How to Get Everything You Want in Life

This is NOT a trick

Something that I’ve internally struggled with for a long time is having too many ideas.

I remember my teachers would say things like “it’s great to explore, but at one point you’re going to have to choose what you want to focus on.”

That was what was echoed to me from such a young age.

Decide. decide. decide.

As if there was something I was ignoring because I had so many interests. As if something was wrong with being inspired by life itself.

I would ask why I needed to narrow my focus and they would say,

“you can’t do it all.”

Even now, I struggle sometimes when I get a bunch of ideas at once. I’ll feel shame and feel like people see me as this flighty person unable to choose a path.

Though, consciously I know that they were just projecting because it’s scary to meet someone so consumed with life. It’s triggering to experience someone so unafraid of doing everything they can, even if they fail.

So most want to shut that down.

But, the truth is, saying I can’t do it all doesn’t even make sense.

Of course no one can do it all.

But I’m going to do everything I can.

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The trick is to be open to what doesn’t exist.

All of my ideas aren’t that far off from each other.

And there is no higher power that says they all can’t connect.

Stop telling kids (and me) (and yourself) that we have to siphon and separate all of our interests and ideas.

They all connect.

Adam Sandler made a movie about his love of basketball and puts music into his comedy. Chris Burkard has a podcast series where he shows photographers some of his favorite aerial sights while discussing their creative process. Nikki Frumkin paints while she climbs mountains. I mean, do I need to bring up Donald Glover?

The people doing things where you ask yourself, “How are they doing so much?” are probably the people that didn’t let the idea of “having to choose” slow them down in their exploration of life.

Just read Range by David Epstein.

Having so many ideas and not shaming yourself for the variety of expression that these ideas come through allows all of these concepts to intersect at a point, opening a portal and allowing you to pluck something completely new from the ethers to bring to reality.

Think about allllll of the styles of art out there.

They didn’t exist when they were created. Van Gogh wasn’t worrying about the “rules” while creating Starry Night. And Hemingway wasn’t worried about if his writing style was too short when he was creating The Old Man and the Sea. They just had the desire to create.

I mean I talk about this all the time.

Robert Pirsig says it best:

It’s an old split. Like the one between art and art history. One does it and the other talks about how it’s done and the talk about how it’s done never seems to match how one does it.

We’re so focused on the rules. Those fucking rules that tell us how we have to do things, how we have to live, that we’ve lost the ability to innovate.

Think of all the “social media marketers” on Instagram telling you all the rules you have to do to be successful now? Where did those rules even come from? Why wasn’t I invited to the meeting?

All that matters is what feels good for you.

I want to explore paragliding. and a pilot’s license. and rock climbing. pretty much anything to do with me in the air. and creating art while in the air. and photography. and writing a book. and creating a magazine. and a podcast. and hiking. and traveling. and camping. and knitting myself a sweater. and graphic design. and music.

and and and.

Not all are meant to make it through to the end of my life. But they all matter and they are all leading me to that intersection where the portal opens and I offer up something new to this reality.

I know all of this consciously.

And yet, I still find myself waiting for someone’s approval that I am on the right path.

As if the Universe is my guidance counselor, and I’m waiting for them to tell me what job would be best for me and my personality.

That’s exactly how not to get everything you want.