Understanding Conscious Dabbling

Have you ever engaged in conscious dabbling?

Photo by Lukas on Pexels.

Imagine leading a life where you balance your job as a banker during the day, pursue improv theatre in the evenings, practice Qigong on Saturdays, and enjoy birdwatching on Sundays. Sounds intriguing, right? However, indulging in multiple interests without a plan can leave you feeling lost or dissatisfied. The answer to this dilemma? Embrace conscious dabbling. By engaging in various activities with a clear purpose and a set timeframe, you can learn, grow, and truly appreciate the journey.

1. Understand Your Motivation

Be honest and straightforward: What drives me to pursue this? Anyone claiming they don’t know is probably not being truthful. For instance, a few years back, I left my decade-long career to explore freelance writing. My motivation was simple: I craved the freedom to travel at my leisure. Similarly, when I took piano lessons in my late 20s, my goal was to discover if I could become a decent pianist. (Spoiler: I lacked talent, but at least I figured that out!)

2. Establish a Realistic Deadline

Decide how long you will dedicate to exploring this new hobby. Will it be for a week, a month, or several months? Commit to it!

3. Dive In

During your designated period, put forth your best effort. Hold nothing back. If the time comes and you find yourself feeling disinterested or unhappy, it’s okay to move on. At least you can say, "I gave it my all, but it wasn’t for me."

4. Celebrate Your Progress

Reward yourself when you hit significant milestones. For example, I often treat myself to travel only after I achieve certain goals.

5. Resist Distractions

We all have our ways of maintaining focus. Personally, my strategies include:

• Avoiding new online courses until I’m at least 75% through my current one.
• Unsubscribing from email lists and following just one or two mentors.
• Designating specific days for different tasks to minimize context switching (e.g., research on Mondays, writing on Tuesdays, leisure on Sundays).

6. Find an Accountability Buddy

Whether it's a friend or family member, allow someone to check in on your progress. This accountability can motivate you to stay on track.

7. Take Care of Your Well-Being

Ensure you nourish your body and mind through proper nutrition and sufficient rest, enabling them to support your pursuits.

8. Keep Your Goals Private

In the past, I would share my ambitions with everyone, but I realized that this often invited negativity and fear. Now, I prefer to keep my aspirations to myself until they materialize.

9. Master What Brings You Joy

This is the beauty of dabbling—you can explore until you discover what truly fulfills you. Why not devote more time to what you love?

10. Allow Yourself to Explore Again

Even after you’ve mastered a particular passion, new interests will likely arise. Embrace them—after all, why not?

Chapter 2: Overcoming Self-Sabotage

In this video titled "Self-Sabotage: Recognize And Eliminate It With Shadow Work," you'll learn how to identify and eliminate self-sabotaging behaviors through self-reflection and shadow work techniques.

The second video, "How to Overcome Self-Sabotage! (+ Why You Do It)," dives into the reasons behind self-sabotage and offers practical strategies to overcome these obstacles.