Try everything first
A long time ago I saw a billboard ad for a men's magazine that said:
Choose your path. But try everything first
It struck a chord. The best question you can ask yourself is: when was the last time you did something for the first time?
We have enough time to learn to play an instrument, try a new sport or turn our lives completely upside down. Even if you spent 10 years on each of those things, one after another. You don't have to be a pro. If something makes you happy, there's no reason not to do it.
I never liked it when people told me I lose interest too quickly. That's limiting thinking. I just want to try lots of things and see what suits me and what doesn't. Signing up for martial arts doesn't mean you have to be a karate guy for the rest of your life. But it'll definitely help you build character.
Something more
For a while now, once a week, I've been meeting with some buddies for a mastermind. It's a kind of meeting where we share an update on our lives from the past week, discuss a topic or a problem and plan the week ahead. We can support each other in what we do and hold each other accountable.
Recently, going over a buddy's task list, I asked him:
Why are you actually doing all this? Is there some bigger goal?
That kind of reflection is often missing. A bird's-eye view of things. A bigger plan. We do things on autopilot without really asking ourselves why.
It's worth finding out what you really want, and only then setting tasks and priorities that will take you in that direction. And though it looks like a simple question, you have to look deep inside yourself to answer it.
I want four things, and they're all about building:
- I want to build a family, to share happiness.
- I want to learn to build web apps, to bring my crazy ideas to life.
- I want to build an athletic physique, to see the best version of myself.
- I want to build a modern barn, to have a place of my own where I can hole up and relax.
Family, mind, body, shelter.
John Lennon supposedly said:
When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down “happy”. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life
Surprisingly enough, I've wanted to be a computer guy ever since I was a kid. But it won't hurt if I'm a happy computer guy.