why is it that the very active fizzle out while the medium and the not so active dont?

[mewtwo]

In kung fu why is it that someone who is very much into it at first will after a while tire out and quit but the people who go at a steady pace arnt so gung ho about it last the longest in training?

[Sloppy Zhang]

There are a lot of factors.

 

Some people who are gung-ho about it at the start just burn out, simple as that. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

 

Other times, people don't start out as being in it for the long haul. They might do it for any reason OTHER than the "right reasons"- they want to do something for the recognition, they want to do it because someone told them they should, they told themselves they should do it, things like that. They start out all rearin' to go because, well, because that's what they've decided they're going to do. And they fizzle out when they realized that what they're doing isn't what they WANT to do.

 

The medium paced people take longer to decide, longer to act, but are sure that's what they want to do.

 

And then maybe the people who are very active just get what they want out of something, and move on?

 

Probably a lot more reasons out there.

[mantis]

It's simple; the higher the intensity, the shorter the duration.

[Sloppy Zhang]

It's simple; the higher the intensity, the shorter the duration.

 

I'm not so sure about that.

 

I've been looking recently at very skilled people. As in, very, VERY skilled people. Artists, actors, musicians, scientists, programmers, etc. Not just the ones that become professionals. But the ones that are near "genius" level.

 

If you look at their history, they not only practice their craft for a long duration, but at a much higher intensity than your average person. They work during work time, and they work during recreation time almost as recreation! They never experience the burnout.

 

My own pet theory is that unlike the people who do it for status, or fulfilling some mental issue, they do it because that is what their real inner drive pushes them towards. Leave them in a room for an hour, and they will gravitate towards that thing that they do.

 

So, I dunno. I would say that for most people, don't do more than you can handle. But some people can handle a lot. They do a lot, they do it well, and they don't get burned out.

[steve]

I'm not so sure about that.

 

I've been looking recently at very skilled people. As in, very, VERY skilled people. Artists, actors, musicians, scientists, programmers, etc. Not just the ones that become professionals. But the ones that are near "genius" level.

 

If you look at their history, they not only practice their craft for a long duration, but at a much higher intensity than your average person. They work during work time, and they work during recreation time almost as recreation! They never experience the burnout.

 

My own pet theory is that unlike the people who do it for status, or fulfilling some mental issue, they do it because that is what their real inner drive pushes them towards. Leave them in a room for an hour, and they will gravitate towards that thing that they do.

 

So, I dunno. I would say that for most people, don't do more than you can handle. But some people can handle a lot. They do a lot, they do it well, and they don't get burned out.

I think there's truth to both perspectives. I'm one that is very intense and can stick with something for a very long time.

I know many others like me in the martial arts world.

I also see many, many folks come and go who jump in with high intensity and are gone in a few months or maybe a few years at most.

I think its a very individual thing and I'm not sure there are many rules or clues as to who will stay and who will go.