Different Advice for Different Decades

“It’s better to be alone than to spend time with toxic people.
It’s better to do nothing than to work on something that doesn’t matter.
It’s better to rest than to climb the wrong mountain.”
–James Clear

Here’s an idea from James Clear’s recent newsletter. I like the sentiment. However, this is coming from a successful writer in his late thirties. For people in positions of success, and for people in the drivers seat of companies, organizations, and their own creativity, this is excellent advice. For young creatives, not so much. 

I entered college without a major, mostly on the urgings of my parents and peers that I would “figure it out when I got there.” There were a few anxiety-filled years, in which I questioned everything I was doing, wondering if the money I was investing would be worth it. Often, I would have an idea to try something, but then talk myself out of it, or lose motivation because it stopped feeling like the right thing to do. I was obsessed with finding my ”calling” and my “vocation” (whatever that means anymore–more on this another time). 

Eventually, through the process of trial and error, I discovered a direction I enjoyed. Not a specific mountain, but a mountain range, we’ll say. I discovered things that excited me, but it was after trying a number of other things that didn’t really excite me. I’m still discovering these things. I’m hot on writing right now, and later I may add speaking, or podcasting, or blogging. Who knows? 

My precursor to James Clear’s advice would be to start hiking. Don’t worry if you haven’t found your “calling” when you’re starting your career. Just work on things you find interesting. Then, after you’ve been going for a while, you can look for the right mountain. If it’s any encouragement, I’m not sure I’ve found the right mountain for me yet. But I’m hiking.

There is different advice for different decades of life.