Notes from Chapter 2 of Overlap by Sean McCabe
This is a short chapter. It’s only 6 pages long but it’s packed with great insight.
When you were young, do you remember all the things you dreamed of being when you “grew up?”
I wanted to be a few things, as most kids do.
The first thing I remember is wanting to be in a band.
I still make music today, and I do make some music from it, but it’s not something I’m pursuing full time.
The second thing I remember is wanting to be a writer.
I write all the time.
I’m writing notes out right now for this podcast, which will become the episode.
This is something I did achieve, but, I don’t really see myself as a professional writer.
I see myself as someone who writes as a part of his profession because it’s just a part of life.
I also distinctly remember wanting to be a spy or secret agent as a kid.
I actually did try to pursue this, which may be a surprise to anyone who knows me.
I joined the USAF when I was 19. Scored something like a 95 on the ASVAB exam and was promised a position in Intelligence.
My goal was to do that for a while and then transition to the CIA.
Unfortunately, some unsolvable physical limitations prevented me from completing Basic Military Training and I was sent home.
Now, in my early 30’s, I’ve discovered and I can still pursue intelligence work in the private sector, but that’s my next overlap.
Right now, I’m overlapping from my day job to my website Online Business ONE where I help people start their own profitable websites.
Work !== Fun?
Sean points out in this chapter that we are conditioned to think of work as work and not fun.
He doesn’t use the term “starving artist” but he talks about the same stuff that we talked about in Episode 1 of the No Alarms Club podcast, Myth of the Starving Artist.
We are taught that we can’t pursue the things we love because we have to get a real job.
Other people will try to bring us down when we do.
Some of them think they’re helping.
Like our parents, or maybe grandparents, they don’t want to see us fail.
They’re trying to protect us, but that is bad.
But there are others who are trying to keep us down because they’re jealous.
Sean talks about the crab mentality.
In a bucket full of crabs, any one crab can climb out.
The problem is, the other crabs pull down and no one can get out.
People who are jealous of us for being brave enough to pursue our passions will try to bring us down.
Some do it consciously, some do it subconsciously.
We can’t let those people get in our way.
If you look at your last 6 months…are you happy?
If you continue to repeat the last 6 months in the next 6 months, will it take you closer or further away from where you want to be?
I know that I’m working in the right direction at the moment, so I’ll keep going.
What about you?
In Episode 11 of the No Alarms Club podcast we talked about Diversifying our Portfolio and Sean brings up a good point here.
He talks about three foxes running through a field.
If we try to catch all three at once, we aren’t going to catch any of them.
We have to focus on one and then move on to the next one.
I get this, and I agree.
That’s why I’m overlapping to Online Business ONE first.
After that, I’ll move on to the next one.
As time goes on, my portfolio will be diversified.
But for now, I’m focused on Online Business ONE so that I can catch that fox.
How many foxes are you chasing right now?
In the next post, we’re going to learn how to choose which fox to chase.
Make sure to follow me here, on Dev.to, to be notified when it is premiered.
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