Hey Reader,
Ever felt that quiet restlessness while pursuing your passion?
Like it no longer light you up as it used to?
You’re not alone.
And nothing is wrong with you.
High performers often mistake this feeling as losing their edge, when in truth, it’s just their inner self pointing toward something new.
In today’s issue, we’ll explore the phases of pursuing our interests and how to sustain excellence in all phases.
💭 The miles Roger Federer didn’t waste
Let’s talk about Roger Federer.
He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
But he didn’t start obsessed with tennis.
As a kid, he played basketball, badminton, soccer… anything that let him move.
His mother was even a tennis coach, but she refused to train him.
In interviews with The New York Times and BBC Sport, she explained that he didn’t take instruction well from her and that she wanted him to enjoy the game without pressure.
By the time Roger finally focused on tennis, his game was already layered with everything he’d learned from those other arenas.
That early mix of sports turned out to be gold.
The experience shaped his coordination, balance, and mental agility.
Federer once said he didn’t specialise early because he “wanted to enjoy sport first.”
That’s the thing about interests.
His greatness wasn’t born from an obsession with one thing.
He was curious about many things that eventually merged into mastery.
🧠 Explore and exploit
There are two phases we go through to discover and achieve our deepest desires.
It’s the idea of the exploration and exploitation phase.
In the exploration phase, you’re wandering, testing new styles, trying different methods and approaches, and experimenting with ideas.
You’ll fail, win, fall, and rise over and over again.
There’ll be many proud moments and many sad moments. People will think you’re delusional.
But your curiosity is taking the lead here.
The exploitation phase is when you find what clicks.
A system, a style, a pattern, or formula that works, and you double down on it, build a structure around it, and scale it. Your confidence takes the lead here.
If you deny yourself the experience of both phases, it can get tricky.
You may feel stuck because you're clinging too tightly to a part of your interest that used to feel great.
Your mind tells you to stick to it so you don’t ruin a good thing.
But your gut wants you to find the courage to explore again.
You’ve built systems, brands, routines, and identities that made you successful.
But if you outgrow a part of the interest that created that success, you’ll start feeling flat, even when things are technically fine.
That fear of being seen as uncertain, inconsistent, or distracted despite your desire for more can hold you back from achieving your highest potential.
And it can dim the love and passion you once had.
❤️ Dare to explore, then commit
Excellence requires being open to exploring yourself over and over again.
Every time you lean into curiosity, you notice something new and better about your interest.
You’ll see fresh angles.
That openness keeps you alive.
You’re discovering new things about your talent, refining and developing.
You’re also discovering more things about what excites you, and what you can do that you haven’t done before.
You spot new opportunities inside your current success.
The more you explore, the clearer your instincts become.
The clearer your instincts, the easier it is to commit without fear.
It brings back that energy that made you unstoppable in the first place.
You become thrilled at the idea of new possibilities.
That thrill kills the fear of the unknown.
You’re ready to take risks, explore new trends, fresh perspectives, and collaborations.
You’ll care less about external validation because there’s a desire burning from within. You're ready to try again if you fail.
You take every day as an exciting ride of self discovery.
And when you find what works again, you go all in and create another masterpiece.
🤲 Exploring with purpose
When you’re pursuing your interests, a lot of things come into play.
But the key thing is to be brutally intentional.
You can practice these 4 simple steps to keep you grounded and expanding at the same time:
- Find something worthy of your care. Don’t explore because you’re bored. Do it because something in you wants to grow again. That could be a side idea, a new angle in your business, or a skill that scares you a little. If it wakes you up when you think about it, it’s worth your time.
- Be open to experiencing the outcome. Once you pick something to explore, stay long enough to be changed by it. Ask yourself: Am I truly present in this process, or am I judging it too early because I can’t see the result yet?
- Master the act of grit. No pursuit of excellence is possible without it. It will help you stay with the discomfort of growth long enough for clarity to arrive. It’ll keep you when it gets hard. Ask yourself: What part of my growth am I stopping if I quit now because I’m uncomfortable with uncertainty?
- Go all in. If it energises you, stretches you, and scares you a little but feels so right, that’s your cue to double down. Ask yourself: What system, habit, or structure would help me build momentum around this? Go all in. Exploit, leverage, and scale.
🎯 Be courageous to explore your interests
What if the emptiness you feel isn’t failure but some sort of redirection?
What part of you have you not yet given the chance to evolve?
There’s always a deeper version of yourself beyond the one you’re already on.
And the people who never stop growing are the ones who never stop discovering themselves.
As Alan Watts said, “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”
So, don’t be scared to keep exploring your interests.
You’ve got this.
With appreciation,
Huw
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Huw Edwards
Founder & CEO, h3.xyz
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