“Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.” —Unknown
I see no better way to live life than to follow your curiosity and unlock the secrets of life known only to you.
Much of what I talk about concerns experience. Experimenting enough in reality to gain insight on a problem or opportunity. It's this immutable force that holds many of the insights we need to overcome problems and opportunities.
Experience is knowing that if you don't feel like doing something and you know it must be done, give it five minutes.
Set a timer for five minutes, and do the things until the timer goes off.
Sometimes you'll only get the five minutes in, but there will also come occasions when you spend more than five minutes on it, when you enter flow and can go on for hours without water, food, or sleep. The state so many creatives chase.
You then start to realize, inspiration isn't something you wait for--you have to work for it.
You have to show up every day and put in at least five minutes.
Until it becomes automatic, and the thing you're working on flows with your ebbs. But how did we get here? So concerned about finishing, having something of high quality to share with the public?
When Curiosity Turns Into Commitment
You never see it coming.
The moment when the thing you became curious about turns into a full-blown endeavor.
This past weekend, I started work on a special project that began as a curiosity. It was simply a potential title and a brief description of the idea. No due date. No plans. Just a really cool idea, I'm having the time of my life exploring.
When I first began laying its foundation in my head and starting on the research kick, I realized I was in it to finish.
This special project isn't the size of a novel or as complex as an online community website.
It's something I can finish in 3-4 weeks.
Finish in 3-4 weeks.
That's how you know you've committed, when you desire to see the finished product, knowing that only you can bring it to life.
When you're jumping from curiosity to curiosity, you're not focused, even for a polymath. You're just living, exploring, seeding, seeing, feeling, and all that.
It's when something pulls you forward and offers you an opportunity to really experience life--the ups and downs of creativity and existence--that you slow down and delve into an idea longer than one that was more of a quick, pointless win.
No, we like a challenge.
So you have chosen.
You're committed.
The Importance of Doing And Finishing
The more you can do, the more you should be able to finish.
You don't have to finish everything, but even da Vinci completed a decent amount of work that still exists to this day.
No matter what you are delving into, aim to get up and running, working on simple projects that allow you to put into practice the things you're learning.
Solving your own problems is a great way to develop practice methods and even shape your curriculum toward bigger projects.
The thing is, you're more likely to complete something that affects your life. Start and finish self-solutions and see how quickly you become a master.
I always say the best time to do something is now.
And something beautiful comes across your desk, you have to take pause and decide if this thing you can't get out of your head is worth the effort.
Then, when you decide to commit to doing so until you finish, use your own problems to devise solutions based on what you're learning.
One day, you'll have a store of products you can pick and sell to the public for profit.
An interesting thought when you'd decide to commit to your curiosities, huh?
What's one project you can start today and finish in the next 30 days? Imagine how it would feel to finish something in the sea of unfinished long-term projects.
Parenthood makes you think in seasons and I’ve always told myself I’d get back to my creative goals when things calm down. But reading this made me see that life doesn’t really slow down on its own. You have to make space for the things that light you up. I love the image of watering the tree that Chloe mentioned. Even when it doesn’t look like much is happening yet. That’s a lesson I can pass to my daughter too. Thank you for the inspiring read and for this community Idris Elijah!!
I heard someone say recently that the best time to plant a tree is 500 years ago. The next best time is now. Time really does move faster than we think. I look back and realize there are ideas I was excited about five years ago that I never acted on and now I barely remember the details. I love your reminder to nurture a spark before it fades and that the best time is now. I’m going to start treating my ideas like living things. If I don’t feed them regularly, they’ll wither. No more waiting until I have more time. The best time is now. Thanks for the motivating content Idris!