Comments on: What To Do When Nothing Is Interesting

By: Adam Rico

Adam Rico — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 06:01:00 +0000

Thank you Jon for taking the time to comment on this thread. I’m so sorry to hear that you feel empty and nothing engages you. There can be many things that influence our ability to find enjoyment and passion in life. I don’t have a cure all that remedies your situation, however, one tip may be to look in your past and try to remember if there is anything that you were ever excited about. Doesn’t have to be work or career related. For example, it could be your favorite ice cream. Just trying to connect with those feelings may help you remember what it feels like to enjoy something.

In regard to your comment about your plan to take your own life at some point in the future, I am extremely concerned for you. I strongly suggest you seek some professional mental health services to find support and help. Seeking help can take courage, but it’s the smart thing to do. Please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 to talk to someone and get some help.

Again, thank you for commenting on the blog and I pray you will find the resources and support that will help you get through this difficult time. If there is anything I can do to help you please let me know.

By: Jon Stafford

Jon Stafford — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 13:28:00 +0000

But what if there literally is nothing? What do you do then? (I’m just now realizing how old this thread is and that very likely no one is paying attention to it any more, so likely this response is an exercise in time-wasting.) You are correct when you say that something in our childhoods dampened our passion — that is certainly true in my case. But while I have recognized this and long ago forgiven those responsible (who were only doing the best they could), there is still nothing. I still feel empty, and nothing fills that emptiness. Nothing interests me, nothing makes me curious, nothing engages me. There is simply nothing I really care about except being left alone. I’m 45 years old now. If I haven’t found my passion by now I am not going to. So what do I do? At the moment the plan is to ride out the next thirty or so years and take my own life when age and physical decrepitude have set in. So basically I’m just spinning my wheels, waiting to die.

By: Adam Rico

Adam Rico — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 05:36:00 +0000

In reply to Humayun Jameel. Hi Humayun, Yes, forgiveness can only come when you decide you no longer need anything from that person. No apology, no repayment, nothing. That is up to you to decide when you’re ready to cancel their debt to you. You don’t have to trust them but you can forgive them. There is a big difference between the two. It can be difficult to make the decision to forgive someone, but when you do you free yourself from the prison of holding a grudge. The best way to be able to do this is something I would be happy to share with you privately. If you’re interested please email me directly. My best wishes to you with your situation Humayun.

By: Humayun Jameel

Humayun Jameel — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 10:58:00 +0000

Adam, it is indeed a great post. Yes, I want to forgive someone and talk to him and let go of everything but really not sure how to do this. I really need some strength. Believe me, I have emptied my heart umpteen number of times but only in front of mirror or when I am lonely. This feeling is eating me inside. I am not able to focus anywhere. Just doing much for bread n butter. I had a lot of plans which are still on paper.

Also, I am not able to throw away the weaknesses I have developed because of how that person always treated me. I am really not sure how to handle this. Can you please help me out?

By: Adam Rico

Adam Rico — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 05:26:00 +0000

In reply to James Earl Adams III. Yes, that could be one explanation James.

By: James Earl Adams III

James Earl Adams III — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 21:52:00 +0000

Wouldn’t it be a simpler explanation that such a client simply doesn’t have any passions and is earnestly disinterested in everything you’ve presented to them? Why bother inventing reasons to think that they must be hiding their passion?

By: Ray

Ray — Sat, 23 May 2015 00:41:00 +0000

I think your statements and solutions to the problem are so misguided bias and not to mention just too simple. You seem to think everyone who does not have passion were just poor children who never got a chance. First point I make I have no passion for work. Simple answer I don’t like work. I was never told you have to work or anything like that. I just realized if I want things like food clothing I should work. So this is a clear situation where I do something I have no passion for for survial. Next point passion comes and goes. One day I wake up and something new is very interesting. New things are very interesting. Cuz there new :). Give it a week things change. You become familar with the new thing your no longer learning as much about it as quickly as you were before. Your interest starts to dissipate. My question I have is how can you stop this. I don’t know of any way. You can prolong it for sure. Let’s say you give a red ball to a kid he plays with it for a while and then sets it down. Now let’s say you then make that red ball change colors. Let’s say it turn blue then red then yellow every time its bounced. The kid becomes interested in the ball again but not forever. So then you have to make a new change to it. You can repeat this process for a while but eventually I believe a ball will become uninteresting but who knows maybe someone out there picked up a ball and never set it down :). But if you do put down The ball I think this example can be used on life in general. A much more interesting thing with many more possibilities. I still think once you learn the majority of it all the rest to learn is just variations. I’m not saying I learned everything I’m just saying with the resources I have I feel like I have a pretty good idea of how most things work. So if you find yourself Googling everything is uninteresting just think man I need to either get some more resources or start learning new things a lot slower so there’s less of a gap in between. Thanks if your read this its just my opinion I hope it helps

By: Dusking Dawn

Dusking Dawn — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 21:08:00 +0000

I have been struggling with finding something that interests me for long. On one hand I do compose, write and am creative but on the other hand, I dont see a worth doing anything. Say if I have these dozens of compositions here, but they dont change the way I look like or feel embarrassed in public.

There is more than that. I can be good at many things if I be consistent but I fail to do anything for long. I have a technology blog I update in months as I just see it as a trash of words. In other words, its a simplex communication where I dont get anything useful in return.

I dont know how to explain this complex situation where I am simultaneously struggling to get identified but have to stay behind the curtains as I look so ugly.

By: Adam Rico

Adam Rico — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 05:51:00 +0000

In reply to Aditya Dot. I’m sorry to hear that you believe India is a place where dreams are squashed. However, I’m encouraged that your parents don’t impose certain careers on you. If you choose engineering as a career path I hope you are able to know that it will be a good fit for your 1) personality 2) strengths, and 3) interests. If not, I recommend choosing something that is in alignment with those three areas if at all possible. I know each country has different career options and I wish you much success as you navigate your career choices.

By: Aditya Dot

Aditya Dot — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 16:18:00 +0000

In reply to Adam Rico.

It’s a sad state in India
Where children are drilled into taking up engineering
From a very young age
It’s place where dreams are squashed
I am lucky to have parents who don’t impose anything on me though
I always wanted to be a footballer
But looks like I too will be going down the engineering road
India is a place bred to produce engineers I guess
Am 17 btw 🙂