Progressing in Public: The Journey of Starting Before You’re Ready

Starting something new often feels like jumping into the unknown. Many of us crave certainty, wanting to know exactly where we’re heading and what the end result will be before we even begin. However, this desire for certainty can be paralysing, preventing you from taking that crucial first step. I understand this well; this blog has been a concept in my mind for a couple of years, but I hesitated to start because I felt the need to have everything figured out first. I grappled with the same questions many of us do: What am I doing? What am I writing about? Who is my audience? Who am I to start this? And especially as a multipotentialite: What’s the point of building a community if I might change the blog’s direction? How will anyone know what to expect? Will they stick around if the goalposts keep moving?

The Struggle of Branding

Branding was another hurdle. As an artist I’m a very visual person, I’m learning to love the creative process as much as I revel in the final finished piece, but boy do I love that shiny finished piece! The brand, the message behind it. I often come up with whole business ideas based on a name alone and can visualise the entire look. (By the way if you want to workshop your ideas with me hit me up via the contact form.) For my own brand, rightly or wrongly, I took time to develop something that I felt fit the fluid nature of this blog’s potential evolution, whether that was for art, design, helping stuck professionals (dental or otherwise) or spitballing whatever is on my mind. However, this meticulous planning resulted in an imaginary blog that existed only in my head until very recently.

The Multipotentialite Professional’s Dilemma

Multipods crave variety and most of the time resist specialisation, so often building a business involves considering how our many interests will harmoniously blend together. This is challenging enough, but then add to that you’re also transitioning from a profession where everything had been aligned for you on a linear trajectory. All you had to be was an exam passing machine (I say all, it was incredibly difficult, but just to make a point), your creativity was confined to certain parameters and you’ve not had to exercise your muscles of childish wander and experimentation in a long time. Suddenly your imagination is called upon when you wake up to live a more creative life, you’re relearning a whole new way of being, without knowing where that being will end up – now that’s tough! It’s totally understandable if you are suffering from paralysis by analysis.

Embracing Uncertainty

Knowing your end goal, that thing you want to do until the end of your days, undoubtedly makes the process easier. For some, the path is clear – they know exactly what they want to pursue and can hit the ground running, streamlining their ideas and actions to reach a specific target and build something amazing in double quick time. But for multipotentialites, our enthusiasm can shift rapidly from one idea to another, our diverse interests and ideas constantly evolving. It is this ever changing landscape that makes it much more difficult to lock down a definitive aim and can lead to second-guessing and hesitation. 

Try not to judge this – yes, it is the more challenging route, but it’s not bad, unfortunate or abnormal, it’s just different, and it’s who you are. It’s a different way of being, a crash course in learning to roll with the punches to gradually discover a way that satisfies all your interests. Once you realise you’re a multipotentialite it’s about discovering a way that can move with you, rather than push you aimlessly along. Embracing this, and the creative superpowers that being a multipod brings, will make you a more powerful version of yourself.

But why start something if the end goal might change?! 

I hear you. Here’s the thing, the goal posts are going to constantly change until you gain more clarity, and then you’ll still change them as you grow. The only real way to gain clarity is to do the thing, warts and all. We need to learn to evolve out loud, create as we climb and progress in public.

The Power of Progressing in Public

If the thought of sharing your explorations out loud has you instantly throwing in the towel before you’ve even picked it up, don’t worry! I get it. It’s a unique vulnerability, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be as bold as a blog or YouTube channel. It could simply be talking to your immediate friends and family or, if that still scares you, joining a group of like-minded people. 

Of course you could start to explore privately and that would  also be  a great start, but I’ll talk about the benefits of joining a community in future posts. 

Aside from that, here are some more benefits of progressing in public:

Learning and Reflection – Regularly reflecting on and articulating your progress helps you learn more about your project and about yourself. What do and don’t you like? This reflection can lead to new insights and a deeper understanding of your work.

Minimum Viable Product – this is a business term where a product is developed just enough to gain an understanding of your customers’ interest. We can use the same principle testing our ideas. Whether it is for ourselves or for a specific customer, by testing our thoughts out loud we can gauge ours and others interest before further investment.

Skill Acquisition – Regardless of whether the MVP is a success, the very act of development is building a unique skill set that can be refined as we go. 

Personal Growth – Sharing your journey publicly can lead to personal growth as you learn to communicate effectively, handle criticism, and engage with a diverse audience.

So, here’s to starting before you’re ready, embracing change, and progressing in public. If you’re reading this, I hope it inspires you to take that first step and keep moving forward, no matter how uncertain the path may seem.

As ever I’d love to know your thoughts below or via the contact form. Happy playing!