A few years ago, I discovered the term "serial enthusiasm". Like the author, I have always found myself to be prone to those same tendencies.
I discover a new topic or hobby and dive in enthusiastically. That enthusiasm is arguably the very definition of geekiness and the antithesis of cool. Adam Savage recently articulated that dichotomy in an interview with MAKE magazine (I read it in print).
I think of enthusiasm as the opposite of coolness and adolescence is a turning point for this.
Savage's claim about the turning point is that when you get into junior high, it starts being "cool" not to be really in to something. Geeks and nerds are one of the few groups of people where that enthusiasm survives well into adulthood.
For me, as that enthusiasm blooms, I tend to find communities (some real, some online) of others who share my enthusiasm along with new resources, books, tools, websites, etc. I engage in conversations and generally enjoy spending time with my newfound enthusiastic compatriots. Then, a few months later, a problem arrives: my enthusiasm shifts to something else.
This almost always leads to someone from one of those communities inviting me to an event or asking for me to continue my contributions and I say, "No". Sometimes people are perfectly OK with that. However, enough "No's" and eventually, I see a reaction familiar to those on this side of serial enthusiasm. It's a puzzled look (or its online equivalent).
A similar look comes when I run into someone I know, but haven't seen in a while. They ask about something they saw on this site or heard me talk about the last time we spoke and ask how that project is going. I find myself feeling a bit sheepish when I have to admit that I haven't thought about or done anything on it in months (or even years).
For a long time, this trend bothered me. Was I doomed to jump into topic after topic and never get any depth? But then I started paying attention to my own past and watching this serial enthusiasm play out in my day to day life.
What I noticed was that "serial enthusiast" wasn't really the best description of my behavior. Instead, I've come to describe it as "cyclical". That's because I tend to actually return to areas of interest over and over again, in a cycle.
In those areas, my interest has deepened over the years and it's clear to me that I'll be returning to those in the future. Like an old friend that doesn't live next door, I don't visit them every day, but when you do, the experience is familiar and plays off of the depth of previous experiences.
For some of those interests, like BBQ, my return is tied directly to actual physical seasons. As much as I love smoking a pork shoulder in my smoker, doing so when it's -20F while wading through 2 feet of snow doesn't really make for a relaxing and fun Saturday.
For others, the cycles are ongoing, but shift in their flavor. I love listening to music. However, if you were to grab my iPod on any given day, the genre of music I'm listening to would be subject to a cycle that I haven't ever charted, but definitely see. I'll listen to nothing but punk for a week or two and then spend a week listening to rockabilly and maybe a week with Irish folk.
All the while, I'm listening to giant piles of music. I've got headphones on for at least 8 hours a day. It's not like I ever give that up.
Software development is another one of those ongoing interests where the cycle is actually within the interest. I might be digging deep into LINQ or learning Ruby or front end template development, but, except for vacation, I build or study some aspect of software development every day.
Still other interests are more straighforward cycles. I tend to listen to podcasts for a while and then none for weeks or months at a time. The same is true of audiobooks. And making stuff.
What it boils down to is that I'm getting a gradually clearer picture of what these cycles look like and how to embrace them.
I'm identifying the things that are steadfast in their presence, if cyclical in their form or flavor. And, I'm becoming OK with the ebb and flow of those things that are more transient in my life.
I'm going to try to organize this site and other communications to be in harmony with this reality and align my projects to make sense with it. Committing to a long-term project or a deep dive into a topic that isn't in my list of ongoing interest is likely to end in frustration for either me or other interested parties.
I'm interested in knowing if this self-observation lines up with how other people perceive me and if aligning my activities to work with, rather than against, this reality will improve my day-to-day.
