Live by the ‘Do more’ mantra

Tushar Gupta
Ruminate
Published in
3 min readDec 12, 2016

It’s a good notion to evaluate yourself every once in a while. Assessing one’s performance with regards to his/her goals is something we all should do. But the problem most people face is in finding a passion.

It’s hard to find something to do and stick to it. Some people don’t even bother trying, which makes you, someone who’s reading this article, one step closer to finding it than they are.

It all begins with getting out of your comfort zone.

Probably the most clichéd motivational phrase ever, right? You’d be surprised to see how well it works if you give it a shot. Humans naturally tend to oppose change. We all have our workflows, we tend to stick to what we know. This is where the “Do More” strategy comes into the picture.

The idea is to always be out of your comfort zone. Pick up a skill and work on a project related to it. The details of the project are completely dependent on you. Maybe it’s graphic design, watch a few tutorials, start creating. Maybe it’s programming, read a few books, start making your own app.

The best way to learn something is by doing it. It’s by learning through implementation.

When you’re done with this experience, whether you finished it in its entirety, or left half way through it, ask yourself these questions:

1. Did you like working on it?

Irrespective of whether the final outcome is according to world’s standards, if you think that the time you spent on it made you happy (which won’t be the case if you left it mid-way, because then obviously you didn’t like it), that means you’re getting warmer.

2. Is there more to learn?

This is the most fundamental question. Suppose you start with design, obviously the first piece of art that you create won’t be the best design known to man. But if this field/skill has intrigued you enough, you’ll want to explore. This is a wonderful feeling because you just tried something and you want to learn more about it. A step in the right direction, definitely.

3. Maybe it wasn’t interesting enough?

A lot of the times when you try new things, you might find yourself in this predicament. And I want to tell you that’s okay. Atleast you tried. And now you know that you weren’t made for this. That’s one wrong answer scratched off, right?

The key is to repeat this entire process. It’s important to stay positive. You might not find your passion right away, or it might get boring after a while. But the great part is that you’re trying. You’re doing so much more than you were before. In the process, I can guarantee you’ll meet new people, experience new things, and get to know yourself more. It is worth it, believe me.

Step away from interests that don’t develop you over time.

Stop getting comfortable. Keep exploring new interests, you only have so much time. Set goals with every interest you pursue, evaluate your life every week. Make sure what you’re doing today is getting you closer to where you see yourself tomorrow.

Ready to start implementing this to your life? Download the desktop and mobile wallpaper so you never forget.

P.S: This was my first try at writing such an article, let me know if this helped you or if you plan on trying this mantra!

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Ruminate
Ruminate

Published in Ruminate

Personal publication of the designer, developer and entrepreneur

Tushar Gupta
Tushar Gupta

Written by Tushar Gupta

Product Designer @Microsoft, previously @Google @GeorgiaTech @Cleartrip @NASA