One time in high school, Russ was hanging around the piano with his music teacher, Mr. Spraggins. Russ asked whether he should go to college to study music, the thing he loved, or pick something “more useful.”
“I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket,” Russ parroted his parents. That’s when Mr. Spraggins, a man Russ only interacted with over a brief period in his life, dropped some advice he would never forget: “Just make sure you have a basket.”
Isn’t it funny? We spend all this time telling kids they need to pick a career, and when they do, often earlier than we expected, we tell them, “No, not this one. Pick another basket.” That’s ridiculous!
If someone has a clear view of where they want to go, all we should do is hand them a map. “Off you go! I’ll be cheering you on.”
It doesn’t matter what your basket is. Is it painting? Event management? Excel? Great! Simply by knowing what you want, you’re already miles ahead. Don’t let anyone take that basket.
And if you don’t? That’s okay too, but know that when you find something, you’ll have to fight to keep it. “No! This is my basket, and I’m about to collect some eggs. Watch me.”
Forget diversifying. Try identifying.
If you can create even one passion with a 90% authenticity sync rate, that’s one more than most people will ever find. Consider yourself lucky, and then get on filling that basket.