Many aspirations are less sexy than they seem. (see Journey vs. Destination)
The destination can be over-glorified and the journey is not worth it. We can end up chasing shadows of success and confine ourselves to a life of sacrifices. Aspirationally waiting for a better tomorrow which disappears before we reach it. Now is where it’s at.
However, journeys worth taking aren’t all rainbows and butterflies either. We should expect moments of mundanity and severe difficulties that crush our spirit.
This is part of the game of life.
What is a good game?
Imagine you are playing chess:
You always win —> you get bored —> you stop playing
You always lose —> you get bored —> you stop playing
You sometimes win —> you are challenged —> you keep playing
The opposite sides of the spectrum have the same result.
Certain success or failure is boring. We should be playing games in life where we are tested and often fail. Lack of certainty pushes us to dig deeper and reach new levels where deeper satisfaction is found.
We should find games we can keep playing for the love of playing.
The Rule of Thirds
Alexi Pappas learned this idea whilst training for the Olympics:
1/3 of your days will be good
1/3 of your days will be okay
1/3 of your days will feel crappy
(Note - zero factual data, just good vibes)
It’s essential to accept that hard things are not supposed to feel fantastic. There is no dream life where everything is easy. Cheat codes only cheat us of satisfaction.
Besides Olympic training, this idea comes up everywhere for me in life: exercise, creativity, business, and even big adventures like climbing mountains.
‘Another cold dark night on the side of Everest’
I heard this phrase on a hidden brain podcast recently.
The most significant achievements have long periods of feeling miserable. With the image of being halfway up Everest, it’s easy to visualise the goal and achievement. In the moments when our day-to-day journey feels mundane, difficult and lonely, it’s easy to lose perspective.
It’s handy to remind ourselves it’s just one of those crappy days part of doing anything worthwhile.