At 17, I applied to 5 different majors across 5 different universities:

• Nursing

• Undeclared

• Computer Science

• Music performance

• Aerospace engineering

• Mechanical engineering

Most people would think "Wow, you have so many options!" but for me it was more like "Oh fuck, I have so many options!"

Truthfully, I had no idea what to do with my life. Sure, I had interests in those things, but I couldn't commit to one. It didn't help when every adult said something like:

"Make sure you enjoy it, because you'll be stuck with it for the rest of your life!"

(As the story goes, I chose aerospace engineering, but dropped out 3 years later)

If you're a multitalented individual, you probably experienced something similar.

It's like making a parent put their kids up for adoption and telling them they can only keep 1.

And I hate to say it, but:

They're right.

I know this is blasphemous since a lot of my content is about refusing to stick to 1 thing forever.

Bear with me my friend, I'll explain shortly.

Before we go on though, let's call the "1 thing" a 1T for the sake of brevity.

First, let’s agree on this: you and I do need something to focus on.

In fact, I'm willing to bet that you not-so-secretly do want a 1T.

You just don't know what that is (yet).

Problem is society keeps forcing a 1T you don’t want down your throat.

So, let's break down how to find the a 1T that:

• Gives focus without confining you

• Scratches your multidisciplinary itch

• Brings you joy & fulfillment while doing good for society

The 3 Components of Your 1T

Everybody tells you to pick a 1T.

But what nobody tells you is it's a specific type of 1T.

You see, a 1T actually consists of 3 parts:

• What

• When

• How long

If you're a STEM nerd, think of it like a vector with 3 components.

For us dropouts, think of it as 3 questions:

• What is the 1T?

• When do I start the 1T?

• For how long am I doing the 1T?

With that framework, let's break down the 1T your teachers, parents, and all of society assign you.

We'll call it the "Default 1T: "

• What: A specific occupation, like nurse, lawyer, etc.

• When: 16-18 or whenever you start college/trade school

• How Long: Until 65 or death, whichever comes first

First, let’s talk about the what.

Having an occupation as a 1T isn’t bad. After all, it makes you money and is a great stepping stone. But if you laser in too deep, you become replaceable. Plus, if you’re like me, it gets boring after a while.

The issues begin with when.

You're forced to figure out this occupation long before you know what to do with your life.

When you graduate high school, you’re just now seeing see the real world for what it is. It makes 0 sense to tie yourself down to 1 thing that early.

But that's not even the worst part.

Society forces you to stick with the Default 1T until you're too old to wipe your pants.

Society forces you, a 16-18 year old whose brain hasn't matured, to predict the future in 2 ways:

• Will I like this forever?

• Will this make me money and continue to do so?

The Default 1T makes the false assumption that things will stay the way they are, forever.

You and I both know that's BS.

The Real Problem Isn't Having a 1T...

Let me tell you another story about me:

I had a childhood obsession with drawing the Titanic. Within 30 minutes of spotting a blank sheet of A4 paper, it would have a shitty sketch of the Titanic. Does that mean I should have become a ship engineer?

Maybe. I got over it after a while. But imagine if I told younger me:

“Alright Aaron, you silly little boy, I want you to draw the Titanic, over and over, from 9-5, Monday to Friday. And you can’t stop until you’re 65.”

It sounds ridiculous, but that's the logic of the Default 1T.

Now, before we move on, let’s take a step back and reason from first principles:

• Are there 1Ts you love? Yes

• Are there 1Ts you’d love at some point in your life, but hate in others? Sure.

• Are there 1Ts so compelling you wouldn't mind dedicating your life to it? Most likely.

The real problem is: society forces the wrong 1T at the wrong time, for the wrong duration.

It's not that you don't want a 1T.

You just don't want a 1T that takes longer or shorter than justified. You want to choose it at a time that makes sense in your life. And discard it when you see fit.

So now the question is: how do we pick the right 1T?

--————————-

The 3 Types of 1Ts

There are 3 types of 1T's, categorized by time:

• Forever 1T's

• For a While 1T's (3-10 years)

• For a Minute 1T's (<3 years)

Why time?

Because it is our most valuable resource.

Categorizing by time lets you accurately choose when to start, stop, or continue a specific 1T.

Why waste a lot of time on a 1T that doesn't deserve it?

Why give little time to a 1T that does?

I'll give you a brief story for each type to illustrate each.

Finding your Forever 1T According to Steve Jobs

Since 1997, Apple's market cap went from $2.3 billion to $3.4 trillion.

That's ~148,000%. Insane.

But what do you think is the most important part of Apple?

Is it the iPhone? After all, it consists of 46% of their revenue.

Well then what if they kept making iPhones?

Shit, they started with Macs, why didn't they keep making those forever?

Because Apple believes in something more:

Apple is forever married to 1 thing: their values.

If their Forever 1T was to make personal computers, we wouldn’t have the other cool shit, from:

• iPod

• iPhone

• iPad

But they still made sense within the ethos of Apple. By being loyal to their values over just 1 product, this allowed them to continue to come up with cool shit, not get shoved in a box, and maintain focus.

That’s the essence of your Forever 1Ts.

They either don’t exist in the physical world or have yet to. They bring focus and direction into your life without shoving you in a box.

Here are some examples of Forever 1T's:

• Values

• Beliefs

• Vision

The more metaphysical the 1T, the more time worth allotting to it.

Steve Jobs wasn't born in a world where computers and phones were everywhere.

But he envisioned one, dedicated over half his life to make it happen.

Chances are you already have several Forever 1T’s.

And this is powerful, because that means you’re not as much of directionless mess as you thought.

You just need to find the next set of 1T's.

Finding Your "For a While" 1T

"Fuck you both, I've got a spreadsheet."

Elon Musk was so fed up with the Russians trying to rip him off (and get him drunk on Vodka), he made his own rocket in Excel. When former JPL fellow Jim Cantrell took a look, it seemed pretty legit.

That Excel sheet became the foundation for SpaceX’s first rocket: Falcon 1.

Little did they know, it would be 6 years grueling years before they could get it to orbit.

A good "For A While 1T" should be:

• Hard

• Tangible

• Takes 3-10 years

• Aligned with your Forever 1T

I'll share one of mine: make $10 million/yr working 3 hours a day or less.

I’m 23, 14 months in making $1k/mo. I don’t expect to get there until I’m 30.

Why is it important to me? Because it lets me start other ventures without worrying about money. And I want the next 1000 years of Labajo's to be financially independent.

Whatever your "For A While 1T" is, make sure it's hard, exciting, and actually is in alignment with your Forever 1T.

Finding Your For a Minute 1T

So you've figured out your:

• Forever 1T's

• For a While 1Ts

Now it's time to figure out your For a Minute 1Ts. This can take anywhere between several weeks to 3 years.

The easiest place to start is with your problems.

Ask yourself: "What are the biggest current problems in my life?" Hint: look for the lowest hanging fruit.

• Depressed as fuck? -> Get therapy, learn about psychology.

• Terrible physical shape? -> Learn how to lose fat and gain muscle

• Stuck in a job you hate? -> Upskill or start a business.

As you pursue your For A Minute 1T, life will present you with Micro 1Ts: tiny problems you have to solve to complete your For A Minute 1T.

Here are some examples from when I was trying to lose 40 pounds:

• AHH I don't know what to eat??

• What do you mean running doesn't burn fat?

• Uhh... how many calories am I supposed to eat?

Micro 1Ts are gaps in your knowledge and/or experience. You plug them up through information in the form of:

• Books

• Podcasts

• YouTube Videos

• Painfully making the same mistake over and over

Then once you plug it up, new Micro 1Ts show up.

Completing your For A Minute 1T is the process of solving Micro 1Ts over and over.

Completing your For A While 1T is the process of solving your For A Minute 1Ts over and over.

I know this stuff sounds super granular, but trust me, it compounds.

Along the way, you’ll apply your unique interests & skills while learning plenty more.

The best part? No matter what you do next, you will never start from 0 again. You get to bring those with you to the next endeavor. (and the next!)

In solving my weight problem, I had to learn:

• Nutrition

• Anatomy

• Kinisielogy

• Mobility

• Flexiblity

I didn't sit at my laptop studying every possible mistake in advance.

I didn't sit in a classroom hoarding up knowledge without applying it.

I learned enough to get going, encountered a ton of Micro 1Ts, and plugged them up with knowledge. But you know what else I learned?

• Focus

• Discipline

• Persistence

Which I applied to building my audience to 2300+ followers on Threads. So it would have been impossible if I didn't spend the entire year before getting in shape.

At the end of the day, it will be action that gets you to your goals.

Once you get your 1Ts sorted out, it’s simply a matter of executing like a mad man.

Final Note:

If for some reason pursuing anything in your life becomes miserable, you’re allowed to stop.

You’re allowed to try something else.

You’re allowed to change.

If there’s anything I’ve learned, this world is unkind to Polymaths & Multipassionates.

It will always try to shove you in a box.

But you don’t have to let them.

That’s it for this week.

Catch you in the next one,

A-a-ron