In high school, watching a friend immerse himself in various things and pursue his passions made me reflect on myself. This experience had a huge impact on my life’s direction, and since then, I strive to live a life of constant growth and self-improvement through immersion.
In life, the values that you value, or the way you think, ‘I want to live my life,’ are often shaped by the lives of others. We look to the people around us to learn from the way they deal with the world, and sometimes we use them as role models to find behaviors to avoid. Because of this, the people who influenced me the most in the process of establishing my life values, or in other words, my life role models, were those who lived a similar life to mine and spent a lot of time with me. I was able to learn a lot from some of my friends, especially in high school. One of the things I really wanted to emulate was my friend’s ability to be immersed and passionate about something.
Watching my friend pour his heart and soul into something he really loved made me think and reflect on whether or not I’ve ever been that engrossed in anything in my life. This lack of engagement has always resulted in me finishing things that I started with a fresh set of plans. I often found myself unable to finish a book, even if I started it with great motivation. The ability to immerse oneself in something is paramount in terms of personal development.
A friend of mine, whose only experience with computers was as a gaming machine, was introduced to programming in high school the same way most kids are, but he fell in love with computer languages, and from that moment on, he bought tons of books, studied on his own, and tried to develop several programs on his own. As a result, he became a master of programming in a short time, more so than any of his friends. Not only did his game applications appear on the market, but his thesis won prizes in big competitions. This immersion eventually led him to pursue a career in computer science.
But computers weren’t the only thing he was into in high school. At one point, he was so passionate about snowboarding that he would go to the slopes by himself on weekends, and when he fell in love with reading comic books, he didn’t know where to find them. It goes without saying how versatile he was, as he was also “hooked” on basketball, video games, and many other things.
You might think that immersion can sometimes make you forget who you are, or that it can make you a “wastrel” because you don’t pay attention to other things. Or you might think that immersion, which starts with an interest in something, can outweigh the negative consequences of obsession with results or performance. But as my friend’s example shows, the ability to immerse oneself in something has not only allowed him to find his true work, but has also provided him with a constant drive to do it. Of course, I don’t think it’s possible to be immersed in something without a sense of accomplishment that validates your progress. Just as one of the biggest reasons why so many people become addicted to gaming is because they find themselves improving as they level up. That’s what I think a good immersion should look like: not obsessing over the outcome, but enjoying the achievement.
Since realizing the value of this immersion, I’ve tried many new activities. I read different books, explored new hobbies, and tried to constantly improve myself. Although I was clumsy at first, I gradually got the hang of it and felt more and more fulfilled. Watching my friend immerse himself in his life has influenced me to reflect on my own life in a big way and set my direction, so I consider him a role model in my life.
As you can see, immersion is not just limited to certain activities, but it is an important attitude that can be applied to all aspects of life. When we are passionate and engaged in what we do, we can achieve more and become better versions of ourselves. In the process, we discover new possibilities and gain a deeper understanding of ourselves. The experience and knowledge gained through immersion will make our lives richer and more meaningful.
Therefore, I will continue to immerse myself in various fields in the future. As I have done in the past, I intend to live a life of immersion, being passionate about what is truly meaningful to me, just like my role models and friends. In this process, I will continue to grow and better myself. The accomplishments and experiences gained through immersion will make my life more fulfilling, and I want to spread the value of immersion.
