one thing: negatives
I am into everything. I've got tons of projects in various states of completion: websites, music projects, music practice, fiction writing, nonfiction writing, an art festival I want to run next spring, a HAM radio project I would like to kick off, languages (living and dead) that I would love to learn, and more.
Given that I have MAYBE five hours a week to put into passions like this....something has to go.
I've talked about minimalism of possessions. What about minimalism of activities? Minimalism of targets of passion?
Even this list of ten or so projects is a reduction for me. Thinking about reducing it to three...two...one?...is painful for me. I've made a quick list of my fears of focusing on one project or hobby:
- what if it doesn't carry all the rewards I'm seeking?
- what if I can't do it as well as I like?
- what if I would have been amazing at something that I dropped?
- what if I get bored with it?
- what happens to the other ideas I have? Do they die?
and, of course...
- WHAT IF I PUT ALL THAT EFFORT INTO IT AND I'M STILL NO GOOD AT IT??
Comments
I hear you, The Doug. One thing I will say, I've been spending the last 2.5 years building an online business, and I've yet to make a success of it. I quit my day job a year ago, and we're broke. But I'm convinced I can do this, and that's the first time I've really ever felt that. I've quit most everything else much earlier than this.
When Charlton Heston first started acting, he said he was turned down for as many parts as he was accepted for. But the main thing for him was that he knew he'd get every one of them (even though he didn't). I kind of feel that way right now. I'll never know if I could have really made this thing work unless I give it my all. If I fail, at least I'll have the knowledge that I've lived and won't be wondering, "What if?" for the rest of my life.
My wife and I are both big overachievers, and we have to keep each other in line. No one person can do all that he/she wants to do. You've got to downsize and focus, which requires taking a risk. Sometimes a big one. But you can do it!
I've dabbled in online businesses over the last year or so. I've learned a lot but haven't gotten a full-fledged business off the ground yet.
So, would you describe yourself as increasing your focus on this online business? Did you feel you had to sacrifice your other interests? Or...is it the other way around? Are your other interests getting in the way of the business?
Thanks for the encouragement. The truth is, all other interests have been put on hold, apart from some reading, exercise, and spending time with Heather. I'm the type of person to even break his reading down into types and prioritizing certain types over others. I manage to read quite a bit of current events, some of the classics, and a bit of philosophy or history each week. Not much of each, but enough to feel like I'm not totally going brain dead. But when I took that vacation, I read nothing but what I would consider fun reading. I read mainly about old time radio, a hobby of mine. And I played two killer video games. I've not played a video game for at least five years, maybe more. I just sat, ate, and played. My wife was very sympathetic to this end and I think was even kind of tickled to see how greedy I was for "braindead" time.
I, like you, have many, many interests. I'm also very thorough, sometimes too thorough, and prefer to do things myself as opposed to having someone else do them for me. I've accepted my slowness and tendancy to be methodical, and I've had to put all other interests on hold in order to pursue this venture. My wife works with me, and that makes it even more fun, but it's also a huge stress which has to managed like everything else.
Good luck yourself and your endeavors! What's that phrase somebody old and Greek or something said? -- "The life not analyzed is a life not worth living..."
no risk of me living an unexamined life...it's the overexamined life I need to be careful of...