How to Keep Inspiration: Optimize for Excitement.
Every one or two months I start having this feeling: I'm steady, working on a project I believe in. I know that over the long-term it will yield some solid returns and I even know it will have a snowball effect and bring me more results that I could have anticipated.
Yet, as I'm few weeks into that project, I feel I want to add another project on the side.
As if one is not enough anymore. And the excitement that I once had on that original project dissipated and I'm know forced to go find that sense of novelty somewhere else.
And I think that's where my focus gets spread out too thin.
I'm always tempted to add stuff to the mix. What if I put all that energy into finding the cool streams within the heat of my original project, and follow that instead?
As I'm thinking about this... one rule should be kept in mind:
Keep the excitement going and optimize for excitement. It's easy to numb yourself with whatever you're working on, few weeks go by and you discover that this is becoming just "work".
And work is fine, but there is better: Excitement.
That's what Gary Vee is doing. I'm in awe of what this guy is capable of doing in 24hrs and does that EVERY DAY. Non-stop. For long I thought this guy is not human. But now that I look back at his daily attitude toward work (which he vlogs on a daily basis), he has always something new going.
You'll notice that he's always jumpy about something new he's excited to try. He's always looking forward to test that new method. Ready to change course and doesn't care if he changes his mind about how to achieve things. But the cap remains steady. It's all going on the same direction.
That's interesting.
Optimize for excitement. Find the new WITHIN the old.
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P.S. If you felt that and know what I'm talking about, I'm curious to know your opinion/advice on this.