Personal Pursuit

A Personal Pursuit is a individual activity that involves the dedicated investment of time, energy, and attention toward achieving specific goals or exploring interests that hold personal significance.

• AKA: Individual Endeavor, Personal Project, Self-Directed Activity, Private Initiative, Personal Venture.
• Context:
  • It can typically arise from personal interests, passions, aspirations, or needs identified by the individual.
  • It can typically require personal commitment and consistent effort over extended periods of time.
  • It can typically involve setting personal goals and developing strategies to achieve these goals.
  • It can typically provide personal growth opportunities through learning experiences and overcoming challenges.
  • It can typically demonstrate Personal Agency through independent decisions and autonomous actions.
  • It can typically fulfill Individual Purpose through goal setting and milestone achievement.
  • It can typically express Personal Values through choice making and priority setting.
  • It can typically build Self Knowledge through experiential learning and reflection practice.
  • It can typically develop Individual Capability through skill acquisition and knowledge building.
  • It can often be shaped by personal values, beliefs, and worldviews that give it meaning and direction.
  • It can often evolve over time as the individual gains new insights, skills, or encounters new circumstances.
  • It can often require balancing with other responsibilities and commitments in the individual's life.
  • It can often be influenced by external factors such as social expectations, resource availability, and environmental conditions.
  • It can often generate Personal Growth through challenge engagement and obstacle overcoming.
  • It can often create Meaningful Experiences through purpose alignment and value expression.
  • It can often enable Life Direction through path exploration and future planning.
  • It can often strengthen Personal Identity through authentic expression and self discovery.
  • It can often foster Self Reliance through independent problem solving and resource management.
  • It can range from being a Casual Personal Pursuit to being a Dedicated Personal Pursuit, depending on its level of commitment.
  • It can range from being a Short-Term Personal Pursuit to being a Lifelong Personal Pursuit, depending on its temporal duration.
  • It can range from being a Private Personal Pursuit to being a Socially Integrated Personal Pursuit, depending on its degree of social visibility.
  • It can range from being a Pleasure-Oriented Personal Pursuit to being a Growth-Oriented Personal Pursuit, depending on its primary motivation.
  • It can range from being a Minor Side Activity to being a Life Defining Mission, depending on its significance level.
  • It can range from being a Short Term Initiative to being a Lifelong Pursuit, depending on its time commitment.
  • It can range from being a Private Undertaking to being a Public Endeavor, depending on its visibility approach.
  • It can range from being a Casual Interest to being a Core Focus, depending on its priority level.
  • It can range from being a Resource Light Project to being a Resource Intensive Project, depending on its investment requirements.
  • It can provide sense of purpose, personal fulfillment, and identity development through meaningful engagement.
  • It can contribute to personal wellbeing by satisfying psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
  • It can serve as a creative outlet, stress relief mechanism, or personal expression vehicle.
  • It can integrate with Life Journey through meaningful contributions and personal development.
  • It can support Individual Growth through learning opportunitys and skill practice.
  • It can enhance Self Understanding through preference discovery and limitation recognition.
  • It can guide Career Path through interest exploration and capability development.
  • It can shape Personal Legacy through impact creation and value delivery.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Personal Pursuit Categories, such as:
    • Creative Personal Pursuits, such as:
      • Writing Personal Pursuit for expressing ideas through written words.
      • Musical Personal Pursuit for creating or performing musical pieces.
      • Creative Passion Project for artistic expression.
    • Physical Personal Pursuits, such as:
      • Fitness Personal Pursuit for improving physical health and fitness levels.
      • Athletic Personal Pursuit for developing specific sport skills.
      • Health Improvement Project for wellbeing advancement.
    • Intellectual Personal Pursuits, such as:
      • Learning Personal Pursuit for acquiring knowledge in specific subjects.
      • Research Personal Pursuit for investigating topics of personal interest.
      • Research Passion Project for knowledge creation.
      • Personal Knowledge Project for understanding development.
      • Recreational Study for curiosity satisfaction.
    • Spiritual Personal Pursuits, such as:
      • Meditation Personal Pursuit for developing mindfulness and spiritual awareness.
      • Religious Study Personal Pursuit for deepening understanding of spiritual traditions.
    • Practical Personal Pursuits, such as:
      • DIY Personal Pursuit for creating or repairing physical items.
      • Gardening Personal Pursuit for cultivating plants and creating garden spaces.
      • Technical Passion Project for skill demonstration.
      • Skill Building Project for capability enhancement.
    • Hobby Personal Pursuits, such as:
      • Collection Development for personal interest.
      • Craft Creation for enjoyment pursuit.
  • Personal Pursuit Timeframes, such as:
    • Short-Term Personal Pursuits, such as:
      • Project-Based Personal Pursuit with defined endpoints and completion criteria.
      • Short Term Initiative with limited time scope.
    • Long-Term Personal Pursuits, such as:
      • Lifestyle Personal Pursuit integrated into daily routines and life patterns.
      • Lifelong Pursuit requiring sustained dedication.
  • Personal Pursuit Motivations, such as:
    • Intrinsically Motivated Personal Pursuits, such as:
      • Passion-Driven Personal Pursuit arising from genuine interest and enjoyment.
    • Extrinsically Motivated Personal Pursuits, such as:
      • Goal-Oriented Personal Pursuit focused on achieving specific outcomes.
  • Life Development Projects, such as:
    • Personal Growth Project for capability expansion.
    • Life Planning Initiative for future direction setting.
  • Beauty Enhancement Pursuit for improving aesthetic quality in self, others, or environments.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Professional Pursuits, which are primarily undertaken for financial compensation and career advancement rather than personal fulfillment, unlike personal pursuits that are driven by intrinsic motivations and personal interests.
  • Professional Projects, which serve organizational goals rather than personal interests.
  • Mandatory Activitys, which are performed due to external obligations or requirements rather than personal choice, unlike personal pursuits that are voluntarily chosen and self-directed.
  • Required Tasks, which fulfill external obligations rather than internal motivations.
  • Social Obligations, which respond to community pressure rather than personal choice.
  • Assigned Projects, which follow external direction rather than self guidance.
  • Collective Endeavors, which are primarily oriented around group goals and shared responsibilities rather than individual interests, unlike personal pursuits that center on the individual's personal development and satisfaction.
  • Group Initiatives, which prioritize collective goals over individual preferences.
• See: Hobby, Self-Development, Passion Project, Intrinsic Motivation, Goal Setting, Life Purpose, Project Type, Personal Development, Self-Directed Learning, Individual Initiative, Autonomous Action, Life Planning, Goal Achievement, Personal Growth.

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References

2015

• Ruth Chang. (2015). "Resolving to Create a New You." NYTimes Opinion JAN. 3, 2015
  • QUOTE: … Instead of looking outward to find the value that determines what you should do, you can look inward to what you can stand behind, commit to, resolve to throw yourself behind. By committing to an option, you can confer value on it.

    Of course, this isn't to say that you should commit to being a first-class jerk, pedophile or murderer. That's because being a jerk is not on a par with being a good person.

    When we choose between options that are on a par, we make ourselves the authors of our own lives. Instead of being led by the nose by what we imagine to be facts of the world, we should instead recognize that sometimes the world is silent about what we should do. In those cases, we can create value for ourselves by committing to an option. By doing so, we not only create value for ourselves but we also (re)create ourselves.

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