Developing a Dabbler Identity
From now on, let’s define dabbling as the act of experimenting to find our strengths, needs, and values so that we can discover the things that bring us joy and lead us to happiness.
Google’s definition of what it means “to dabble” is
“[to] take part in an activity in a casual or superficial way.”
Dabbling gets a bad reputation because people associate it with not following through with something you’ve started. We are expected to pick one thing and stick with it; career, hobby, it doesn’t matter. If not, you get labeled a quitter and/or are considered unreliable.
Knowing Your Purpose Is Stressful
I’m sure you’ve heard the questions,
- Have you found your purpose?
- What is your passion?
Or, have been told to, “just figure out your why and the answers will follow”.
These are such loaded statements. I don’t know what my purpose is! I feel like my purpose changes every 20min (not really, but kind of). I tend to get excited about trying new things, but then get overwhelmed by the feeling of having to 1. be good at it from the start and 2. stick with it. What if I don’t like it?!
Sure, some people have been fortunate enough to figure this stuff out, but for others (like myself), these loaded questions can make a happy person start questioning themselves; leaving them filled with anxiety and doubt. Maybe you don’t feel the need to find a job that’s tied to a passion or purpose, and that’s okay. But if you are passionate about something, go for it!
If you wanted to go down the purpose route, the chances of you finding your purpose by thinking about it really hard are slim. This is something that takes time and trial & error; hence the title Developing a Dabbler Identity.
Redefining What It Means to Dabble
From now on, let’s define dabbling as the act of experimenting to find our strengths, needs, and values so that we can discover the things that bring us joy and lead us to happiness. Spoiler alert, this can change over time. That’s why I believe in welcoming life transitions.
Let’s move away from having to stick with something that’s making us unhappy so that people don’t think we’re unreliable and quitters.nIf you tried it and don’t like it, or don’t want to be forced to do that one thing for the rest of your life, it’s okay!
We Tend to Stick With What We Know
When it comes to exploring new interests, careers, or industries to help keep our current careers fresh, we tend to stick with what we know. Sometimes, when attempting to find their ‘dream jobs’, people tend to think of the different career paths that they’ve heard of, then they’ll do a little research and decide if they could see themselves doing that thing for 40 hrs/week.
When I was looking for my current job, I reflected on what I did and didn’t like about my previous jobs and made a list so I’d have a filter for finding jobs and saying no to others. I have to say, I’m happy with my choice.
The issue with these approaches though, is that us humans aren’t the best at figuring out what makes us happy. I talked about this in my last article How to Get Detached From the Path You Are On. The problem is that we try to stay on a path that gives us the sense of having the life we’re ’supposed to’ have. This leads us to choosing careers that we think will put us on that path, but then we still end up unhappy.
The fact is, there is so much out there that we have yet to, or are afraid to, explore. Or we’re too busy trying to stick to one thing. I believe people have the potential to have all kinds of ‘passions’. Big passions, small passions, various interests; and they’ll forever continue to evolve as we go through life’s different phases. We just need to start giving ourselves permission to explore them.
Putting the Dabbler Life Into Practice
If you’re thinking of a career change or are considering looking for your next job opportunity, give dabbling a try. Pursue some interests, consider exploring your authentic self, dig around to discover what intrinsically motivates you outside of the current life you have. Or maybe you’re just looking to spice up your current role. Dabble a little at work and see how you can add some variety in your work-life.
You don’t have to quit your job to do these things, just try to have fun with it. There’s a dabbler in all of us dying to come out!