You’re studying something that you do not even know is going to be part of your future. How do we even know if what we do will lead where it has been promised?
Well here’s what I’ve realized we can only make decisions based on our current knowledge. If it does not work out we act based from a new reference frame. The way to move forward is to act then act then act. From there you will start seeing where you need to study in order to advance. If you only live your life based on what people have promised to be the outcome, you will only be taking a shot in the dark.
Even if your path is only partial lit by your actions you can see something that will move you forward. Do not build a life on promises. A promise of a good income if you complete certain education requirements is not solid. We never know where the world is going to take us. Even Einstein later in life did not want to believe that the laws of the universe were governed by uncertainty. Some of my shots paid off, some did not.
So where do we go?
This is something that keeps me up at night wondering if my choices will pay off. I find the key is to only worry about high impact choices and not waste time with the trivial. How do you even know if you are making the right choices? Well you don’t unless you keep track and constantly review your strategy.
What is actually on my mind?
My mind is filled with all the ideas of projects that I want to work on. My mind is filled with the barriers that are in my way. I aim to get past them but it’s difficult when you are a person with a habit of filling your time with a lot of work coming from many different directions. All the work requires urgency and it’s if I’m getting pulled apart at every limb. This is why I am demanding myself to work on something that matters more to me, than work that matters more to my future self.
Working for your future self
Every shot is a job for your future self. It clears the way to become that person. Your work makes you better now but matters more to the person that you are becoming. They will be the ones to use the skills. But I’ve seen that you have to make room for doing work for the person you are now. For example creating art or writing code for a project.
That comes down to being present in the current age and time. It’s dawning on me that you cannot keep waiting to provide value. There’s no reason that you can’t be useful for your own beliefs and the not demands of your job and education. Yes work by itself it fulfilling, I even wrote an article about that, but life becomes dismal when it hits you that you are doing everything for other people and not enough for yourself. Even though doing for other people is doing for yourself, it’s the duality. Time is any illusion but actions bring reactions.
How to interact with the world, while you have not made a dent in your own mind. It’s a contradiction that hurts because everyone around you says how useful and great you are to them. I think the unsettling fact is that you haven’t done enough to satisfy yourself. Pleasing people is useful in the short term. Getting the grades and increasing your value to others. But in the long term if you are providing value that only has asymmetric returns for others and not yourself; I think that is when the mindset of when is this week going to end or this year going to end enters your conscious thoughts.
That mindset is not sustainable even if you say to yourself, just take it day by day, month by month. That year away will still always be to far away especially if you feel that are sacrificing for the benefit of other peoples success. Focus on you now. Now and own use the same letters. Focus on the now for yourself, others own you if forget about yourself.
This article is part of my goal to write everyday for an hour and post it everyday. It may not be edited to my standards but the goal is create value and get content out everyday.
