Valley Forged: How One Man Made the Indie Video Game Sensation Stardew Valley
I really love stories about people who become totally, utterly absorbed in something, to the point where they obsessively spend time on it, in a kind of natural sense that does not require checklists, reminders, etc.  It&#x27;s just always their top priority, like an addiction, except with meaning and depth.<p>I envy the absorption in a creative activity and also the growth they experience in terms of their skills.  Think about it - at this point this guy isn&#x27;t just a great programmer, he is also an accomplished designer, artist, writer and musician.  A true renaissance person.<p>I&#x27;m quite focused compared to many people and I don&#x27;t waste a lot of time with social media, television, etc., but I&#x27;m nowhere near like this guy.<p>About four years ago I decided I wanted to learn a second language and I poured a lot of effort into learning Spanish over a three year period.  I got to the point where I could carry on a conversation with a Spanish-speaking person quite naturally, read the news in Spanish, etc., but I never felt entirely <i>fluent</i>.  Then things got busy and my attention shifted and now, a year after I was last really actively learning, I know my skills have deteriorated.<p>I want to get back into it but I&#x27;m struggling to find the motivation.  It feels like work and I already work hard.  And truthfully, it <i>always</i> felt like work, it&#x27;s just that I really wanted the experience of understanding and being able to speak another language.  I got to that point, but I don&#x27;t feel like I took it far enough - and this seems true of so many things in my life.  Pretty good programmer (at one point), decent enough entrepreneur, not a bad father, solid writer, crappy musician but having fun with it, kind of fit but not terribly so, etc.  In short, jack of all trades, master of none.<p>I realize I&#x27;m rambling a bit, but to tie it back to where I began, obsession seems like a bit of a cognitive shortcut to me, a path to excellence that feels less like work and more like addiction.  Is that true or am I just intellectually lazy?  I want to dive into something, to find something that holds my attention raptly for the long term and generates true personal growth along the way, but I don&#x27;t know what that would be, and in four decades of living on this planet I don&#x27;t think I&#x27;ve ever come across anything that fits that bill.