The Center of Your Own Life
Hope isn't a strategy. Yet when all other strategies fail to deliver results, it creeps on you in a way that makes the difference between giving up completely and finding the strength to try a different approach.
As of late, I've noticed I have much less of a tendency to be hopeful, dream big, be an optimist that would rather see the positive side of every situation.
The only part I miss innately is dreaming big, there's a certain alive-ness that always come with having grand visions of how one's reality could become when/if xyz is done.
It's akin to the difference between walking through life with a destination in mind versus just wandering aimlessly. The vision gives you energy, even if the path isn't clear, yet.
This issue sometimes is making sense of the opportunity cost of chasing multiple dreams at once, especially when the mind tries to churn out one string of grand visions that aren't remotely related to each other.
The Musician Who Must Learn to Play
It's not that I've been jaded by disappointment or become burned out from trying and failing. That's not why this propensity for big dreams has been turned down a lot.
Instead, I think I'm graduating from the stage of youthful folly, where I've awakened to the reality that reality is far more complex and demanding than my younger self imagined.
Think of it like this: when you're young, you can dream of becoming a famous musician without ever learning to play an instrument consistently.
Now I tangibly understand that the dream needs to be backed by daily practice, networking, understanding the music business, and probably having a backup plan for paying rent and other basic necessities.
Higher Stakes, Greater Possibilities
I still believe that this messy chaos of our modern world has a beautiful aspect which is ten times more powerful than its evident ugly side.
Social media also connects people across continents despite how addictive and divisive it has become. And as much as the economy seems uncertain, there are still more opportunities to create value than ever before.
There is still more upside for those willing to engage thoughtfully and strategically, despite the downside of messing it up being exponentially high. The stakes feel higher now because we're more aware of them.
One bad financial decision can set you back years. But one good idea, executed well, can change everything.
Acknowledging the good doesn't necessarily mean discarding the bad and the ugly.
Like being a good doctor, you have to diagnose the illness honestly before you can treat it effectively. Pretending everything is fine doesn't help anyone get better.
Making peace with the bad and the ugly could actually be the best strategy to participate in the evolution of the good, since you can't improve what you refuse to acknowledge.
Scrolling vs. Building
I'm better off being realistic and practical in navigating through this beautiful messy chaos we now call the modern world because it gives a less filtered lens to view opportunities and challenges more clearly.
Much like opportunity costs, there's a time cost to dwelling around the periphery of reality trying to look for scraps of meaning and purpose, so to speak, when you should be at the center of your own life making things happen.
Why spend hours scrolling through other people's success stories when actually working on your own project(s) is what moves you forward?
Looking back, I have a hard time accepting how much time I've wasted consuming instead of creating, even though both did felt productive at the moment, only one ended up creating real progress.
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