Too Much = Nothing

A wide net catches a lot of fish. Releasing the net provides the opportunity for many different fish to swim in. A wide net is a metaphor for the lives we all live. There is constant stimulation around us. News cycles air 24 hours a day. Our phones chime at every hour. From one notification to the next, our minds bounce. From one notification to the next, we move and from one idea to the next we flounder. Our minds catch every “fish” that enters our net of attention. Too much isn’t a good thing. We don’t need more “fish,” we need a few bigger “fish.” When we have too much going on, too many ideas, and too many thoughts, we are lost in direction and priority. We are lost in where and what our focus should be on. Too much is a recipe for doing nothing.

One day you want to learn to play guitar. You spend the next few weeks watching YouTube videos, allocating time practicing, and learning as much as you can.

Then the new “fish” appears in your net.

You realize you want to learn a new language. You spend the next few weeks taking lessons, allocating time learning, and dreaming of the conversations you’ll have when you are fluent.

Then the new “fish” appears in your net.

You dream about becoming your own boss. You figure out a niche area of expertise you can operate in. You craft a business plan and start working on an initial product launch.

Then the new “fish” appears in your net.

This is a perpetual cycle of what happens when you cast a wide net. The “fish” continue to appear and you continue to move on to the next, new, and shiny “fish.” With every new idea, you abandon your work and move on to the next thing with nothing to show for your work.

Another possible cycle of having a wide net is you have so many different ideas and plans for the future that you end up doing nothing. You have no idea what to focus on and where to spend your time so you end up staying the same. You end up going through the motions and continuing to live the same life you are living. You are stuck in limbo because you can’t decide what you should do. Your senses, thoughts, and actions are pulled in so many directions that you freeze.

Using a wide net is great for feeling like you’re busy or feeling like you’re productive. Your mind comes back with so many “fishes” that you feel proud of yourself. But when you zoom out all you have are small “fish.” You have nothing to be proud of, you have nothing real to hang your hat on, and you lack the “trophy fish” that you seek. In order to find the “trophy fish” to guide your life you must spend time with your mind having conscious introspective thoughts. You must gain a sense of clarity for what you actually want your life to be and then you must lay out some steps to get started. You must become one with your mind and then narrow your focus so you have clarity and guiding steps to get started. A narrow focus leads you on the path to something. A wide focus, a wide net, continues on the path to nothing.