Although the purpose of this journal has evolved (and I hope will continue to evolve) overtime, here is my original intention back in 2010.
The Pursuit of Etcetera
I’ve always admired people who appeared to magically identify their exact objective in life. People who knew from the time they were in grade school that they wanted to be doctors, teachers, businessmen, or artists and basically seemed to design their lives accordingly. I’ve always yearned to have that kind of self-awareness, to have that ambition, drive, and focus to accomplish my own dreams and aspirations.
My dilemma is that while I’m certainly not lacking the passion and determination, I am most definitely struggling when it comes to focus. I don’t mean that I’m incapable of concentrating on these passions, but that I find myself passionate about so many things, that it seems I’m unable to give any of them the adequate attention they need to develop and unfold.
Even though I admire those who are able to pinpoint their specific goals and cultivate them, I’ve also similarly admired and actually related closer to people like Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson has been a personal role model (hence my play off his words “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”) because I was always in awe of his ability to juggle so many different ambitions. I mean this man was not only one of the founding fathers of our nation and its third President, but he also was a philosopher, inventor, architect, and considered the father of archeology. He was also deeply interested in horticulture, bird watching, fishing, and was a wine enthusiast. Did I mention that he spoke French, Italian, and Latin (and “dabbled” in others, including German and Arabic)?
Like Thomas Jefferson, I have my share of passions. I studied history and philosophy as an undergrad, moved to Florida to pursue a masters in cultural anthropology, only to switch to political science a semester later. Afterwards, I would love to pursue a career in secondary education teaching social studies, but eventually becoming duel certified in English, since literature and poetry are huge passions of mine. I would also love to teach a humanities elective about music, art, philosophy and religion, because I really believe that having at least a modest background in these topics greatly enhances a student’s education. I’m also about to marry a really amazing man and eventually start a family, so I’d like to be more organized at home (a huge hurdle for me!) and work on sharing the cooking responsibilities with Josh, while making delicious and healthy choices. Conversely, I’ve always had a lust for travel and other cultures, so I’m drawn to any trips or volunteer opportunities abroad, especially those regarding literacy and AIDs education, which have always been causes of mine.
I also would like to be a better artist. I used to play piano and sing, so I’m sufficient when it comes to reading music. I’ve dabbled in so many different instruments, but would love to get to the place where I could play at least a few songs so I’d feel like I accomplished something. I want to start journaling again (this is a start!), writing poetry again, and finish the book I started, as well as getting thoughts together for new ones. I used to make jewelry as a little kid and I want to start playing around with that again and making cute gifts for my friends.
This is only a sample of the various passions I feel like I’m driven to pursue, but with all of these loves, how do you develop any of them? And more importantly, how do you keep your head from spinning and avoid giving the impression (to yourself and others) of being a complete flake?
This journal is my attempt to not only celebrate my individual passions, but to document my journey nurturing my inner Thomas Jefferson. I hope that by writing this all down, it will help me stay focused on my endeavors, record any progress I make, and most importantly, help keep me accountable. I’m excited that I’ll eventually be able to look back and witness my own progress in my personal challenge to sustain my collection of interests, and basically my own pursuit of etcetera.
My dilemma is that while I’m certainly not lacking the passion and determination, I am most definitely struggling when it comes to focus. I don’t mean that I’m incapable of concentrating on these passions, but that I find myself passionate about so many things, that it seems I’m unable to give any of them the adequate attention they need to develop and unfold.
Even though I admire those who are able to pinpoint their specific goals and cultivate them, I’ve also similarly admired and actually related closer to people like Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson has been a personal role model (hence my play off his words “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”) because I was always in awe of his ability to juggle so many different ambitions. I mean this man was not only one of the founding fathers of our nation and its third President, but he also was a philosopher, inventor, architect, and considered the father of archeology. He was also deeply interested in horticulture, bird watching, fishing, and was a wine enthusiast. Did I mention that he spoke French, Italian, and Latin (and “dabbled” in others, including German and Arabic)?
Like Thomas Jefferson, I have my share of passions. I studied history and philosophy as an undergrad, moved to Florida to pursue a masters in cultural anthropology, only to switch to political science a semester later. Afterwards, I would love to pursue a career in secondary education teaching social studies, but eventually becoming duel certified in English, since literature and poetry are huge passions of mine. I would also love to teach a humanities elective about music, art, philosophy and religion, because I really believe that having at least a modest background in these topics greatly enhances a student’s education. I’m also about to marry a really amazing man and eventually start a family, so I’d like to be more organized at home (a huge hurdle for me!) and work on sharing the cooking responsibilities with Josh, while making delicious and healthy choices. Conversely, I’ve always had a lust for travel and other cultures, so I’m drawn to any trips or volunteer opportunities abroad, especially those regarding literacy and AIDs education, which have always been causes of mine.
I also would like to be a better artist. I used to play piano and sing, so I’m sufficient when it comes to reading music. I’ve dabbled in so many different instruments, but would love to get to the place where I could play at least a few songs so I’d feel like I accomplished something. I want to start journaling again (this is a start!), writing poetry again, and finish the book I started, as well as getting thoughts together for new ones. I used to make jewelry as a little kid and I want to start playing around with that again and making cute gifts for my friends.
This is only a sample of the various passions I feel like I’m driven to pursue, but with all of these loves, how do you develop any of them? And more importantly, how do you keep your head from spinning and avoid giving the impression (to yourself and others) of being a complete flake?
This journal is my attempt to not only celebrate my individual passions, but to document my journey nurturing my inner Thomas Jefferson. I hope that by writing this all down, it will help me stay focused on my endeavors, record any progress I make, and most importantly, help keep me accountable. I’m excited that I’ll eventually be able to look back and witness my own progress in my personal challenge to sustain my collection of interests, and basically my own pursuit of etcetera.
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