When a co-worker or boss asks what you've been up to, and you casually reply, "I've been wandering," you're likely to get a mix of confusion and maybe even disdain. After all, wandering—by definition—means moving aimlessly from place to place, which hardly screams productivity.

But while wandering might be unproductive in the traditional sense, it’s far from useless.

If you stick with me, you might discover that wandering isn’t aimless—it’s an art form with meaning hidden in its ambiguity.

Redefining what it means to wander

To wander is to consciously pursue an array of different paths driven by your authentic curiosity with the intent of finding your unique purpose.

A phrase I’ve found helpful throughout my lasting season of wandering is throw crap at the wall and see what sticks.

Since 2019, I've tried and "failed" at countless creative projects and business ideas to a point where I humbly think most people would have given up by now. Call it oblivious or even delusional.

I call it perseverance.

To wander stacked with an ability to persevere through times of uncertainty of whether or not you’re on the right path is how you’ll discover your calling.

Tips on wandering

With that definition of wandering in mind, I want to talk about what I’ve learned from the past 5 years of wandering.

Remove failure from your vocabulary

In seasons of wandering, you don’t fail when something doesn’t work out. You add skills to your tool belt, lessons to your expertise, and collect interesting data that you can transfer to the next project.

Each time something doesn’t work, I imagine myself adding another key to a growing keyring—a collection of tools and solutions I can draw from for future projects.

Eventually, all these keys will come together to unlock something extraordinary. It will feel as if the stars aligned, and none of it would have been possible without the countless “failures” along the way.

Experiment

Curiosity is a great navigator in seasons of wandering.

Experiment with projects in fields that genuinely interest you, even if they seem completely off-brand or at odds with how you or others perceive you.

It’ll be uncomfortable, and it may not stick. But that’s the point.

Seasons of wandering differ in length from person to person

Your season of wandering may be longer or shorter than someone else’s. The exciting part is it doesn’t matter! You are on your own journey, and comparing it to someone else’s will ruin the whole experience and suck the joy out of the process.

My season of wandering has lasted 5 years and is still going!

For some, it may only take one throw at the wall, and something sticks. For others, you could be throwing stuff at the wall for years until something sticks. One is not better than the other. It’s all unique to why God put you on this earth.

Doubt is the enemy

Surround yourself with people who know what you’re doing and who understand the value of it. To surround yourself with people who negatively doubt you is how you’ll quit, and quitting is the only way you’ll fail.

Self-doubt is destructive; external doubt is catastrophic.

Life goes on

Life still goes on while you’re in a season of wandering, the world won’t stop around and wait for you to find your purpose.

Continue to do what’s necessary.

It’s different for everyone, so think contextually about your circumstances and act accordingly.

What to do when nothing piques your interest?

In my experience, there are times when it feels like I’ve tried everything, yet nothing sparks excitement.

What pulls me out of these slumps is consuming content widely—but not the usual YouTube videos or books I gravitate toward. Instead, I dive into unfamiliar fields.

The key is connecting dots across the infinite works of nature. Everything in the world is interconnected, woven together with unity and marvelous patterns. It’s like an artist taking inspiration from architecture or a filmmaker finding ideas in an oil painting.

Don’t limit yourself to one area of focus—because inspiration is everywhere.

Wandering is not about aimlessness but about intentional exploration.

It's a journey of continuous learning, where each experience, whether it seems successful or not, contributes to your ultimate growth.

Embrace the uncertainty, stay curious, and trust in your unique path.

Notes

Thank you for reading! If this resonated with you, consider subscribing to this newsletter or sharing it with a friend—it would mean the world to me.

If you’re new here, send me an email at to.chrisdiaz@gmail.com and introduce yourself. I’d love to connect!

As always, I’m forever grateful for your support.

~ Chris

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