IMO it's not necessarily a good or bad thing, just its own set of tradeoffs :) I think it's a balance between short- and long- term fulfillment, maybe? And breadth vs depth? There's not enough time to in a human lifespan to get really good at everything (or even several things), so you have to pick and choose what to focus on if you want to see any real gain... or you choose to be a jack of all trades and find fulfillment in the here and now rather than achievement over time.
This year alone we've tried salsa, line, and Scottish dancing, blacksmithing, mosaics, welding, cross-country skiing, and a triathlon (last place, lol). And that's not counting all the rabbit holes I went down on my own, and the dozens of board games, video games, escape rooms, 10-minute samples of different films and shows, etc... ADHD much? :)
They were all fun, but most of those were one-offs that we probably won't do again for quite some time, if ever. Were they a good use of time? Sure, if entertainment and novelty were inherently what you wanted (it was for me). Feels like living through a hyper-VR version of Nat Geo, where you just channel-surf through life. It's fun for a while but doesn't really get you anywhere.
On the other hand, the more focused people I know have stable professional and home lives and one or two hobbies they've developed over time to a high degree of mastery, whether that's becoming expert snowboarders, fighters, mountain bikers, van-lifing dirtbag climbers, triathletes (a working mother I know got 2nd place overall in some national race), etc. Or on the more professional side, my childhood EverQuest buddy is now an E.R. surgeon with a Ph.D and M.D.. Other peers have their own highly-paid jobs and nice houses and spectacular weddings, or manage national parks, or have become successful solo musicians, etc. They chased their dreams and eventually caught them.
To be clear, it's not really envy. I don't necessarily want their lives, though I'd certainly pick and borrow parts of them if I could. It's just good to be aware of where different life paths can take you. There's infinite dishes at the buffet of life, but you quickly get full after just a few. Wouldn't it be nice if someone could tell you what they tasted like beforehand? Wouldn't it be nicer, still, if they could've told you 20 years ago when you were still young and dinosaurs roamed the earth? Alas.
At the end of the day, it's always a balance. You'd be a really boring person if you only ever did one thing – my dad was like that, had one job his whole life, and basically had no hobbies or friends or outside interests, and was generally unpleasant to be around. But you'd also be a really shallow person if you did 100 things and never the same thing twice, and it'd be hard to make or keep stable friendships or careers that way.
If I could do it all over again (or even now... still working on it), I'd probably choose 3-4 things max to focus on, as opposed to 100 new hobbies a year. It's possible to become addicted to novelty (I think it's a genetic trait, actually, possibly exacerbated by modern life?). It's fine to try a lot of things (especially when you're younger), but I think most people, myself included, would be better-served by eventually honing them down to just a handful at a time. IMO only!
This year alone we've tried salsa, line, and Scottish dancing, blacksmithing, mosaics, welding, cross-country skiing, and a triathlon (last place, lol). And that's not counting all the rabbit holes I went down on my own, and the dozens of board games, video games, escape rooms, 10-minute samples of different films and shows, etc... ADHD much? :)
They were all fun, but most of those were one-offs that we probably won't do again for quite some time, if ever. Were they a good use of time? Sure, if entertainment and novelty were inherently what you wanted (it was for me). Feels like living through a hyper-VR version of Nat Geo, where you just channel-surf through life. It's fun for a while but doesn't really get you anywhere.
On the other hand, the more focused people I know have stable professional and home lives and one or two hobbies they've developed over time to a high degree of mastery, whether that's becoming expert snowboarders, fighters, mountain bikers, van-lifing dirtbag climbers, triathletes (a working mother I know got 2nd place overall in some national race), etc. Or on the more professional side, my childhood EverQuest buddy is now an E.R. surgeon with a Ph.D and M.D.. Other peers have their own highly-paid jobs and nice houses and spectacular weddings, or manage national parks, or have become successful solo musicians, etc. They chased their dreams and eventually caught them.
To be clear, it's not really envy. I don't necessarily want their lives, though I'd certainly pick and borrow parts of them if I could. It's just good to be aware of where different life paths can take you. There's infinite dishes at the buffet of life, but you quickly get full after just a few. Wouldn't it be nice if someone could tell you what they tasted like beforehand? Wouldn't it be nicer, still, if they could've told you 20 years ago when you were still young and dinosaurs roamed the earth? Alas.
At the end of the day, it's always a balance. You'd be a really boring person if you only ever did one thing – my dad was like that, had one job his whole life, and basically had no hobbies or friends or outside interests, and was generally unpleasant to be around. But you'd also be a really shallow person if you did 100 things and never the same thing twice, and it'd be hard to make or keep stable friendships or careers that way.
If I could do it all over again (or even now... still working on it), I'd probably choose 3-4 things max to focus on, as opposed to 100 new hobbies a year. It's possible to become addicted to novelty (I think it's a genetic trait, actually, possibly exacerbated by modern life?). It's fine to try a lot of things (especially when you're younger), but I think most people, myself included, would be better-served by eventually honing them down to just a handful at a time. IMO only!