There may be a place where I belong but I have yet to find it and perhaps it is something I shouldn’t seek.

Throughout my unusual life I have almost always felt quite out of place. I hear terms like “odd” and “weird” quite often. There was a point somewhere in my life that I just simply accepted these terms and now somewhat consider them to be compliments. When I am called a “Geek”,”nerd”,”weird” or some other such thing, I now interpret it that I am someone different then what the speaker is accustomed to.

Often times I have been told that I have too much spare time yet I usually work over 40 hours a week and sleep and eat like the rest of the population of this planet. Perhaps by spending my time differently or managing my time differently It would seem to an outsider that I have more spare time then them because I have different priorities. The authors, artist, and business owners I know all spend their time quite differently then the majority of the population and seem to be happier and more productive.

There seems to me that there is a huge difference between filling boredom and following ones passions. When the thumb keeps clicking the remote buttons between channels and finally stops on a show that you can tolerate, perhaps it is time to think of what interest or passion may be pursued. I enjoy artwork, writing, fixing things, modifying things, writing computer code, listening to college lectures, and researching subjects that interest me just to name a few.

Each person has their own unique set of interest and somewhere in that will be something that they are truly passionate about. Sometimes I have found something I did not even know I was interested in until I discovered the subject or tried the activity.

I recently discovered I enjoy restoring old motorcycles. I would not have ever discovered this sense of satisfaction if I had not bought the old motorcycle. The satisfaction for me is like when I draw or paint and can look at the results of my work. Activities like this are what I choose to spend time on and gain experience as I gain a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when a project or activity is complete.

Over time I think I have conditioned myself to seek activities that give me a positive feeling and have slowly come to regard some other activities as a waste of my time and effort.

I work in a field that interest me and I usually have a sense of accomplishment when I leave work. I am constantly learning and get to approach different problems constantly. This life is something I try to approach in the same way.

I try to look at my problems as a challenge and opportunity to use my skills. The first thing I do is to replace the word “problem” with the word “situation”. I often write down challenges that cross my path and note possible approaches and solutions to give me the visual stimulation and have a record that may help one day in the future. When the situation has been overcome, I have developed new tools and learned how to deal similar instances in the future.

Once a situation has repeated enough times there becomes a reflex type response and approach that can seem strange to other people when you solve what they may perceive as giant. With repeated results and practice a lot of life’s unwanted situations become just tiny task that you can have a programmed response to leading to less stress and more satisfaction.

With a passion for problem solving, in both industrial environments and my personal life I have discovered a better quality of life and time to pursue my passions. There has been many discoveries and lessons learned along the way and I hope for there to be many more.

What is your passion?