You're In A Trap (but you can get out)

Hi friend

Richard Feynman once said that Calculus is a language of the Gods. Fortunately, we're not Gods so we're not going to solve Calculus today, but what we will discuss is 'patterns' and 'trajectories'.

We all want to be 'different'. We want to pursue what makes us 'happy'. A question that slapped my naïve self "How will you be different if you do the same things?"

We think that our promotion will make us happy/ buying that house will fill the void in our lives. Have a look at people who've already done that. Do they look any happier? Are they doing the things that you think you'll do someday?

If you're doing the same things those people did, you're going to end up the same way. If that's who you want to be, swell, but it's good to be aware of the trajectory that you're on.

Patterns Work Both Ways

While doing things one way will give you one output, there's no rule on how to do things. If you want to be an accountant who can sing on the weekends while having the ability to bench-press your body weight no ones stopping you.

Sure you'll have to do things a bit differently but where's the fun in doing what everyone else is? (not that there's anything wrong with it)

So how does one actually do the things they want to do?

A good start is realising what one wants to do while also differentiating between what one thinks they have to do (because society pokes its nose in everything).

Once you've figured out the things you want to do, comes the real work - doing things that are needed.

Say you want to be a runner, you'll have to do a few things.

1. Start running

2. Join a gym for strengthening

3. Improve your sleep and nutrition

4. Eliminate the things you're currently doing that prevent you from doing 1-3. It maybe be late night parties, eating calorie heavy (but nutrient deficient) food and what not.

If you follow the habits of someone who spends their weekends recovering from a hangover, it may not bode so well. For some, that's an idea of fun, for me that's 'playing catch-up' while life passes you by (and also a crappy excuse to drown in alcohol and unhealthy food).

The bright side to all this is, doing the things you want make you happy (I can vouch for it). The real trick is doing what you truly want. This doesn't mean you hate your job, but it also doesn't mean you don't pursue the things that interest you.

I tweeted this thought a couple of days ago and the response confirmed that:

So, to sum up:

1. Do things you want to vs. doing things you think you want to do

2. Start doing what's required to be what you want

3. Acknowledge that simplicity doesn't mean 'easy'. You'll probably fail multiple times, but you'll also succeed along the way. Take my word for it; last year I wrote 15 times, now I've written 10x the amount easily.

I know that was a little deeper than past letters but it is something to think about. Let me know what you think or if you want to discuss :)

p.s. for those who are new, thanks for joining the community. Feel free to say hi by hitting reply

Regards

Rainar xx