Being able to "see" doesn't always carry over.
I'm able to "see" the connections between disparate bits of information, the photograph before it's taken, and the potential branches of possible outcomes due to a word spoken or action taken.
But I'm not able to "see" the potential of a blank canvas (which happens to be an ability that my remarkable wife has when she looks at an empty or half-finished house), the video before it's recorded, or the flow of actions needed to put a piece of IKEA furniture (or any furniture, for that matter) together.
Often, I'm not even able to see an object that I'm looking for, that is right in front of me, but isn't in the orientation I expect it to be in.
What I'm able to "see" seems wondrous and magical to those who cannot, but the things that I cannot "see", I find amazing in those who can.
We're not all cut from the same cloth.
And I'm thankful for that.
Sensationalism or Rationalism. There's a Time and Place for Both.
It's a lot easier to sensationalise and give skewed opinions than it is to rationalise and think an issue through before expounding on it.
One appeals to the emotions, the other to the intellect.
One is easy to access, the other takes time and effort.
This isn't to say that emotions aren't important, or that we should always take the most time-consuming, difficult path.
Of course they are, and of course we don't need to.
Yet, a lot of conflict and emotional upheaval can be avoided by knowing when to do what.
It's difficult to understate the importance of thought leadership, especially during a time when anti-intellectual sensationalism surrounds so many of our media outlets and social platforms.
Our contributions may seem small, but they do and will make a difference.
How to Stop Having Shiny Object Syndrome
I used to listen to many Internet 'gurus' and personalities.
And, as you might expect, I got confused by their conflicting messages on what to do and how to do it.
I tried one thing, then another, and then another, and so on.
Shiny Object Syndrome, they call it.
As it turns out, there is more than one way to skin a cat.
*Disclaimer: I love cats. I also love old phrases.*
It's not that they were wrong or intentionally misleading (though some of them definitely are).
It's that their method works for them. And it doesn't necessarily work for everyone else.
So, the only way to figure out what works for you is to take their advice with a generous handful of salt, and try ONE thing that resonates with you.
Then, shut everyone else off. And focus on that ONE thing.
Only after you've given it a good, long shot do you try another.
Processes work. Methods work. But they all take time. And energy.
If you don't put in the work, they won't work for you.
Make Money Because I Love Sleep? That's What I Did!
"How do I make money doing what I love, if what I love to do is sleep?"
I was a teenager then, and the concept of making money 'doing what I love' seemed impossible.
Who's going to pay me to sleep? A mattress company?
Some time later, I decided to dig a little deeper.
I asked myself, "Why do I like sleep so much?"
And my realisation was that having ideas buzzing around my head from the moment I wake up, and being bombarded by constant stimuli in my environment, I always have trouble keeping my energy levels up.
Sleep was the sweet relief from my cranial activity. And it was bliss.
This meant that I needed to do things as efficiently as possible, so I can avoid wasting my limited energy, and so I had more time to sleep.
And that was my A-ha moment!
I had learned to be highly energy-efficient when it comes to my work. Set a target, work towards it in as streamlined a way as possible, and end it once it's completed within expectations.
Perfectionism? No time or energy for that. I'd rather grab more sleep.
I had also learned effective ways to shut out (as best I can) external stimuli, and focus only on the task at hand, allowing me to enter 'flow' seemingly more easily than other people.
This doesn't mean I'm a productivity machine. Far from it. By Singaporean cultural standards, I'm horrendously unproductive.
But I'm productive enough that I don't work endless hours, need to, or want to.
And that's good enough for me.