Watching EVO GFs last night reminded me of something that might be helpful to hear: there exists an awkward middle ground between liking something enough to be frustrated that you don't reap its fruits, but not enough to where you put the necessary time in. Thread time:
I mentioned recently that after many years, I'm back into making music and as a result Smash is a distant non-priority. What getting back into music reminded me of is that you can want to pursue something to its final stages, but if the passion isn't there, you're in a bad spot
an example might be my girlfriend: she's repeatedly tried to get into animation, and thinks animation is really cool, but she just doesn't like it enough to pursue it with the degree of passion you need to actually be good at something like that
so there's this awkward middle ground where you like something enough to be frustrated that you're not achieving in it, but not so much that you're willing to do literally whatever is required to get there
to a degree, I don't think this level of impetus is within a person's control. Music, in my case, keeps me up at night, occupies my headspace all hours of the day and I just feel WRONG if I've not made definite steps towards improving as a musician
there needs to be IMPETUS there such that not pursuing whatever your thing is to the fullest extent is somehow worse than the torture of pouring everything you've got into whatever your thing is
in the case of Smash, e.g. Leo, Tweek, etc. it's obvious that Smash is that important to them; they're genuinely passionate about Smash, and here I define passionate as distinct from enthusiastic
Enthusiasm is a hobby; passion is something that at times can be qualified as torture for the lengths it makes you go to pursue whatever it is you're pursuing. Point being, you have to align your expectations with your willingness to do stuff
If you're like me and aren't willing to grind Smash, study it tirelessly and arm yourself with situational trivia such that you're at Leo/Tweek's levels, then you're doing yourself a disservice to think you can reap the benefits
Restating the point since I sort rambled a little: it's frustrating to be on the threshold of something in that you really -want to want- something but you, you want it just enough to be frustrated that it's not yours, but not enough to torture yourself to achieve it
Returning to the example of my girlfriend, she likes animation just enough to wish she could animate and be flustered by her unwillingness to be willing, so to speak, but not so much that she's willing to start from ground zero and immerse herself in a years-long struggle
which I think describes A LOT of things for A LOT of people, e.g. me and Smash, maybe you and Smash, maybe you and music, etc.
If you want to be the best you can be at something, generally speaking, there needs to be unconditional willingness
If you want to be the best you can be at something, generally speaking, there needs to be unconditional willingness
and if that's not there, you need to frame your expectations around that fact. I'm enthusiastic, but not passionate, about Smash, and therefore I'd betray my interests to expect to achieve at the same level of those passionate do in it
and what's more frustrating is that this "passion" isn't always apparent for people. Not everyone has a pronounced, obvious passion, so they latch onto something about which they're simply enthusiastic and basically dangle a carrot in front of their own faces
which isn't to say if you're not intensely, zealously passionate about something that it's not worth pursuing, but that if you cycle through hobbies to pass the time while searching for that passion, you'll probably get frustrated a lot at that "want for wanting"
but again, overarching theme being that it's important to frame your expectations with respect to an honest appraisal of how you feel about the thing in question. If you expect Leo achievement with a only tepid motivation, you're gonna drive yourself nuts
I think one important, fundamental distinction between enthusiasm and passionate, and the type of motivation they provide is the following: enthusiasm makes you want to do something; passion makes you HAVE to do something.
That is, enthusiasm is elective; passion isn't. And I don't say that as a platitude, rather, speaking from experience, I'm not "enthusiastic" about the intense intrapersonal warfare of music-making, but if I don't pursue music, I'm even worse off.
and for what my experience is worth, don't feel bad if you're not "passionate" about something as I've described passion. Though my passion gives a sense of fulfillment I can't find anywhere else, it's also fraught with equally negative things.
As anyone involved in any kind of artistic creation can tell you
