Category: self-help

Simple and difficult

FabrizioLeave a comment

The first step to achieve most things is figuring out what you want to do.

It is true for life, for career, for relationships. It is true for values and purpose too. It is true when deciding what to study, where to go on holidays, whether or not you should move abroad.

I know it might seem trivial, but many times what we end up doing has little relationship with what we want to do. And so, it’s good to dedicate time and energy to figuring out the first step.

Ask difficult questions.

What do I care about?

What type of person do I want to be?

What do I see when I look ten years from now?

What does success look like for me?

Once this is clear, then the second step is to go all-in.

This is where the challenge starts.

The moment you have made up your mind is the moment you start to be distracted and seduced by a million other possibilities. And the longer your resolution stands, the easier it will be to get demotivated and disappointed, as the path unfolding is never immediately, exactly the one you had imagined.

There is no shortcut though. You can’t achieve much by investing 10%, 50%, 99% of the effort. You can’t change course at the first opportunity, or falter in front of the umpteenth challenge. You can decide to go somewhere else, sure, but you have to go back to step one for that to be effective. And it won’t be any easier.

How simple is this to understand. How difficult to practice.

We think we know

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We think we know, and we know nothing.

We think we know how other people feel, think, prioritise, decide.

We think we know the full picture of the situation we are in.

We think we know what’s important, what matters, what everyone should be focused on.

We think we know what’s going to happen tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and next week, and next month.

We think we know the consequences of our choices on ourselves and others.

We think we know the answer to the question, and the question no one is asking.

We think we know how others see us.

We think we know how we feel, think, prioritise, decide.

And we know nothing.

Accept this simple fact, and you’ll be free.

Far away

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Sometimes we are deeply touched by events that happen miles away from our life and daily routine.

There’s much to learn when this happens. It’s about the interpretation we give to the facts, about the values they represent, about the relationships we want to establish in the world, about the group of people we want to belong to.

If we take some times to reflect on why and how such events affect us, we can get out on the other side more aware and grateful for the things we are building.

Let this be a step forward, not a reason to get stuck.

Measuring life

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There’s so much in this article by Clayton Christensen. So much to relate to and to learn from.

And most importantly, there’s this.

I have a pretty clear idea of how my ideas have generated enormous revenue for companies that have used my research; I know I’ve had a substantial impact. But as I’ve confronted this disease, it’s been interesting to see how unimportant that impact is to me now. I’ve concluded that the metric by which God will assess my life isn’t dollars but the individual people whose lives I’ve touched. I think that’s the way it will work for us all. Don’t worry about the level of individual prominence you have achieved; worry about the individuals you have helped become better people.

Clayton M. Christensen, How will you measure your life

Start walking

FabrizioLeave a comment

If you are like most people, and you are not born with a well-defined passion or a recognized talent, the best thing to do is to start walking.

You might find later you are on the right track, or perhaps you will realize that some adjustments are needed. But there’s no map to your destination, no secret instructions to follow to get where you are headed.

Start walking, and own your unique trajectory.