Cover Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash
Being extraordinary is a choice only you can make
A few years back, I worked with a colleague who, unknowingly at the time, would change my life forever. He was a really smart guy who started on my level and then became my CTO. But that’s not what made him special for me, it was his stories that made him truly stand out.
He was the first real polymath I had encountered in my life. He was only 40 years old and yet he seemed to have done everything possible in his life. His stories were so grandiose that one couldn’t help but wonder how much of it was true.
“Is this guy full of it?”, we all thought.
Surely you’ve met people who tell you stories so epic you have a hard time believing them. Yet when you check the facts, they turn out to be true.
That was the case with Jeff.
One story at a time, I became more and more obsessed with doing lots of things outside my video game job. It all started with travelling a few times a year.
While still working there, I ended up travelling to over 12 countries over 3 years. I was hooked. It was the catalyst of my world travels a few years after, followed by my three nomadic years.
Since meeting Jeff, I started saying one thing over and over (I still do):
“One day, I’ll [do/be]…”
And let me tell you, it’s borderline ridiculous. It’s nothing grandiose, serious, or even manageable at times. It’s so instinctual and quirky that sometimes I come with dumb ones like this one after tasting incredible home-made curry: “One day, I want to be an Indian mom”.
While most of the time I come up with impossible things like the above, the habit of thinking about all the things I could do helped me actually do a bunch of them.
“If Jeff can do it, why couldn’t I? What makes him so special?”, I thought.
Right. He wasn’t that special (no offense). But he had one thing going for him:
He was fearless. He was a relentless doer. And that, my friend, we can all choose to be!
And I did.
Since meeting Jeff, I’ve experienced hundreds of things I never thought I could. I travelled to over 60 countries, started 3 more businesses, did paragliding (I was deeply afraid of heights), surfed (I’m afraid of drowning), learned 66 new skills, including Salsa dancing (I’m a metalhead), and more.
If you were Jeff at the time he met me, there’s no way you would ever imagine I would do all of these things one day. I was more traditional. I had a nice job and apartment and enjoyed going out to restaurants frequently. I wouldn’t get out of my comfort zone much.
Through osmosis, I became the next Jeff. I became a doer. I lost my fear of the unknown and started my journey to become a more extraordinary version of myself.
Do you want to lose your fears and do more? Do you know a polymath around you? Hang out with them.
Their stories might bother you at times but stick with them. Jim Rohn said: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Spend it with people that inspire you.
Stop waiting for the right time to do things because the right time hardly ever comes. I love this Chinese proverb:
“The best time to plant a tree was yesterday. The next best time is now.”
Don’t be reckless, but don’t overthink either. I wasn’t fully prepared for my round-the-world travels, but the journey, however difficult, was the reward. I fumbled a few times but that’s what made it worthwhile.
It’s through your experiences that you truly learn, grow, and thrive. Drop your book and go live it. Make your own adventure. Like me, be the next Jeff. You know you want to!
You can do this!