500 Words a Week - Make it worth it
There’s a trade-off between only doing what we enjoy in our day to day lives, and putting ourselves into situations where we may not enjoy it as much as we wanted to but hope that it will lead to payoffs down the line. Within S&C, we have all had unpaid internship experiences that we may not have enjoyed as much as we hoped, but worked through with the hope of learning the craft and opening up opportunities.
“Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life.” – Jerzy Gregorek. Image from Visualize Value.
Something we learn through childhood (along with many others) is delayed gratification. The marshmallow experiment is one where a child is shown a marshmallow and told they can have this one now or if they wait a certain period of time they can have two marshmallows. With our current obsession on happiness and enjoyment, are we the child who is quickly grabbing the marshmallow as soon as we have seen it? Or have we the forethought to wait for the two marshmallows down the line.
I’m not discouraging those who are looking to seek happiness in their everyday life. This is focused on if you are not enjoying what you are doing, you better try to make sure it is worth it in the long run. Your time isn’t infinite.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb (NNT) discusses an idea of not running for a train; “In refusing to run to catch trains, I have felt the true value of elegance and aesthetics in behaviour, a sense of being in control of my time, my schedule and my life. Missing a train is only painful if you run after it! Likewise, not matching the idea of success others expect from you is only painful if that’s what you are seeking.”
By accepting that we are in our position because of our choosing and our fore taught rather than blindly falling into it, we have a greater sense of control. We understand that while we have no marshmallow now, we are giving ourselves the opportunity to have two in the future.
“You have far more control over your life if you decide on your criterion by yourself.” - NNT
Criterion – a principle or standard by which something may be judged or decided.
Don’t be a bystander to what is passing you by. Set your terms for what success looks like.
By setting our own terms, it becomes easier for us to not constantly compare ourselves with others who we deem may have more success than us. We are on our own path.
“It is more difficult to be a loser in a game you set up yourself.” - NNT
We must not be worried or discouraged if our every waking moment isn’t filled as joyfully as we would like. We can’t eat marshmallows all the time. Life ebbs and flows.
