Too Many Things I Love And Am Actually Good At. What To Choose?

[Dan Arnautu]

The post will be a lil' bit on the long side but bare with me please. 

So, I am in a rut and can't figure out what to do next. I have a severe case of rennaissance man syndrome, lol.

The following paragraphs are not to tooth my own horn. I had spent a lot of time and effort into each thing and I really think I could use some advice.

Some quick insight on my situation:

• Studied guitar for more than 7 years. I have a deep love for music and mastering my instrument. 
  • Currently learning under a guitar coach and am member of a group of professional musicians
  • Learned a lot about guitar teaching and models that are not used in my country yet
    • I know that I can become a very good guitar teacher
• I also love fitness and coaching people - I have been lifting for 4-5 years but I think already surpassed most fitness trainers here in terms on achieving results with clients even though I am not certified
  • learned the industry
  • coached people on how to shed bodyfat and build muscle and got extraordinary results
• I am currently a philosophy undergraduate student
  • I already figured out that I don't want a career in academia so in that aspect I'm very clear
    • gonna finish the degree anyway - 1 year left
    • all that I have learned will be of help in teaching, coaching, writing and self-improvement
• I love editing and making videos
  • I get very creative when it comes to video production and I think this would be my go to medium for creating content in the future, no matter the industry 
• I highly enjoy self-improvement
  • I have read more than 40 books, done a lot of courses, and implemented many concepts into my own life

Basically, I feel that I have an edge in the following areas:

• Musicianship - becoming a musician
• Guitar teaching - being a guitar teacher
• Fitness coaching - being a fitness coach
• Self Help - Becoming a self-help guru with focus on musicians, thus owning my niche

The bar of excellence is set so low in my country that basically I don't think I would have competition if I would get laser focused on any one of these. If I would have lived in a country like America or England, I would have had a lot of competition, but right now, as soon as I get out of college, I could have success in any of these I strongly believe.

I have no secret. I just work very, very hard. For the past 2 years - no parties, no social circle, no gossiping, no watching TV, no video games, NOTHING. I wanted to build a strong foundation and not piss away my best years. I just turned 20 a few days ago.

The recurring theme in all of these domains of activity is I think the sense of doing a certain activity skillfully, with a sense of mastery and effortlessness. I enjoy doing each thing very much to the extent that in the moment it becomes the best and only thing.

One day, I am at a concert, seeing my favorite band and I am thinking things like - "Being on that stage, expressing that kind of power and beauty ... This is what I want to do for the rest of my life." A week later I get into the gym and someone asks for advice. Then I think "I like doing this. I wouldn't mind doing it everyday.". Then I get home and read some book by Gary Vaynerchuk and I think: "Wouldn't it be awesome to start my own personal development channel on youtube? Musicians could really use the things I know. After all, there is a lot more ego in this industry than others."

Right now I really think I could make a quick buck in college by coaching people and helping them achieve their fitness goals. But after college I want to start a guitar teaching business. I now get thoughts like "How would people react? Wouldn't this make me a jack of all trades?". Then I think of Arnold Swarzenegger. Bodybuilder->Actor->Governer of California and business man in between. Then I think that I'm also still working on my own music career, studying with my guitar teacher. So, WHAT THE HELL DO I DO?

See the vicious circle?

Self improvement may be thing that made me want to get good at all these things. I deeply want to master all these things. 

So, I don't know. Am I really a rennaissance man or do I just need to find more clarity? Or none of the two? What do you think?

My brain is practically soup right now and I'm caught in a deep paralysis by analysis and can't get work done in any domain anymore because I can't commit to one specific thing. Interests just seem add up one after the other.

 

 

Edited August 25, 2017 by Dan Arnautu

[Leo Gura]

@Dan Arnautu What would you do if you had $100 million dollars?

Do that now

[Dan Arnautu]

@Leo Gura Thanks. I'm gonna try and answer that.

I also want to buy the life purpose course when I have the money.

Edited August 26, 2017 by Dan Arnautu

[Wyatt]

Hey Dan, I just turned 20 as well (I'm also a personal trainer and play 3 instruments and enjoy personal development and learning, so we're on a similar boat). The big question for you is: How important is money? If money's really important right now or you think it will be sometime soon, it'd probably be advisable to pick one of your interests and become a master in that field. That way, you know that at the worst case scenario, you'll be able to make a living doing something you enjoy. Picking one of your interests that's financially dependable is key. If money isn't super important, follow your passions and pursue a ton of your interests. Especially at our age, getting experience in a lot of different fields is, probably, going to give us a strong foundation for our future, so don't feel overwhelmed with being passionate about a lot of things (some people aren't really passionate about anything haha)

[skinwants]

I can see your enthusiasm across many knowledge topics. What will also hold you in good stead and increase your options is to become a skills generalist e.g., ability to research, sell, present, multi-task, process manage, build trust based relationship, coach and lead diverse teams. Building diverse skills is a fascinating journey in self discovery and makes you ready for points 4 and 6.

Read more about https://skinwants.com/get-a-healthy-looking-skin/

[Dan Arnautu]

7 hours ago, Wyatt said:

Hey Dan, I just turned 20 as well (I'm also a personal trainer and play 3 instruments and enjoy personal development and learning, so we're on a similar boat). The big question for you is: How important is money? If money's really important right now or you think it will be sometime soon, it'd probably be advisable to pick one of your interests and become a master in that field. That way, you know that at the worst case scenario, you'll be able to make a living doing something you enjoy. Picking one of your interests that's financially dependable is key. If money isn't super important, follow your passions and pursue a ton of your interests. Especially at our age, getting experience in a lot of different fields is, probably, going to give us a strong foundation for our future, so don't feel overwhelmed with being passionate about a lot of things (some people aren't really passionate about anything haha)

Thanks for the input, @Wyatt!

Yea, money is a high priority right now and in the near future. I'm not chasing it, but I'm soon gonna get out of college and I want to become completely independent from my parents ASAP.

There are a lot of investments I want to make, and I can't ask my parents for money every time. It's also much more satisfying to pay for them with my own sweat and blood. That's why I want to get the ball rolling.

I've studied enough.

What I need right now is a proper direction to put my effort towards. The actionable steps to take are not a problem to figure out, but I can't decide what those are unless I have a destination set first.

[Dan Arnautu]

5 hours ago, skinwants said:

I can see your enthusiasm across many knowledge topics. What will also hold you in good stead and increase your options is to become a skills generalist e.g., ability to research, sell, present, multi-task, process manage, build trust based relationship, coach and lead diverse teams. Building diverse skills is a fascinating journey in self discovery and makes you ready for points 4 and 6.

Read more about https://skinwants.com/get-a-healthy-looking-skin/

I don't want to become a skills generalist. Who is more fulfilled? The medical generalist or the brain surgeon? Some might argue that the generalist has less headaches, but generalists don't make as much of an impact on people's lives as a brain surgeon. Most people can agree on that.

It would be great to create my own niche by combining different passions of mine and become the go-to expert there. I think that would be a much better course of action.

[St Clair]

Hey Dan,
 

I'm also 20, and was in a similar situation earlier this year. I play piano, compose music, love to write, enjoy making videos, want to be a public speaker, and really just want to travel the world. I had a lot of confusion too. I was originally focussed on being a musician and writing music, but with my desire to travel ablaze, I just didn't see it working out. Not to mention story ideas that I felt needed to be shared with the world were buzzing in my head. 

The idea that I should choose one thing to focus my efforts didn't sit right with me. I wanted to compose all this music, and write these epic novels in the future, and make videos, and travel. I took the life purpose course to figure out what to do, and it took awhile until I found the answer, but I found it through much contemplative thought. 

-I contemplated why I enjoyed doing all these things. What did I love about it? What was the purpose behind me doing it? It all pointed to creating and expressing ART that moves people.

-I thought about what I wanted to get out these things in the long run. With piano, really, I came to the conclusion that I just wanted to master the piano for the sake of mastering the piano. My thought process was "Man, what would it be like to truly know the piano? What kind of art could I create if I have mastery of this instrument?". I pictured myself at 50 with the ability to fully harness the piano, and the potential of my own creativity. How much fun I would have, how moving my music could be...That in itself was enough to get me practicing piano for 2-3 hours daily. 

-I held the belief that I could succeed in all these areas of life I enjoyed most, and I knew I would find a way, I just needed to think outside the box. I did, and came up with such ideas as throughout my 20's, I could travel around the world in a van with a piano in the back, seeking inspiration from the most beautiful vistas, pouring it into music and busking to the streets. Such a lifestyle would also cater for my writing, video making, consciousness work, language learning, etc. I thought that I could spend my 20's just cultivating these skills and enjoying life. God knows where this would take me in my 30s.

So, through contemplation, I found a vision for my life that encompasses all the things I wish to achieve. I just needed to align my day to day actions to meet that vision. With music as my forefront, I started to prioritise that, and spend most of my energy practicing piano. Writing books is more of a long term goal, so I put less focus on my writing but still practice a little bit every day, and will practice harder in the future. 

I hope that my experience helps you a little bit! Have faith in the process, and believe that you can achieve your potential. Keep contemplating, you may be surprised by some of the answers you generate within.

Cheers! JSC

 

[Amadeusz]

I had similar problem and I tried one of my paths (chemistry business). It was succesful but during that time I felt more than ever that music is what I want. So intuition kicked in. But also 100$ dollar question said that I want to sing and be a musician. Maybe you have to embrace the confusion and stay with it experimenting with those passions. 

[Moreira]

Passions come and go during your life, like your hobbies or interests. The right way to choose a career is to find what has more value to you, and offers value to others.

[Amadeusz]

And also in my opinion on some point you just have to make a decision; So maybe there isn't one best path for you. You partially have to create it and not seek all the time for the best one. Which one would you pick if you had to make decision right now? 

[SFRL]

Me personally I think being a fitness instructor would be really great. Because down the line you would really the health benefits of that if you keep doing it. At 20 health is a given for most people. At 30, 40, 50 you need to work for it. But most people don't have/make time for that. Unless it's your work of course. 

If you like making music you would keep doing that anyways I guess. And if it really takes off you can always put your full attention in that. Also you don't need to do any of this your when life. You can make fitness your focus now you are young, and when you get old open a guitar school for example.