Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrown or lost interest in over time?
Stage 1: The Collector (Ages 5-12)
As a kid, I collected everything. Coins, stamps, comic books, and various other treasures that seemed vitally important at the time. I was convinced my stamp collection would one day fund a life of luxury—until I learned that a stamp’s value is mostly determined by someone else caring about it, which, as it turns out, is not a given.
Stage 2: The Superfan (Ages 12-15)
My interests evolved, but my ability to let go of things did not. Cartoons still captivated me, but now, record albums took center stage. I carefully curated my collection, despite not actually owning a record player. My walls were covered not with posters of bands or sports teams (never saw the point of that), but with whatever felt like a deep thought at the time—possibly a quote from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy scribbled in marker: “The answer to life, the universe, and everything is 42.” I wasn’t entirely sure what the question was, but I knew I wanted to seem like the kind of person who pondered it.
Stage 3: The Night Owl (Ages 16-22)
Rising late, staying out late—because time was an illusion (and lunchtime doubly so). Nights were for debating philosophy, pretending to read serious books, and avoiding actual responsibilities. I owned a set of dumbbells that mostly served as doorstops and a tennis racquet that saw more action as a conversation piece than on any court. Exercise was something I thought about doing, much like learning a foreign language or organizing my record albums.
Stage 4: The Pragmatist (Ages 23-35)
Somewhere along the way, I realized that sleeping in just made me feel groggy and guilty. The dumbbells were given away, the tennis racquet disappeared, and my collection of random stuff began to shrink. I finally parted with the record albums, accepting that if I hadn’t bought a record player by now, I probably wasn’t going to. Life became about function over nostalgia. I still sketched, though—sometimes in notebooks, sometimes on the back of whatever paper was nearby.
Stage 5: The Minimalist Sage (Ages 36+)
Now, cartoons are something I occasionally watch with my kids, my comic book collection is long gone, and any desire to stay up past midnight has been replaced by a deep appreciation for early mornings with coffee. I don’t need much—just a blank page, a good pen, and the time to enjoy both.
Looking back, it’s amusing to realize how many of my old hobbies could have turned into multimillion-dollar businesses if only I’d had the foresight to monetize them. But that’s okay. Some kid out there probably took my discarded interests and turned them into an empire. Good for him. I’ve got my sketchbook, my coffee, and a quiet morning. And really, that’s enough.
Forming 2.0 
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