This is a nice anecdote, and it's meaningful and valuable in its own right, but it's not Vonnegut.

The source seems to be this 2020 Tumblr post, where the OP text is someone's own anecdote following a Kurt Vonnegut extract. I guess someone's read the post and got confused as to where his bit ends.

OR you only do things if you can make money at them.

I got a degree in Music History, and had been in the music business for many years, but I could never enjoy playing music myself, because I wasn't able to play at a high enough level.

During Covid, I was so bored that I picked up the guitar again, and I was finally able to start enjoying it, because I had no expectations of making money at it. It was purely a time killer, that eventually became a joy. It also gave me a distraction from eating, and I've lost over 100 pounds.

Music had become a career path to me, and I had to learn to just love it again.

Linus Torvalds said something similar in an interview, don't think it was that long ago.

He took up building guitar pedals as a hobby. He doesn't even play guitar. But it was something different from coding. He wanted to understand analog circuits better, and so that's the vehicle he chose.

But what he said about it was the best part -- it's important to have a hobby where it's okay to suck. Failure has to be an option.

If sucking at it means that bad things will happen, then it is no longer a hobby.

I had a somewhat similar revelation. Remember those "demotivational" posters making fun of the motivational posters that were all over schools? (At least in the U.S.) There was one that really stuck with me when I saw it:

"Mediocrity - if you can't learn to so something well, learn to enjoy doing it poorly"

It was kinda life changing.

It's a great quote, and I really resonate with it.

Personally, I think the concept of "talent" comes from people who think they were created by a magical man for a specific purpose. What I think talent is, is just practice, perseverance and passion. I'll use guitar for example. Everyone fucking sucks in the beginning. There's this very difficult barrier at the start that you can only get through by forcing your way through, before it starts becoming 'fun'. And a lot of people don't make it past this beginning phase and think they're just too untalented, when what they're actually lacking is the perseverance and the passion to want it hard enough.

Sure, some people have longer fingers (which also isn't 'talent') but you don't have to play on a wide neck classical guitar, there's plenty of guitar shapes and sizes that are more suitable.

i used to feel this way about a lot of stuff. most of it comes from my parents constantly moving the bar for acceptable achievement. everything i did, like literally everything, there was a minimum of performance they expected and if i was able to exceed it that became the new bar. you can only do that to a kid so many times before they learn trying isnt worth the effort. i only ever tried at things i really liked and wanted to try to be the best at, but i would beat the shit out of myself for not being the best and would only ever feel relief at my achievements.

somewhat recently i started getting more into climbing, and the approach ive taken is that im not really trying to get better. if i have fun and get tired i consider that a good session, and a great session is one where i socialize with someone. its been so much more fun approaching it this way than any other way ive done sports. some days i deliberately half ass it, giving up when things get just a little too hard or just going home if im not feeling it. the best part is despite not giving it my all im getting a lot better because im showing up consistently and just enjoying the puzzle of a new route. i wish my parents had cultivated this approach in me as a kid. i would have had such a healthier relationship with sports and probably would have ended up doing better than i did and not quit quite as early.

Bros out here doing archeology at 15 and thinks he's a loser. Ah, to be a teenager again..... Would suck! I just wanna replay my late 30s for NG+

I play basketball. I win by tricking my body into doing exercise.

I... I really needed this tonight, ngl...

This is something I've wrestled with my whole life. My parents had high expectations for me, and I mostly met them. But it's left me unable to enjoy many of my hobbies because I'm just not good at them. It's not great.

where does that come from though?

everyone in American movies and TV is a savant or aspiring to be one; they're not just a hacker or a tailor--they're the best at what they do!!! they have skills unseen even by the oldest gods. they can create a perfect dress in 20 minutes flat that'll wow the most critical Vogue editorialists; They can hack into the most secure system in a matter of minutes!

And he kept trying out different hobbies without achieving anything significant in any of them. Right?

The next time I play DOTA I'll quote this as soon as I lose the round for the whole team. It'll probably make them stop and think.

Shout out to archaeologists. Haven't met one I don't like my 5 years in the field. I've met some that I didn't like to work for, but outside of work, socially solid people.

Of course I'm sure there are some, just haven't met them yet

I am still a victim of this mindset. I have a really hard time doing stuff just for the sake of doing them, and tend to give up as soon as my inner criticism gets too intense. I mean, it's better now than it was 20 years ago, but it still hampers my development.

There are some things I care about being good at. Like cooking. Others, I do because In like doing, and I might suck at them, but I still enjoy them. Like basketball. I love running after that ball and throwing it around.

Thank-you for sharing this.

I was playing racquetball with a group of colleagues. I finished playing and was sitting outside the courts cooling down when one of the managers came out of his game. I asked if he was happy and he said he was because he won. I asked if he had to win to be happy and he said, "yes." I feel sorry for him.

something something Danganronpa

Smart man. He has a great lecture about the shapes of stories on the youtubes too.