Passion Paralysis, When Everything is Interesting

There was a time in my life when I was overwhelmed with my endless list of hobbies and interests. This left me paralyzed! I soon googled my symptoms and my self-diagnosis showed clear signs of a condition called ‘passion paralysis’. 

Have you been there?

I have always filled my passion story with enthusiasm, which starts and ends by either doing nothing about anything or doing something about one thing that was always to be short-lived. Being a multi-passionate person sounds good, but was a serious handicap.

I wake up every morning with my head reeling with zillion ideas and feel like very many light bulbs glowing like a halo around my head. If only my brain would limit itself to one thought rather than distracting me even before I set-out to pursue one.

I struggled with exploring unchartered waters, overcome with the fear of failing and always finding reasons to convince myself that I’m waiting for inspiration to strike. This constant internal tug of war and conflict of thoughts was maddening. With alarm bells ringing, I was more frightened of not exploring and my creative passion dwindling away.

My personal journey of transformation started with small creative projects and once I saw what I accomplished, it got easier to ride the wave of fear. I started letting my family and friends in on what I was doing. Their encouragement helped me overcome my insecurities, and was my leap of faith. 

I started with a couple of projects and ended up with my finger in too many pies. I like what I do and would convince myself that I was accomplishing multiple things at the same time. It wasn’t before long, I was struggling with consistent productivity and running on an empty tank. I was anxiety-ridden and frustrated. Shifting my focus from one to another was a task by itself, and I found it difficult to get back to track with what I left off.

A renewed sense of focus is what I needed. Defining my priorities by allocating my time and energy on ONE thing and juggling the others during the rest of the day worked well. 

The parable of the Hedgehog and the Fox was my turning point. I don’t mean to riddle you with my animal reference. I’ve got to share because it worked wonders after I found myself everywhere and unable to focus on what meant most to me.

The Greek parable says, “the Fox knows many things but the Hedgehog knows just one big thing.” Later, Isaiah Berlin, a Russian-British Philosopher expounded saying there are two types of people; hedgehogs and foxes. The fox pursues new strategies and consistently redefining their dreams, and a hedgehog sticks to a straightforward single strategy and trusts the process. 

The reference to the hedgehog/fox dichotomy is simply an interpretation of things that helped shift my mindset. I continue to be the fox; intrigued by ideas and curiosity, however, the hedgehog in me jumps to my defense to stay focused and grounded.

Now coming to any or all the Hedgehogs and Foxes out there; are you smart as a fox or wise as a hedgehog or a combination of both?

I’d like to hear from you.