The Art of Non-finishing: I do not finish 85% of the things I start

I used to worry a lot about not finishing ALL that I lay my hands on. Then at every point I make a commitment like the below.

6147 @DavidAlade__

One of the commitments I made to myself this year is to "never start what I won't finish." If I start it, I must finish it.

January 7th 2020

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In retrospect, this idea was a dead end and it never worked for me. I am glad I never get to practice it despite my frequent desire to live by it. Here's why.

I am young and still figuring out a lot of things. I have no definite answers. This means I have to experiment a lot.

The principle of never starting what I won't finish is the antithesis to the need for experiments that I require at this stage of life. Experiments give room for failures. It allows you to dip one foot in the river to know how deep it is before you commit to swimming in it.

The earlier phrase says don't dip your foot in the river if you have not committed to seeing it through. In other words, don't try new things frequently. I think the phrase may be a useful watchword for me later in the future, but not now.

Now, what is required of me is a lot of experimentation. Because I am young and have the strength.

This is what I need to do now:

“You who are young, make the most of your youth. Relish your youthful vigour. Follow the impulses of your heart. If something looks good to you, pursue it...”

Ecclesiastes 11:9

Pursue all things that look good to me because I am young with vigour

What does that mean? It means Charlie Munger may dismiss crypto as nonsense for whatever reason but I will be foolish to do so especially if it looks good to me. It means if knowing about the brain looks interesting to me, I will be unworthy of my vigour to dismiss the urge based on the fact that I am not a neurology student. It means when I am given a new task to do I give all my best to doing it even if I am not sure what the end may be. It means even if I wasn't sure of the likelihood of success, I should still pursue it.

That's one way in which that phrase is wrong for me (now at least). Another reason is that it contradicts the principle of VoE ( Victim of Exposure) that I hold dear for now.

The basic idea of VoE is that you should expose yourself to as much information on the surface as you can. Doing so gives you a basic idea of what is possible and available in the universe. And often, such knowledge comes to help you or others when you don't expect it.

If you live by not starting what you wouldn't finish though, a lot will be left unexplored. And exploring is what the youthful strength is meant for.

See you again soon.