Interest is everything

Perhaps the reason the idea of an “interesting” life feels like a cop-out – compared to, say, a wildly successful or influential or joyful one – is that it lacks any sense of domination or conquest. We want to feel as though we were handed the challenge of a human lifetime and that we nailed it, that we grappled with the problem and solved it. Whereas to follow the lead of interestingness is to accept that life isn’t a problem to be solved, but an experience to be had.

I really enjoyed Oliver Burkeman’s latest on following what interests you. Doing so usually leads to good things, but those things may not be promotions, money, fame, or whatever particular thing you want to put at the end of this sentence. That being said, it leads to more satisfaction and I think it leads to more stimulation of the brain and excitement about what you’re doing. I’ve been following what I find interesting more and more and it’s leading me to all sorts of places I didn’t expect to go.