I don’t know really what I’m doing:
I feel like I am figuring out my career.
I feel like I am figuring how to live a meaningful life.
I feel like I am figuring out my relationships with other people.
I am figuring out this daily practice that I’ve got going called the ‘Daily Spark’.
You name it, I’m figuring it out.
And that’s great because…
It means that I can try things that I’ve never tried before and figure out if I like them or not.
It means that it’s okay for me to stumble, fail, learn, and grow.
It means that I don’t need to know it all — that I can safely set aside the tension and anxiety I might have about saying the right thing at the right time, and focus more on thinking freely and out loud.
It means that the adventure is still on.
Not only do I not know what I’m doing, I would pity any version of me that thinks I’ve managed to figure everything out.
To realize that you don’t know exactly what you’re doing — that you are still figuring out all different parts of life — isn’t weakness, it’s a breath of fresh air. It’s realistic. It’s empowering.
It means you’re human — woah!
And this applies to everyone: if you peel away enough layers, you will find that everyone — even self-proclaimed experts — are actually just at different stages of figuring life out.
Accepting that you are in a perpetual state of figuring things out gives you the ultimate permission to shamelessly and freely go out and explore, learn, grow, and become the best possible version of yourself.
you got a list of things you've tried and definitely decided you didn't like?
Not only do I not know what I’m doing, I would pity any version of me that thinks I’ve managed to figure everything out.
Damn it seems like my creative process is as cyclical as the stock market. I go from booms where I believe I've figured everything out to busts where I feel like I don't know anything and I feel lost.
Embracing practice has helped alleviate this speculative way of thinking though.
Didn't like might be a bit strong, not a big fan of is probably the more appropriate description.
I try to shut the door on anything though - I'm open to the possibility that I might become more fond of any of these things at a later stage in life.
I'm with you re: the cyclical perspective on the creative process, though I think it might be helpful to reappraise it as more of a meaningful signal that you're learning/growing. The feeling you get when you're humbled by the complexity of a subject/line-of-thinking is an indication that you're able to appreciate the complexity in ways that you perhaps weren't able to before.
Speaking of I'd say that the list you shared is really admirable. Because often people will think such things are so cool and will cling onto them and the prospect of doing the all lol and then do none.
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Right. I think a great mindset to be in is to wield that humble approach without having to require a 'crash' and feelings-of-badness to cause it.
I think maybe the 'greats' like Godin are able to just show up to Practice with such humility everyday.