as 2006 that fun should be given priority, which I quite agree with. The reason is simple, because mission or passion are certainly important, but these two things, like choices, have a shelf life. However, true happiness emerges naturally and does not fade easily…

Therefore, if we can find people, things, and things that make us happy, that would be great!

Yes, maybe you have guessed that what I am talking about is work. Do you like your job? Do you turn your hobby into a job?

A bumpy career life

When it comes to work, I always feel like I’m accomplishing nothing. This is certainly not a self-effacing statement, although I once had an EMBA classmate from National Taiwan Normal University tell my fortune and said that I was a late bloomer who would get rich and have good luck. But I don’t know, are my classmates comforting me?

When it comes to fortune telling, I always think of this joke:

A certain person in his forties still had no success in his career and could not make any money, so he mustered up the courage to tell fortunes at the instigation of his friends. Unexpectedly, the fortune teller said bluntly: “Sir, your life will be very difficult before the age of fifty, and nothing will go well…”

When the gentleman heard this, instead of being angry, he was overjoyed and asked hopefully, “So, what about after the age of fifty?”

Unexpectedly, the fortune teller took a sip of tea, smiled meaningfully, and said slowly: “Well, you will gradually get used to it in the future…”

This is of course a joke, but it is also full of some life philosophy. It’s really easy to get comfortable after staying in the comfort zone for a long time.

I don’t understand numerology, but I am very curious about many things. Maybe I can be considered a cross-field learner? So, all the way from science and engineering, business management, communication, humanities to science and engineering. Unknowingly, I have also done many jobs of different natures, such as engineer, product manager, producer, reporter, editor-in-chief, columnist, director, etc.

To put it bluntly, I remember one year when I went to the Labor Insurance Bureau to apply for labor insurance details. The result was several pages of printed information. What’s even more ridiculous was that there was a company I didn’t remember working for. Fortunately, it later turned out that it wasn’t my memory that was bad, but the Labor Insurance Bureau’s system that was installed by mistake!

Looking back on my career life, I have had many bumps and tumbles along the way, and I have often made my family, relatives and friends worried. For this I always feel sorry and uneasy. Although my career has not gone smoothly, fortunately, I still like many jobs, or at least I am willing to try and challenge them.

To put it another way, I am so lucky to be able to turn my hobby into a job. Although I still can’t make a lot of money at this moment, at least I am enjoying it and I have learned a lot in the process.

In the past, because of my work in the media, I have interviewed many successful people. Writer Eileen Chang once said, “You must become famous early.” I found that some people decide their goals early and then move towards them all the way; but there are also some people who ignore the beautiful scenery in front of them, or even deliberately take detours, and only focus on doing the things at hand every time…

If we simply divide human beings into these two types, Chinese society is more inclined to encourage everyone to become the former. But what is interesting is that I found that some people take the latter path and can successfully reach their destination without knowing it. Many friends say that I am good at planning, and it seems logical that I am suitable for the former path. However, this journey has been full of twists and turns, and I feel closer to the latter.

Do one thing well in your life

Recently, I often think of Li Guoxiu, a senior student from Shixin who is also a Capricorn type A. “National Treasure of the Theater” [Li Guoxiu] (https://www.cw.com.tw/article/5050156?template=fashion) seems to have been born for drama. One of his most famous mottos is: “If a person can do one thing well in his life, his merits will be complete.” I often think about the meaning of this sentence, and also wonder if I can be like this senior, fall in love with the things I like, and then make something interesting?

I have loved reading and writing since I was a child, but I never thought I could build a career with words. However, when these writing experiences and memories connected my entire life, my work changed from a simple hobby to a more passionate and missionary one.

Yes, this is me. Maybe not everyone can turn their hobby into a job, so I cherish this opportunity even more. I hope to help more friends who are frustrated or in need of writing and accompany everyone on their journey.

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☕️ Invite Vista to have a cup of coffee

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