f*ck you, ambition!
Enough.
Second only to “surrender,” this is my favorite word in the world.
But it’s a word I have a contradictory relationship with.
I don’t need anything more than I already have. I:
live in a town I’m proud to live in
work with people I like and for a company I’m proud to work for
spend free time with people who care about me
move my body in ways that make me feel strong and healthy
earn enough income to support all of the experiences I want to have
I truly feel like I have the best life in the world and to me, these things feel like enough. I mean … I wake up happy, healthy, and excited to attack every single day. Except for the post-UFC pay-per-view Sundays. Those days suck. Otherwise, I rarely find myself dreaming of obtaining anything I don’t already have.
BUT …
My ambition won’t stop gnawing at me.
Internally, I’m craving more. Not more stuff, more job responsibilities, more friends, or more money — but more impact. More creation. More art. Reaching more and more people with the messages I’m trying to send out into the universe.
Since publishing my first book nearly a month ago, I haven’t stopped creating. I feel like a madman right now, almost like my favorite painter Vincent Van Gogh as he stood on the precipice of descending into madness. Don’t worry — I won’t slice off my ear.
On Monday mornings, I shoot videos for social media. On Tuesdays, I record solo episodes of my podcast. On Wednesdays, I record in-person conversations with guests for the show and then appear on other podcasts to spread my messages. On Fridays, my producer and I sketch out the upcoming week’s plans. On Sundays, I schedule social media posts.
Sounds like a lot, right?
It is, but I want to do even more!
I’m dying to get started on the second book while still talking about the first one. I’m actively figuring out how to break into the public speaking industry so I can achieve my dream of addressing large crowds of people (any pointers, anyone?). I’m already brainstorming guests for Season 5 of the podcast (we’re in Season 4 right now) and thinking about what I can do creatively to make the show bigger and better for you guys. Plus, I still love writing for all of you on Substack and it’s important to me that I continue doing it consistently.
You see the contradiction? I tell myself I have everything I could ever need while simultaneously thinking about all of the itches I haven’t scratched, the skills I want to pick up, the opportunities waiting to get snatched up.
My solution to this hyper-ambition?
Well, it’s a piece of advice I picked up from Los Angeles Rams GM Les Snead on an episode of The Daily Stoic podcast with my favorite author Ryan Holiday:
“Keep the main thing the main thing.”
In other words, center your focus on the thing that matters most to you in this moment and then forget everything else. Because by diverting your attention in too many different directions, by trying to accomplish too many things at once, you end up not actually accomplishing anything at all. At least not to the best of your abilities.
So right now, I choose to focus on Season 4 of The Found Generation. We’re almost halfway through the season, which consists of 10 solo episodes and 5 episodes with guests — the first of which is a conversation with Google researcher Colby Banbury on the subject of artificial intelligence. This episode releases in a few hours.
For now, I will delay dreams of the second book and speaking in public. Those things can wait until the podcast’s offseason. My ambition disagrees with me, but I have to override it and tell it to f*ck off.
Now I ask you:
What can YOU do to keep the main thing the main thing?
How can you dial in your focus more? Which dreams can you cut back on for right now? Where can you stop spreading yourself thin? What should you prioritize?
I’m curious to hear your answers.
Have a great rest of the week, everyone. Much love.
A huge THANK YOU goes out to everyone who has purchased “Surrender: A Guide to Living Your Best Life in Your Twenties.” This is still so surreal. All of you are making my dreams come true every single day and I can’t say thank you enough for that.