Am I shallow for not having a broad array of interests?
I don't know if the title really captures what I'm trying to express but sometimes I feel like when people ask me what my interests are / what I would like to do post-finance I can't give them a real answer. It's not like I live and breathe finance and model every morning with my coffee but I don't necessarily see a career in IB / Finance as a means to an end like a lot of people do (meaning they want to start their own business / do something outside of finance) and I feel shallow / not interesting when I don't share these same aspirations.
I have hobbies and things I'm interested in but I think a lot of people perceive them as being materialistic and not necessarily "legitimate" when I talk to them about it. I guess I don't have "noble" pursuits and really don't know if this is something I should try cultivate and develop. Like I'm sorry I don't want to travel the world and help an obscure species of rain toad survive extinction, I'm simply not interested. I want to be able to give back to people I love and I am close to but I also don't have a grand vision for changing the world and I'm not sure if this makes me a "shallow" person.
I know this is a rant but if anybody also feels this way please comment on how you deal with it / what I can do.
I don't think it's a big deal at all, just tell people "I am lucky enough to work in a field I'm passionate about".
First of all, a lot of people exaggerate their travel, hobbies, gym dedication and how much time they spend with friends. No human has unlimited time and you'd have to be extremely organized, driven and pushy to the point of making it all happen. It is totally fine to not do all of these things. If your current interest is limited to finance and you don't want any exit opps to build your own shop or run a PE unit, etc... - then so be it. Nobody will judge you for it. It's just... many of us keep hobbies, travel, friends, the gym and so many other things on the side to keep our sanity. If all I did was finance my brain wouldn't be happy about it. Also, you never know when the hammer will come down and hit you. This is finance after all, nobody is safe.
There are people out there who are well-rounded (i.e. they got it all, family, friends, finance job, hobbies, gym/sports, good taste in fashion and music, and have traveled the world). But you will often notice that they are either excellent in time management, their wives don't work and manage the home/marriage/kids or they have done this in stages.
We are all humans and nobody is perfect.
Give yourself some time, it will happen.
Doing it in stages is the key. Some of the most successful people I know (financially, socially, etc.) have all accomplished many great things and at first glance it seems like they did it all at once. But if you zoom out and look at their life from above, you realize they did things in stages.
Yes
Shallow is probably not the word. I would use boring instead.
Yes
So, what are your hobbies, OP?
What you can do? Get some hobbies? What other advice are you expecting? Its literally that simple??
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