Maybe you just don’t want to follow a specific path.

You don’t want to be a doctor. A lawyer. Or an engineer. The hell, probably you don’t even know what to do in life!

This article is for those who have a universe inside them, but don’t know how to bring it out.

I’ve always thought that most jobs can’t fulfill entirely our emotional needs.

Don’t get me wrong: if your purpose in life is to save lives or to teach, then the medical and educational path are the ones you have to follow. But if you’re a creative person by nature, remember that there’s no strict framework to your career and life.

Chances are, you have something buried inside you—an idea that’s been suppressed for months or even years.

That story, that script, that design, that product, that business idea. There is this ‘something’ that sparks a light inside of you, and makes you think: “Maybe if I do it…”.

If you have that spark inside of you, maybe it’s time you really take the leap. If you don’t have a project of your own to build daily, you’ll have a higher chance to feel lost or getting stuck later on. If you don’t choose your own goals, you don’t choose what to learn, think, and do.

WARNING: If you choose this path, there’s a higher chance to get real fulfillment. Keep reading if you fear monotony.

The Foundations of A Personal Project

Congratulations on having an idea! Right now, you are exactly where 98% of other people are. You’re part of a huge group of people with an awesome idea, ready to take on the world and build something meaningful. Well, this is admirable. Even if things seem unclear now, you’re on the path to modeling something enormous that you can carry with you for most (or the rest) of your days.

Anyways, this is an illustration that represents all projects ever:

To understand it better: every project can only have 2 of the 3 elements written in the points of the triangles:

• If your project is going to be good and fast, it’s going to be expensive.
• If your project is going to be fast and cheap, it’s going to be bad.
• If your project is going to be good and cheap, it’s going to be slow.

If you’re really committed to this project, of course you want it to be done well (this is something you care about after all). But you have to accept that it will take time. And that’s perfectly fine. Maybe you have a day job, a family, upcoming exams that don’t let you sleep, or just a busy life schefule.

If you’re in for this, you’re in for the long term.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying brick every hour. You don’t have to build everything you want today, just lay a brick a day.

So get ready. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

How To Start

If there’s one thing I am absolutely sure of, it’s that nothing is ever going to work out exactly as you planned it. However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start without a plan. That little preparation can make a huge difference, trust me.

If this is an idea that’s been in your head for years and you have vivid details about, open that Google Doc on your laptop (or your notebook if you’re old-school like me) and write down every little detail and bits of information. The idea. The goal. The tasks to do every day to build and grow the project. Creativity is fueled by every idea. Even by the most insignificant ones.

Memory is an enemy. If those are placed in a physical place, you don’t risk losing those information. You have the power to pour what have been stored in your mind and soul into the physical world. Store everything. Save every atom of idea for the project, they might help later on.

Now, ideas are easy: every human being is capable to produce good ideas. It’s when things must get done that people fly away. Mostly, getting through the last 10% of the project is the real final boss. Almost no one finishes what he begins. That’s when the most important part of building a project comes:

Sit your butt in the chair, and get to work!

This is the harsh truth of committing to something: the hours won’t suddenly appear. You have to steal them from comfort. What you were doing before was comfortable. If you choose this path, you will feel uncomfortable. Probably, sometimes you won’t feel like it, you’ll be annoyed, you won’t smile, but at the end of the day, it’s either you did the thing or you didn’t do it. It’s a matter of execution. And finally, you’ll gain the deeper satisfaction that only those who finish something gain.

Most of the creative work happens and flourishes under 3 conditions:

1. It’s done under pressure
2. It’s done in smaller rooms
3. It’s done in intime settings

Your desk is your ally. It’s your best friend. This is where the dreamwork happens. This is where the practical work gets done. So clean it, treat it well and get comfortable.

Block just 30 minutes a day for this. Work for 30 minutes straight. Get into the habit. Make something bad, it’s totally okay! I know what happens inside of you when you’re in front of what seems bigger than you. I hear that voice inside me every single day before working: “You don’t know what you’re doing”, “You’re not original!”, “As if you were qualified to talk about this”.

The thing stopping you from pursuing your idea isn’t really you. The real you is the one who has the idea—your soul. Your true self is much stronger than the doubts holding you back. What should you do then? Get to work, and start creating! Life is not thought; it’s lived.

I work early in the mornings (after months spent developing the habit). These hours are my sacred hours. It’s an intense session of deep work without distractions. This is what moves the needle; this is how your project grows. You must manage your distractions and disconnect from the flux of notifications, noise, and external junk. This is the block of time that will turn the invisible into the visible.

Sometimes you’ll feel a weird kind of resistance. An invisible force stopping you from actually doing the work. The problem is that most people (I was in the same spot) don’t like the idea of committing to the long process that precedes the making of good classics and great works. Until you enjoy the research, dedication, and daily effort needed for something meaningful, you’ll never fully tap into your creativity.

More simply, this resistance has to be overcome. And it can be overcome. If you want to build something in a creative field, let go of your need for comfort and security. Creative setting are uncertain by nature.

Look around for people who share your passions, ideas, and even the same type of project. Follow these people and learn from them. See how the masters execute and steal something from them. Don’t compare yourself: if you look at the masters, you must not forget the countless hours and years they put in to make it happen. When you encounter someone else’s amazing work, fight the voice that screams: “I could have done it!” They just took the time and made it top priority. When this will happen, you have two choices:

1. Giving up just because “someone else did it before me“
2. Remove that painful jealousy, remove all the distractions, put that phone away, and spend that hour for your future.

The truth is simple: you need to master in an efficient way time management to stop addictions like social media and that TV show you binge-watch every night. Make your art your main relaxing activity.

With a personal project, you’ll learn about your strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. It’s one of the greatest way that can help you improve as an individual. Follow your curiosity, and discover your passion.

And lastly, discover yourself.