My husband is an excellent photographer; he could take a better photograph than you or me of just about anything. Yet I have seen his creativity bloom and output increase since he narrowed his focus to mostly floral creatives and horticulture. He's pushing the boundaries on those areas with each shot, exploring new techniques, rather than moving from one subject to another to another.
I've written over 150 blog posts. I'm guessing about 145 of them have been between 300 and 500 words long. All of their titles start with verbs. They all have a single small image at the top of the post, and very few have any additional pictures. When I started my blog, I created those few parameters to help guide my writing. Deciding to follow a certain pattern limited my choices, which has helped me be more creative.
It sounds counterintuitive, but often boundaries create freedom.
So what might this look like for you? If you have had "Take a trip to Europe" on your bucket list for years but haven't made a single reservation, limit yourself by selecting one area or site you know you want to see: "Visit Barcelona" or "See the Vatican." Or by establishing a timeline: "Decide on a 2019 vacation by Thanksgiving." Or by visiting a travel agent with a specific budget: "I want to see as much of Europe as possible on $3000." Once you have those parameters to work within, you'll likely be able to generate more enthusiasm and momentum toward pursuing your dream.
There are many positives to having a lot of choices, but this can also lead to feelings of overwhelm or analysis paralysis. Multiple studies have shown too many choices can actually decrease your sense of well-being.
Want more freedom? Limit yourself.
Photo by Nick van den Berg on Unsplash