8wX-5w6-4w3 SX/SO Ne>Fe
I can admire other minds, but I don't envy. Even a specific aspect of someone's mind seems to come at a cost, because I see the whole picture. For instance, I admire someone else's good memory for detail, but if I had that, would that mean I'd give up my inferior Si, therefore my dominant Ne as well? No thanks; I like writing long fantasy series and ever-flowing creativity that won't shut up; as much as I admire people with great detail memory and I work well with people like that in writing a novel, because they'll notice all the details I miss (for instance, a certain kind of metal can't exist without specific technology).
Also, any trait that I admire enough, especially if it's of the mind; I usually absorb the aspect that I want by osmosis. The way I learn is to absorb and percolate, rather than "think" while I'm learning. So for instance if I think Jeff Beck's songs are brilliant, I'm already a songwriter but not a guitar player like him. Presuming I could learn guitar by listening is crazy; if I have no basics. [And I suppose I could say I'd trade my guitar playing skills, which suck, for his, which are amazing; but realistically, if I were a guitar player, that would mean I lost a lot of hours writing my books or playing piano, by practicing guitar; so I don't really wish that.] However, I can write songs on piano, so if I listen to him constantly for two years, I'd end up using some of his chord changes and influence in my songs without even thinking. But I wouldn't trade his whole songs for mine; I like writing my own songs and I'm fond of my own style, so instead, I'd absorb what turns me on from his songs, and incorporate it into mine because it turns me on so much and I write with my groin more than my brain. =)
One might argue that a written song, or an ability to create one, is not MIND, it's a concrete product outside of mind. But that creation does stem from mind. No one else can write a song like I would unless they had my mind. My mind is also full of my memories and experiences, even if I don't consciously think about them, so that also goes into my songwriting or my novels. So even if I traded my mind for a better overall songwriter - I'd lose out on my own style as well as the personal experiences that inspire my songs. So I'd rather keep the entirety of my mind and feed it with the mindfood that it wants so that I can enjoy it the most and use it for what I want.
What do you favor about your mind over another?
I love what I do!
I may not be the best songwriter or the best writer but I would not know how to qualify that, nor would I care whether I'm the best. I write my songs because I love them, and I write my books because I love them. My goal is for MY books and MY songs to be the best they can be. I love the process; I love the constant improvement; I love the things that suck because they push me to get better and to learn. I admire the hell out of people who do what I have yet to do; people who wrote a fantasy series like mine, but got it to sound great with a good tone and eventually had it made into an awesome movie. I'd love to do that, but I believe if I write my book well enough, that will happen. And I wouldn't trade my content - my plots, my characters, my musical style - for ANY other, even if I could.
Beyond that, I have the feeling that I can do what I want to do, and if I am focused enough on any goal, I'll conquer it; and if I don't reach my goal, then my work was worth it because it will speed up my next conquest. I would not trade that innate confidence and drive for the world. NO part of my mind, specific skill, or amount of money would be worth trading for that mindset.
