Performance & Boredom

[Adventurer]

Someone once said that you need to be very interested in something that you want to perform well at. I challenge this. I perform well and do things that I find even incredibly boring all the time - 99% of the times literally. This includes reading books for myself, drawing, studying/working, meeting people, going out, cooking and exercising.

Hence, the poll question.

[Seraphina]

Are we talking about glamorous tasks like playing violin or parasailing under the Golden Gate Bridge? If so, of course those are very exciting
But day to day stuff like washing the dishes or making a sandwich - sorry, those don't provide much of an adrenaline rush.

[Edwardo Piet]

Interest is one motivator. There are others.

I'd say performance doesn't come down to interest.

It mostly comes down to talent. And secondarily it comes down to motivation. Whether it's desire or fear.

[Cyberman]

Someone once said that you need to be very interested in something that you want to perform well at.

Who was that, then? I'd like to check the context.

[paulpablo]

I think it's more accurate to say if you want to progress to a high degree of competancy within your own limits at something, the vast, vast, VAST majority of the time, you have to be motivated/have an interest in an end goal or overall picture relating to whatever that something is. 

The first part relates to how some people will have a have an advantage over others due to genetics so it's not necesserily a guarantee that practise and interest will increase performance vs other people, but within your own genetic limits it will in any reasonable circumstances I can think of.

And talking about the overall goal, I think there's some element of repetative practise that every person who's building a skill finds boring, but if they have an interest in the overall goal then it will improve performance.

For example a boxer might find waking up at 5 in the morning and jogging and doing the same movements day in and day out boring but he's very interested and motivated towards boxing as an overall activity.

And I say this is the case most of the time because there are freak occourances of talent in people that seem to just be there.  For exmaple, seemingly mentally disabled savants who can play the piano better than most people having never played before in their life.

[brewer]

Someone once said that you need to be very interested in something that you want to perform well at.

Who was that, then? I'd like to check the context.

Well that explains my masturbation.