I Used to Think My Brain Was Broken. Turns out it’s the only thing that works in 2026.
Wildlife photography. Vibe coding. Powder laps. Building e-commerce stores.
Here’s why having “too many interests” just became the ultimate career advantage.
It’s 9:47 p.m. on a Thursday in December.
I’m in my home office, screens still glowing from reconciling November numbers.
November was our best sales month of the year because of Black Friday (now “Black Month”), which is exactly why the blog went quiet for a few weeks.
Five years ago, I would have called this lifestyle chaos.
Today, I know it’s the blueprint.
I’m the guy who will fly to Kenya for two weeks to track wildlife all day, come home, launch a new product drop, then dream about the upcoming ski season.
People used to tell me: “Michael, pick one thing. Focus.”
I tried. It felt like dying slowly.
I spent most of 2025 wondering if it was time to scale down. I considered letting someone else run the business so I could go all-in on wildlife photography.
But then it hit me: Why choose? Why not do all the things I love?
Turns out, the world finally caught up. Being wired this way is the highest-leverage setup for 2026.
The Three Things No AI Can Copy From You
1. Generalism (Wide + Deep)
I can nail a technical exposure in low light. I can build a brand from scratch. I can fix a server crash at 2 a.m.
These aren’t separate skills. They are the same curiosity muscle applied to different playgrounds.
2. Taste
The gap between what you like and what you can make only closes one way: Volume.
I have hard drives full of terrible photos and trash ad copy from 2017.
Those files are receipts. Taste is trainable.
3. Agency
Low-agency waits for permission.
High-agency books the flight to Africa because the light might be good. It buys the inventory when the numbers are scary. It skins up the mountain when the forecast is grey.
Same mindset. Different canvas.
How to Monetize “Too Many Passions”
I never planned on running multiple e-com stores. I just saw opportunities people ignored because they were “too niche.”
I built the stores I wanted to shop at.
The model is simple:
Find the intersection of your interests → Solve your own problem → Let the tribe find you.
The 20-Minute End-of-Year Exercise:
Grab a notebook.
- Audit: Where were you 3 years ago? (Mindset, bank account, routine).
- List: Every current obsession (Me: Wildlife photograpghy, vibe coding, skiing, sourcing, container arbitrage).
- Solve: Under each, list 2 problems you’ve solved for yourself.
- Connect: Draw arrows between the lists.
Suddenly, you have 5 product ideas that no one else on Earth could invent.
That’s your edge.
Stop Apologizing
The old world rewarded narrow depth.
The new world rewards synthesis—people who dance between domains and bring the patterns back.
AI eats the predictable.
It leaves the taste, the synthesis, and the guts.
That’s us.
November crushed records because we shipped hard. The blog was quiet because real life was loud.
Tomorrow I’ll be up at 4 a.m. chasing products before Chinese New Year.
It’s not a contradiction. It’s the point.
Stop treating your brain like a bug. It’s a feature.
Now close this tab and go make the thing only you can make.
See you on the mountain, in the blind, or refreshing the dashboard at 3 a.m.
— Michael