How to Choose Commitment-Worthy Creative Projects
When considering which new projects to implement, I look at a number of factors, especially if it’s a creative project like a new course or workshop:
Heart
Is this a path with a heart?
Is it likely to be fun, interesting, and growth-oriented?
Does this idea have enough energy to generate sustainable motivation all the way through to completion? Or could this bog down into a demotivating slog that leaves me feeling drained and depleted?
Opportunity
Is this a genuine opportunity?
Is there meaningful demand for it?
If it’s an idea for serving others in some way, is there clear enough evidence that people would appreciate having it implemented?
Personal Fit
Does this idea play to my strengths?
Is this a match for my skills or for a path of skill development that appeals to me?
Do I think I can do a uniquely good job with this?
Does this feel like a personal invitation or assignment from life or the universe? Or could lots of other people do this just as well or even better?
Ripples
What kind of ripples might this idea generate?
Is it limited and localized or potentially expansive?
Is it time-limited or timeless?
How constrained is the potential upside?
Future Self
How will my future self likely feel about this project?
Is this a gift for him that he’ll cherish and appreciate having done?
Do I want the lifetime memory of having done this?
How will this project help me grow, and what will it do for my ongoing character development?
Do I care about becoming the person who has this completed project in his past?
Harmony
Which parts of me object to this project? What do they have to say about it? What specific aspects do they object to?
Can I dialogue with them and intelligently resolve their objections to their satisfaction, potentially modifying the approach, so they can feel aligned with it?
Can I flow into this project with strong inner harmony and commitment, or will some parts of me resist and sabotage or derail it?
Problems
What types of problems am I likely to encounter along the way?
Do I find these problems interesting and compelling?
Do these problems light up my mind and make me feel deeply engaged?
Do I look forward to solving them?
Am I fascinated by these problems enough to care about solving them?
Do these feel like worthy problems to solve?
Can I summon the patience to solve them intelligently?
Evidence of Support
Am I seeing evidence of support for this idea from life or reality?
Any hints, signs, or synchronicities of potentially greater alignment?
Will I have to self-power this project, or is reality making it clear that it will back me up with abundant support and resources if I do this?
Stimulation
Would the inter-dimensional aliens find this idea entertaining?
Or would they find it drab, boring, or tedious?
Will they be enthralled if I go for it, or will they throw popcorn at the screen in disgust?
This last part is a reference to a frame that I shared in the Deep Abundance Integration course, which many people found useful for thinking about their goals.
Yes, I really do ask these sorts of questions regarding the alien perspective too because it helps me make better decisions. If I think a project would bore any aliens, that’s a hint that it may not be sustainably motivating for me either. It means I need to explore how to make it edgier and more stimulating, so I feel very awake and alive while implementing it.