Side Quests

“do you really think you are that important that people will read what you write?”

I often think about how my life would be now if I had listened to that dubious voice in my head and not started a newsletter.

I am pretty sure nobody read my first newsletter edition, which a few years ago was even operating under a different (equally dubious) name: Selfhealthiness, a far fetched combo of self + health + happiness.

This was my very first creative side-quest I seriously kept up during my 9-5 employment a few years ago: I was going to be a self-help guru(ress).

I eventually abandoned this project to chase a concept that deeply resonated with me and I thought would resonate with people immediately too:

Audacious Introverts.

When I left my job to explore self-employment I started this newsletter from scratch with all the accumulated 1) technical knowledge on how to set it up 2) more clarity on the people I am writing for (explicitly in the name) 3) more excitement about the topics (= agency, experimentation, introvert obstacles and creative pursuits).

The exciting thing about side quests and why I am so passionate about this topic is that they are rarely only what they seem on the surface. You learn more and figure out more things than you ever do overthinking the perfect plan.

Framing a project as a side quest relieves the fear of failure. Think of it like a low-pressure pursuit that should satisfy your inner curiosity instead of your inner critic.

And side quests make you an interesting person to talk to! The next time someone asks you, "What do you do?", mention your side quest instead of your job title and observe the reactions and opportunities this might unlock.

Multipassionates will relate with this: you don’t know which one of your thousands of ideas is going to be the main one, going to be your ‘thing’. And you’ll never find out if you don’t take a lot of shots instead of holding on to the belief that you are stuck in your circumstances. 

Being trapped is optional. Give yourself the time and space to experiment.

In the past letter we talked about the power of creating pacts that drive momentum and action. Today, we discuss the role of side-quests in the process of building your Main Character Energy.

Risk averse Experimentation

Side quests are low-pressure pursuits that can be both of personal and professional nature. It’s something you always wanted to explore, and you are willing to test regardless of the outcome. The faster you commit to testing out an idea, the better are the chances that you don’t fall into the overthinking trap, ending up doing nothing at all.

Think about an artist's first oil painting: it likely won’t hang anywhere near a wall. But you need to create a shitty first iteration to understand colors, the behavior of the paint on the canvas, proportions, shadows. Develop your style, giving yourself permission to do bold strokes and narrow strokes. Mix it up a little. And after enough interactions of the same dance, being finally able to say it out loud: artist. You are an artist.

Or in my case: writing my first newsletter. I cringe If I would have to describe myself as a newsletter writer, even after 50+ editions send. Have I earned that batch of honor enough? Yet, I would have written it regardless of anyone reading my emails. 

And that is the first lesson: enjoy the process without idolizing the outcome.

Make it small. You want to create options for yourself without drastically changing your life. Got you. Small can refer to short time: it can be done in a weekend. I’d also like to think of it as minimally resourceful: small amount of money (if any at all) invested for materials or new tools. Something you are confident you can complete, without additional resources, study time or planning. 

Make it fun. Starting a new quest is often the major heavy lift. There is a sweet spot of energy investment we need to hit to make it happen: interested enough to care without the performance stress. Making it fun is a shortcut into not only action, but results.

At least 6 novel prize winners attribute their success to ‘play’. Even high-performance athletes report that is one of the major factors that contributes to their success. Olympic ice figure skating champion Alysa Liu became famous for the mindset ‘You can’t beat someone who is having fun’, performing authentically and seeing her sport as sharing her art.

When we adopt a mindset centered on having fun, it can carry you through the obstacle of beginning as well as guiding you towards a consistent goal. Fun is the most audacious productivity hack. Write about literally anything you are passionate about. Go make that digital art. Act rebellious, but with a purpose. 

Make it useful. I started writing for myself before I discovered that it could be interesting for others. We are not as unique as we think: chances are if you solve a problem for yourself, it solves it for other people too. This is where the potential (business) opportunities lay dormant, patiently waiting for you to lead them.

The easiest way to discover if it can be useful, is to validate your side quest.

Finally, side quests may lead to generating new, exciting opportunities for yourself. You invest a small amount of energy to test the waters if it has the potential to become something more serious. Side quests can be dynamic, and evolve into entrepreneurship, portfolio careers, or even chasing the pathless path. 

Choose your own experiments over someone else’s map.

More on side quests and finding what energizes you: Feel Good Productivity, Ali Abdaal

Keep up the audacity,

Laura