Musician John Ondrasik had a very practical answer for my question about his education when I interviewed him – He struck a deal with his parents that he’d be allowed to pursue music as long as he completed a degree from a normal college. So, John completed a degree in Applied Math and Physics from Berkeley and then went onto become a successful musician.
Simple concept. But one that isn’t done often. For instance, for a long time, I’d work very hard only on one plan A. I didn’t believe too much in having other plans as I felt it’d distract me and mess with my commitment to “the” plan. Over time, I’ve learnt that that isn’t too smart. 2 reasons –
1. I got too attached to plan A. Failure was taken very personally.
2. There is hardly ever a right/”the” plan. Well, maybe there is but we don’t generally know it when we see it. Experimentation and openness always opens up more possibilities than we can otherwise think about.
A key part of a successful personal process is relegating failure to a non-event that is great for reflection. And, the way to do that is to make multiple plans and always remember that the universe wholly approves making multiple plans – why else do we have 26 letters in the alphabet?
A Learning a Day 