Wow, it’s almost like you’re seeing it live
Something hit me hard the other day. Being in the same place in Texas for ~2 weeks now, which is the longest I’ve stayed in an area since starting the journey, something similar happened in my head. It stopped jumping from one idea to another, and from that came something that has shaped how I will see my transition into 2023, which I want to tell you about.
A little drive
If you’ve been following for a while, you’ll know that each stop I’ve made in the 16 states of 50 has been spent trying to see it all. The art museums, meeting people, caves, the ever-changing roads and road laws, and the googling of can I turn on red in X state every 2–4 days.
It has been a lot to juggle, although of course a blast. After taking some time, I had some moments to reflect and take in this internal and external experience, and reevaluate my plan for moving forward.
Part of me loves the constant chaos of on-the-go decision making and preparing, while the other part of me is warming up to the idea of slowing down the travel, giving me time to meet more people, see more of the town that aren’t so touristy — like the local library where I’m writing this. It’s actually massive, which annoys me that I now have to say that everything is bigger in Texas. Happy, Texans?
Here’s a snapshot of my digital routine these days:
- 1 post per (8)account on IG
- pinterest (1 add per section)
- write post every day for Medium
- post 1x per week on Ghost
- 1.5 hours of uploads redbubble
- learn about sculpting
I’ve been going from idea to idea, wanting to create something. Each idea had me wrapped up in research. 8 IG accounts, Medium posts, yada yada. You get the idea. Some ideas brought me some fulfillment, but I’d quickly move onto the next idea. So I listened to a YT video about sticking with a habit.
Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.… or hay…. Or something.
The (my) truth about Preparing
Metacognition. Thinking about thinking. “If I do x first, I’ll be more efficient when I tackle trying to learn x hobby.” I’ve gotten to know the way my thinking works pretty well. I know the AM is the best time for motivation — I’ll work on the difficult stuff then. If I’m struggling with a topic, time to move onto a different project and go between them all wherever excitement resides.
And here’s the hard part, which I (and maybe you?) had fallen for. I was killing it. My thinking was down to a science to get the most productive (will get to this topic another time) version of myself. No time was wasted. Seriously, I knew every upload (15–60 per day) to a site I use had ~15 seconds between loading, and that time could be spent posting elsewhere. Working out at the gym between sets had me researching the latest and greatest idea. I felt productive. What was actually getting done, besides my ideas?
I sit down at my laptop, ready to implement. “Wait… this isn’t fun.” Not only is it not fun, it morally doesn’t sit well with me — it’s not aligned with my values. It’s a way to produce content fueled by productivity without the substance or drive that I want to put into it. All the thinking in the world didn’t prepare me for that realization.
You better think up some new ideas, and while you’re at it, let’s think about those morals and what they might look like if they were in the form of art. But to produce good art, you really need to understand its origins to appreciate it, like art history. And understanding the origins means approaching learning in a way that will impact you the most, and how can I do that? Yikes.
So I tried and tried and tried to think of new ways of producing something that I wanted to produce. Something that would make me feel creatively fulfilled, while giving people something of real value. Thinking of my thinking some more, about the best way to approach how I think in this particular instance, until I’m lost.
I’m completely lost in my thoughts, with nothing to show for it but a headache.
If thinking up an entire project is the best route, where are my projects? Why think, when I can act?
Isn’t it funny how much we may plan for something? On this day I will visit this place, but if it rains I’ll do this. And while at work, if X person asks me about a project that is due, I’ll tell them this.
Do things ever really go as planned?
Lights, camera, action!
It suddenly hit me I’ve been so focused on thinking up the most efficient way of approaching something that I’ve never actually approached anything! Huh. Thoughts are now empty, now what?
I sat there and looked around me. Wow, this chair is surprisingly comfortable. Look at this room — it really has a nice atmosphere to it. I hadn’t noticed any of that.
It’s nice to dream about what could be. And to feel in control when thinking or preparing for something. Or never have to put yourself out there for fear of being judged.
Where will I be if I don’t act?
There has to be a way to figure out what it is I want to do without jumping around from thing to thing.
Thinking is a good first step
If everyone just thought about what it is they’d contribute without actually contributing, we’d have a whole stack of papers and a lot of sad forests. Ok, it’s the digital age — we’d have a whole stack of hard drives? Anyway, notes everywhere about what to do with an idea someone had.
People buy book after book about Leonardo da Vinci or Albert Einstein with the hope of better understanding their minds. It’s entertaining, and there’s something to learn in there, but no one becomes a thought leader by reading about how someone thinks.
So what are they doing differently?
They know when to act. They make mistakes. They continue to produce and produce and get feedback, and grow from it. They learn by doing.
Whatever work I first put out there is going to be disastrously bad. That is true. But with that comes practice, and feedback.
If I do something and I find that I’m enjoying doing it, I keep doing it and learn to do it well. I listen to people who say they love the work, but they would love it if X existed. And all of a sudden, I have a marketable option.
Imagine you are about to go on a boat trip. You’ve done all the necessary preparation to make sure your boat is safe out on the water, whatever that involves. Before you leave the dock, you say, “If a storm comes, I will do this boat thing that makes me safe in the storm.” I should have picked an example I knew more about. Turns out, though, this guy doesn’t really know boats. He just knows how to handle a storm.
Man takes boat out, hits iceberg. Very sad, very original.
What’s the lesson here?
The man thought that by preparing a certain way, he could foresee and protect himself out on the open sea. What he didn’t anticipate was any other obstacle that would cause his journey to end.
That’s the dramatic equivalent of me realizing my idea was a dud.
Imagine the man prepares his boat to go out and takes it by the edge where the sand meets the sea. As he’s preparing he sees some fish. It occurs to him — why don’t I fish here, instead of going out to the middle of the ocean where something more dangerous could happen?
The man didn’t even plan to fish. He wanted to sail across the ocean. Instead, by taking action, he took up something that he hadn’t even stopped to consider. And perhaps, someday, his fishing journey does end with sailing across the ocean. We don’t know.
The key: Learning by doing
You never know what waits around the corner. Inspiration can strike at any point, and you may find yourself on an entirely different trajectory then what was planned.
By thinking, you are preparing for things that probably won’t happen, and stuck on step 1.
By doing, you are learning through practice, feedback, and finding bits of inspiration you never planned for.
I will always encourage knowing yourself and knowing your thinking, but there is a time and a place. It goes against our instincts to jump into something and be brand new at it, in a sea of people who are much more experienced. Thing is, they weren’t on top of their game when they started. They just stuck with it and kept trying.
Thinking
Here is where I believe it’s important to think. Try to understand your why. Why isn’t it that you’ve taken on that idea or project you’ve been talking about for weeks, months, years?
Is it a fear of rejection? Waste of time? Self doubt? All of these things stop you. Try that idea you’ve been thinking about by giving yourself that step.
The Simple Action Exercise
Answer this: What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of something you’ve been wanting to do? It doesn’t have to be incredibly detailed.
Don’t judge it: no matter how farfetched or small it seems.
Ask yourself, what is keeping me from doing this? Really dig deep here and examine if it’s valid.
Here comes the action part. Take the plunge. Do what needs to be done today to get the ball rolling, but start small. You don’t have to tackle the entire idea or project today. Instead, schedule a date for said activity. Or, if it involves creating something, start with a sketch of it.
The idea is to move onto the next part of tricking your brain — with easily digestible action. The effect of such actions will compound. And before you know it, you’ve done something you’ve been dreaming about doing for a long time.
Keep learning
Thanks for reading. I’m hoping you get something out of this. I know it really struck a chord with me, so I wanted to pass it on to you.
There is something about going against your instincts that inspires the most change. Let’s keep tapping into that.
