Day 585 - Being my own person - https://golifelog.com/posts/being-my-own-person-1659927699175
Reading this random Facebook post and all its comments definitely got me thinking:
"Diamonds are formed under pressure.
Bread dough rises when you let it rest.
[Yet] Bread dough rises faster in the heat. Resting too long ruins the bread.
Seeds grow when it’s dark, after being buried.
[Yet] Plants grow tall when it’s bright, after breaking through the soil.
Boiling water softens the potato but hardens the eggs.
The same pressure that makes diamonds also bursts pipes.
Light is a particle, it’s also a wave.
What’s normal for a spider is chaos for a fly.
The same sun that melts the wax will harden clay.
The same rain that drowns the rat will grow the hay.
The mighty wind that knocks us down if we lean into it will drive our fears away.
Cakes go stiff when they age. Biscuits go soft when they age.
The fire that melts butter also harden steel."
I’m trying to be my own person. But it’s so easy to get swayed by others. Everyone’s different. Broad strokes advice that works for one doesn’t work for another. Yet being discerning and selective takes effort. So so much effort and energy to listen carefully, filter out ruthlessly, and to apply new ideas with nuance.
What’s inspiring to me might be cringey for others.
What’s helpful to my context is disabling to someone else.
We’re all our own persons.
So do we listen and mimic others, or not?
Is comparison really the thief of joy?
Maybe this is the key:
Compare on the small details, the inputs, the process.
Don’t compare on the big things, the outcomes and results.
If I learn from others on how they work, be more productive, how they market and sell, that helps me learn and grow too. My actions and inputs are things I can control.
But if I start comparing the revenue they get, the lifestyle they achieved, how much success they have, then more likely than not it will steal joy from me, because outcomes are not within my control.
So, be my own person, be discerning and independent for the big things. Be humble, curious and open to influence for the small things.
"Diamonds are formed under pressure.
Bread dough rises when you let it rest.
[Yet] Bread dough rises faster in the heat. Resting too long ruins the bread.
Seeds grow when it’s dark, after being buried.
[Yet] Plants grow tall when it’s bright, after breaking through the soil.
Boiling water softens the potato but hardens the eggs.
The same pressure that makes diamonds also bursts pipes.
Light is a particle, it’s also a wave.
What’s normal for a spider is chaos for a fly.
The same sun that melts the wax will harden clay.
The same rain that drowns the rat will grow the hay.
The mighty wind that knocks us down if we lean into it will drive our fears away.
Cakes go stiff when they age. Biscuits go soft when they age.
The fire that melts butter also harden steel."
I’m trying to be my own person. But it’s so easy to get swayed by others. Everyone’s different. Broad strokes advice that works for one doesn’t work for another. Yet being discerning and selective takes effort. So so much effort and energy to listen carefully, filter out ruthlessly, and to apply new ideas with nuance.
What’s inspiring to me might be cringey for others.
What’s helpful to my context is disabling to someone else.
We’re all our own persons.
So do we listen and mimic others, or not?
Is comparison really the thief of joy?
Maybe this is the key:
Compare on the small details, the inputs, the process.
Don’t compare on the big things, the outcomes and results.
If I learn from others on how they work, be more productive, how they market and sell, that helps me learn and grow too. My actions and inputs are things I can control.
But if I start comparing the revenue they get, the lifestyle they achieved, how much success they have, then more likely than not it will steal joy from me, because outcomes are not within my control.
So, be my own person, be discerning and independent for the big things. Be humble, curious and open to influence for the small things.
