I'm obsessed about quality chocolate. Does that count?

What on awesome blog. This guy is an inspiration!! I have pretty much the same view as you in that I'm always looking for what is next. And usually I have something locked in before I finish the last thing - otherwise I get uneasy!!

I did Oxfam Trailwalker, I'm doing the Auckland Marathon. After that I'm off to India to drive a rickshaw from one corner to another. What to do after that?! Plus, there is a four month gap between said marathon and India trip so I need something to fill that space...

my hobbies tend to burn out quickly.

motorsport, i went from watching, to doing, to watching and wanting to do, to barely caring anymore.

photography on the other hand, been doing it for years, and have started moving towards a pair of part time courses that will give me diplomas in both photography and small business management, and still allow me to do a 6 month internship with an australian wedding photographer.

its not about trying to do the next best thing, its about pulling out all stops and realising dreams.

first step is a job that pays well to enable me to save the money to get to melbourne. second, is pull finger and work my butt off!

That blog was just a re-write of the linked article bar the last 3-4 paragraphs really? (Trying to give constructive criticism, not being mean or anything).

Back to the question. Obviously triathlon. People think I'm nuts for waking up so early, etc, etc.

But when I compare myself to other triathletes, I'm no way near their amount of training so I think I'm pretty normal.

The people who say I'm obsessed with my hobbies just don't have any passion, hard work or desire to be good at anything so they think I'm crazy and obsessed for spending my spre time doing something that I love... Seems pretty normal to me!!

Wow, Charley French is quite an inspiration!

I have a strange hobby that I think is perfectly normal having been doing it for over 11 years. And the funny thing is, I still look at people who do other strange hobbies as though they're a bit weird even though mine is on probably on about the same level of weirdness (though not on a Trekkie or obsessed Twilight fan level). I am always looking for the next thing to do, the next event and I pretty much work to support my hobby. I also want to be the best in whichever aspect of it I have a go at. Doesn't always happen, but it certainly gives me something to strive for and keeps me focused on what I can do next.

I'm training for a 1/2 Ironman right now, the thought of a full Ironman however sounds scary and to do one you must not like your home life much! Joking aside anyone who has done an Ironman is amazing! Training for a 1/2 Ironman is not a hobby, it's a tick in a box to challenge myself to see if I can do it and to show my kids to push themselves. I can't imagine doing another one, I just want to know I can do it and then try something new...dance classes, body building...? I'll have a look at 'The Buried Life' for inspiration!

I was reading about our own Colin Anderson, the other day. At 62 he's still cycling the ultra distances. Now that is something I'd like to build up to, and be doing at his age.

I guess it really depends on if you look at "the next thing" as your next event in the discipline that you've chosen, or have the attention span of a magpie and flit from one thing to another.

For me I am able to focus on a small number of hobbies and try to do them well. The next thing for me is the next motorsport event or the next photographic opportunity. Sometimes both at once. I've probably done close to 200 motorsport events in the last 10 years but I think they are more frequent than triathlons.

Repeat after me everyone: Twilight fans are not sci-fi fans. They don't count.

I've probably said it before, but I'm a reader. People underestimate how much time I can actually spend with my nose in a book. I can get a bit obsessive - I'll track down books in a series & drive across town to get one from a different library rather than wait for it to come through on reserve, I've been known to choose to take a bus somewhere rather than drive just because I can continue to read while commuting. I'll procrastinate/delay anything else just to keep reading.

The only other thing that's stuck with me the same way is skiing. In fact, I was skiing before I could read, so maybe that's my main hobby :)

I like what he says about other people just staying in the same place, but he was always looking for the next thing to do. Sounds like a good way to live I think - if you're always looking for something else substantial to do, then you'll never be bored and you'll always have stories :) must remember to take pics though, so when you hit 94 and your memory starts to go you can refer back!