Finding Focus
Too many ideas, too little time.
Sometimes the obstacle to creating the life you want is having too many ideas / too many options / too many directions you could go.
It's the paradox of choice. It's Sylvia Plath's fig tree (here's Aziz Ansari reading this parable).
You're not creating anything because you want to create everything.
There are three helpful ideas for me when it comes to this pattern that I am all to familiar with. 1 - Options come from decisions. 2 - You can still do lots of things this afternoon. 3 - You actually don’t want it all.
Options Come from Decisions
Think of a baby tree in a pot. It can feel it has so much potential. It could grow to be a hundred feet tall with branches spreading in every direction. It can be 100x more powerful than it is right now.
But the only way for that to happen is to ground itself in one place. To choose where it is going to go deep with its roots.
When it decides to root itself in one place, it starts to grow stronger. For a long time it still is only one little trunk, slowly growing taller and wider. But after some time, it begins to branch outwards. After more time, it not only has one giant trunk but numerous large branches stretching out in every direction.
You are like the tree - holding so much potential but only able to realize it if you ground yourself in one place. For a while, you must be singularly focused, going deep in your one craft. Then after you have established yourself in that craft, you will be able to powerfully branch out into other areas and opportunities.
Think of someone you look up to. Maybe an actor or athlete who is also an author, philanthropist, speaker, investor and has a fashion line. You may be inspired by their many pursuits. You may long to "do it all" too. But realize that their success in many areas came from their success in one main discipline. For years they focused solely on acting or their one sport and became the best at that one craft. Then, because of that focus and success, the other opportunities began to show up.
What is your craft? What is the one place you need to be grounding yourself right now, so that later you can have many options to branch out into?
You Can Dabble This Afternoon
The second thing that helps me focus: knowing I can dabble, but only after I do my One Thing.
Being focused on my craft, my One Thing, doesn't mean I can't also have a life. It just means I take care of my priority first.
I can play around with being a writer. After I spend my morning on my craft.
I can dabble in learning a new healing modality. After I complete my priority task.
I can read books about my other interests. After I do my one thing.
This helps me see that my One Thing is not restrictive - it's actually freeing. Because I focus on my one thing consistently, I have the financial-freedom and the time-freedom to do other things. But if I stop making my One Thing a priority everyday and only spend my time dabbling, I quickly find myself in a situation where I need to work long and hard just to survive. That's not freedom. That's boxing yourself into survival mode.
You Don't Want it All
The third helpful reframe: You actually don't want it all. What you really want is to be fully YOU.
I'm always amazed by how content and fulfilled I am when I'm tapped into the thing that I know I'm supposed to be doing. When I start ignoring that One Thing, I find myself scattered - thinking I need to do a hundred things in order to be fulfilled. But when I come back and center myself on the thing that is mine to do in this season, I feel at peace. It's more than enough.
Doing 10 things that aren't yours to do is not nearly as satisfying as doing the One Thing that is yours to do. Don't look for satisfaction from the many. Finding deep meaning and satisfaction in work is found in the One Thing.
One Thing to Rule Them All
What is your One Thing? What is the one craft that you want to ground yourself in deeply? What is the one focus that will later open up lots of doors for you? What is the one path that you will find true satisfaction and meaning from?
May you not be distracted by all the things you could do at the expense of what you know you're here to do. May you go deep into your craft, becoming so brilliant that later opportunities will be attracted to you. May you discover your fullest potential by rooting yourself deeply in one place so that you can grow tall and powerful. And may you find incredible fulfillment from living a life committed to the thing that you are here to do.
