Part of the reason that Serial Masters despair during a hiatus is that they can’t see any connection between the things they love, so they don’t know where to look next. They often say that they have to "stumble onto" a new interest, "bumpinto" something, wait for the next opportunity to " arrive." I’ve often wondered why such focused and determined people wouldn’t search more actively for something that’s so important to them. It’s as if they don’t understand what the underlying magnetism is.
If you haven’t already tried to analyze what draws you to one challenge or another, perhaps the following questions will help you. They have helped a number of my Serial Master clients to find their next interests.
- Describe the moment you first realized you were drawn to each of your earlier interests.
- Do you see anything these moments had in common?
- Was there anything you recognize as essential in all of them?
- Can you list areas you know you are definitely not interested in taking up?
- Do they have anything in common?
Give those questions a try and take some time to think about your answers. You might get some good insights that will point you directly to your next challenge.
But this kind of deliberate search isn’t always helpful for Scanners, and they often report making mistakes when they try it. Some of them report they’ve established in advance what should be their next "ideal challenge" and sought it out, only to find it uninteresting.
"I looked at everything I had cared about before and was sure I’d love to learn ballroom dancing," Gayle said, "but it didn’t do a thing for me. I felt like I was on a date my mom had arranged. No chemistry."
Gayle had put her finger on what every Serial Master’s experience most resembles: finding the person you can fall in love with. Everyone knows the feeling, but nobody knows how to predict when it will happen. It’s there or it’s not. And so far, no one has figured out why.
That’s why it’s virtually impossible to plan ahead for the next perfect challenge. You, like most Serial Specialists, may have to put in your waiting time. The only advice I can give you is the same I’d give someone who wants to fall in love: Get out into the action, visit lots of different places, and maximize your chances of encountering the person or challenge that you’re looking for. I wish I could help you more.
Open your Daybook and write your answers to these five questions, even if you are definitely not a Serial Master. I’m a Plate Spinner who discovered one of those common elements in my biggest interests. Now I know what’s missing (and can bring it in) when something I thought would interest me doesn’t. And when I was looking for love again after my first husband died, those last two questions came in very handy, stopping all temptation of wasting time on getting to know someone I really couldn’t stand for very long.
Share with us what you discover, then read the rest of the comments and reply to a few.
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Use the Next link (up above the title) to continue on to Exercise 2: Try the Serial Master Tool after you are done adding your comments.