Embracing the Unknown

You cannot be afraid of the unknown—you have to embrace it and everything that it brings. The unknown is where life begins. Your comfort zone is where your life will start to end. You can create anything from the unknown because it allows your imagination to run free. You have to get curious. You have to start searching for the thing that will set your soul on fire, or at the very least, get the sparks flying. Everything else will unfold as it’s supposed to.

That paragraph above is everything that I’ve discovered on my journey so far and everything that I’ve conditioned myself to believe in order to let go of fear. In the beginning, I felt like a lunatic telling myself these things because they went against everything I had learned was normal. It was a very isolating experience coming to terms with all of that.

When you’re traveling down a road by yourself, and it’s your first time, you’ll naturally want to revert back to the path that’s more familiar. There will be no one to talk to, confide in, or check in with. It’s really just you, your thoughts, and your curiosity guiding you like the North Star.

Why Curiosity Lasts Longer Than Passion

Curiosity can be intimidating because you don’t know what the result will be. All you can do is hope for the best and keep moving.

The thing about my curiosity is that it’s so powerful that when I find something that piques my interest, I immediately have to pursue it. My brain will not allow me to rest. Sometimes I feel like my curiosity operates as a separate entity because I can observe my curiosity pulling me toward something while simultaneously feeling lazy enough not to do it or allowing fear to paralyze me.

When the latter wins the battle, I find myself stuck in a daydream, visualizing myself doing the thing and imagining what could come from it. That fantasy is safe and much easier to digest than actually doing it and failing.

I believe you need more curiosity than passion.

Curiosity will save you from the side effects that failure brings.

When you hit that brick wall while exploring or experimenting with a new project, passion will abandon you. Emotions are temporary. They come in waves and leave just as quickly as they arrive. Most of the time, our emotions are directly connected to our environment, and when that environment changes, the momentum you once had can disappear with it.

Curiosity is different.

Curiosity doesn’t ask you to feel inspired every day. It simply asks you another question.

I choose to act on the impulses that keep me up at night. For me, that’s any idea or project that has questions without immediate answers.

Curiosity has led me down so many rabbit holes because there is always another “why?” or “how?” waiting after I’ve found an answer. Curiosity has also led my brain to exhaustion because, in my world, there is always another question to ask.

I question everything, and I believe nothing is ever quite as it appears. I believe there’s always something beneath the surface that’s worth paying attention to.

The downside of curiosity is that it can leave you exhausted if you don’t keep it in check.

There have been plenty of nights where I couldn’t be satisfied with the answers I was finding, so I kept searching for “more.” Once it becomes frustrating instead of fulfilling, it’s time to take a step back. Give yourself time to reset, ground yourself, and come back from a different angle.

My Formula for a Creative Life

You will eventually need passion. Passion is important, but I don’t think it should be the driving force.

I prefer to have more curiosity because it’s what keeps me moving.

My perfect formula for a successful creative life is:

Boredom.

Curiosity.

Action.

Passion.

For me, passion is finding the answer and realizing that I enjoyed the process. And maybe that’s the whole fucking point lol.

Once I realize I’m passionate about something, I reactivate my curiosity to keep the fire going.

Yes, I like working on the project.

But why do I like doing it?

Is that feeling going to last when burnout approaches?

These are the kinds of questions I ask myself.

Follow the Breadcrumbs

For the past year or so, I’ve been in observation mode, paying close attention to myself and the people and places I’m exposed to. Among other things, I’ve noticed that curiosity is one of the biggest things people seem to lack.

Everyone is moving fast, hustling, and rightfully trying to survive in the economy we’ve been placed in. Nobody has time to slow down and observe, so they’re missing all of the little details that make you stop and ask questions.

And usually, when there’s one question, there are many more waiting behind it.

I believe we write our story before our soul arrives in this realm. We leave breadcrumbs behind for ourselves to lead us where we’re supposed to be.

My advice to whoever reads this is simple.

Slow down.

Start paying attention to what surrounds you.

Quietly observe things and silently question them.

Don’t do it to cause commotion. Do it to see if there’s something you’ve been missing or something you’re supposed to be paying attention to.

We’re all on borrowed time, and I believe everyone deserves to live the best life they can and experience everything that is for the highest good of their soul.

That is the only thing that matters in the end.

In order to have passion, you have to be curious about something. There has to be something that piques your interest and gives you the energy to pursue it. You can’t be afraid to step outside of the box and try something new. Stepping outside of your comfort zone is the only way you’ll reach the other side of what you really want out of life.

You cannot be afraid of the unknown—you have to embrace it and everything that it brings. The unknown is where life begins. Your comfort zone is where your life will start to end. You can create anything from the unknown because it allows your imagination to run free. You have to get curious. You have to start searching for the thing that will set your soul on fire, or at the very least, get the sparks flying. Everything else will unfold as it’s supposed to.

That paragraph above is everything that I’ve discovered on my journey so far and everything that I’ve conditioned myself to believe in order to let go of fear. In the beginning, I felt like a lunatic telling myself these things because they went against everything I had learned was normal. It was a very isolating experience coming to terms with all of that.

When you’re traveling down a road by yourself, and it’s your first time, you’ll naturally want to revert back to the path that’s more familiar. There will be no one to talk to, confide in, or check in with. It’s really just you, your thoughts, and your curiosity guiding you like the North Star.

Curiosity can be intimidating because you don’t know what the result will be. All you can do is hope for the best and keep moving.

The thing about my curiosity is that it’s so powerful that when I find something that piques my interest, I immediately have to pursue it. My brain will not allow me to rest. Sometimes I feel like my curiosity operates as a separate entity because I can observe my curiosity pulling me toward something while simultaneously feeling lazy enough not to do it or allowing fear to paralyze me.

When the latter wins the battle, I find myself stuck in a daydream, visualizing myself doing the thing and imagining what could come from it. That fantasy is safe and much easier to digest than actually doing it and failing.

I believe you need more curiosity than passion.

Curiosity will save you from the side effects that failure brings.

When you hit that brick wall while exploring or experimenting with a new project, passion will abandon you. Emotions are temporary. They come in waves and leave just as quickly as they arrive. Most of the time, our emotions are directly connected to our environment, and when that environment changes, the momentum you once had can disappear with it.

Curiosity is different.

Curiosity doesn’t ask you to feel inspired every day. It simply asks you another question.

I choose to act on the impulses that keep me up at night. For me, that’s any idea or project that has questions without immediate answers.

Curiosity has led me down so many rabbit holes because there is always another “why?” or “how?” waiting after I’ve found an answer. Curiosity has also led my brain to exhaustion because, in my world, there is always another question to ask.

I question everything, and I believe nothing is ever quite as it appears. I believe there’s always something beneath the surface that’s worth paying attention to.

The downside of curiosity is that it can leave you exhausted if you don’t keep it in check.

There have been plenty of nights where I couldn’t be satisfied with the answers I was finding, so I kept searching for “more.” Once it becomes frustrating instead of fulfilling, it’s time to take a step back. Give yourself time to reset, ground yourself, and come back from a different angle.

You will eventually need passion. Passion is important, but I don’t think it should be the driving force.

I prefer to have more curiosity because it’s what keeps me moving.

My perfect formula for a successful creative life is:

Boredom.

Curiosity.

Action.

Passion.

For me, passion is finding the answer and realizing that I enjoyed the process. And maybe that’s the whole fucking point lol.

Once I realize I’m passionate about something, I reactivate my curiosity to keep the fire going.

Yes, I like working on the project.

But why do I like doing it?

Is that feeling going to last when burnout approaches?

These are the kinds of questions I ask myself.

For the past year or so, I’ve been in observation mode, paying close attention to myself and the people and places I’m exposed to. I recently wrote about how creativity begins with observation, and the more I’ve practiced that mindset, the more I’ve realized curiosity is what keeps me moving once I’ve noticed something worth exploring.

Everyone is moving fast, hustling, and rightfully trying to survive in the economy we’ve been placed in. Nobody has time to slow down and observe, so they’re missing all of the little details that make you stop and ask questions.

And usually, when there’s one question, there are many more waiting behind it.

I believe we write our story before our soul arrives in this realm. We leave breadcrumbs behind for ourselves to lead us where we’re supposed to be.

My advice to whoever reads this is simple.

Slow down.

Start paying attention to what surrounds you.

Quietly observe things and silently question them.

Don’t do it to cause commotion. Do it to see if there’s something you’ve been missing or something you’re supposed to be paying attention to.

We’re all on borrowed time, and I believe everyone deserves to live the best life they can and experience everything that is for the highest good of their soul.

That is the only thing that matters in the end.