I guess we’re all now conditioned to appreciate the extremes, aren’t we?
Anything but the best is not good enough, right?
We all aspire to drive the best car, look like a movie star, have a bodybuilder’s physique, and feel on top of the world.
Moreover, the seemingly perfect lives we see on social media and TV make us aspire to have the best of everything.
Though I understand the human nature of always aiming to be better, ‘going all in’ to achieve that is causing more harm than good.
We need to understand which battles are worth fighting. And that every battle can not be won.
There’s still a lot to be had just by being moderate.
The core of all wisdom
I believe I’ve only scratched the surface of wisdom, but I’ve come to understand that meaningful success & happiness are closely tied to ‘balance’.
However, balance does not mean ‘equality’. It means ‘equity’.
We cannot all have the same level of happiness, success, health, or beauty. Not only are our situations different, but I also believe we do not all have the same ability or willingness to achieve it all.
Understandably, this might sound contradictory to the popular notion of ‘you can do anything’. But it is reality.
Contextual hard work generates legendary results
Hard work indeed pays off. But the hidden condition is that of context.
Somebody like me, ‘going all in’ to become a film actor, will probably achieve less than a successful film actor’s son who is ‘just following the same path’.
This is true for most areas in life.
Some people have a natural inclination towards being friendly and happy. Some people are naturally more beautiful, while others have backgrounds that make them more likely to be successful.
This does not mean we can’t achieve great success or that we shouldn’t work hard to achieve our dreams.
My only point is that we should understand our context and act accordingly.
‘Going all in’ at the wrong things will make most people miserable, even if they achieve what they wanted.
It’s not just about what you achieve, but how you achieve it.
Know when to stop
You understand your context. Now what? Now you maximize what works for you.
Whatever you’re good at or seem to have working for you, give it your best. Work hard, break things, and make God feel good about how hard you’re working.
But then know when and where to stop.
If you can’t stop, you become a slave to your goal. And this is where most ambitious people destroy themselves.
If we focus on excelling in areas where we have an advantage and settle for being only good enough at the rest, we can actually achieve significant success and happiness.
Efficiency, not extremism, is key
Among hardworking people, most failures are either due to not understanding the context or ‘going all in’ where it was not necessary.
Overly ambitious people either go all in at the wrong things because they don’t know what’s right, or they know what’s right, but get carried away to such an extent that they self-destruct.
In my opinion, we should strive for efficiency and maintain balance throughout our journey. Using our time, resources, and ‘life force’ efficiently can create extraordinary, sustainable success.
Finally, we should remember this at all times – if you chase two rabbits, you’ll catch none.
Know which rabbit to catch.
