What They Don't Tell You About "Finding Yourself"
How storyboarding your life reveals the path you're already on
"Find your passion" is the most overrated advice ever.
It's like we're supposed to be on some spiritual treasure hunt for our "authentic self." As if there's a perfect version of you buried somewhere, just waiting to be discovered.
What if we've got this whole thing backward?
For years, I felt like something was wrong with me. I bounced between economics, sales, VC, and product management like a pinball machine. Each time thinking "maybe THIS is finally my passion."
Meanwhile, I'd look at friends who seemed so certain:
"I've always wanted to be a doctor"
"I was born to create music"
"I knew since I was 12 that I wanted to design shoes"
And I'd think: what's wrong with me? Why am I 20% committed to five different things instead of 100% devoted to one thing?
Then I had a breakthrough.
What if you're not supposed to find yourself?
What if you're supposed to create yourself?
Reformat Your Story
When Walt pitched his business vision, he didn't just hand over a boring plan. He created this famous interconnected diagram showing how films, theme parks, merchandise, and talent all worked together in unexpected ways.
Same information. Different format.
This is exactly what we need for our own lives.
I tried an experiment. I literally storyboarded my entire career journey – everything I could remember, going back years.
Patterns emerged that I never saw before.
What looked like career ADHD revealed itself as a coherent journey centered around technology and innovation.
I wasn't scattered. I was exploring the same core interests from different angles.
The reformatting process is key:
1. If you have a written career story, draw it out visually
2. If it's visual in your head, write it into a narrative
3. Look for the connections that only become visible when changing perspective
Create Yourself, Don't Find Yourself
This completely changes how you make decisions.
Instead of the paralyzing "Is this my passion?" question, I now think: "What story could this choice create?"
I take more risks now.
I've relaxed my rigid rules about career paths.
I'm open to serendipity.
I see changing directions not as failure but as course correction.
You are a blank canvas. You get to paint your life through your actions, not by discovering some pre-existing masterpiece.
The truth is that you don't have a core self that needs to be found and protected, you are the sum of your actions, the author of your own story.
So stop searching for yourself.
Start creating yourself instead.
One decision and action at a time.