What would it take to live it up every moment going forward?
In spite of odds and circumstances against you.
“There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes - “What the hell is water?”
I read this story yesterday and haven’t been able to get rid of the thoughts inspired by it. The only difference is that instead of the original question, the one swirling in my head is - “How’s life?”
The standard answer to this question has been “It’s okay,” “It’s alright,” “It’s going on,” or some version of it, regardless of whether I ask it in India, the UAE, or any other country I have traveled to.
It makes me wonder why.
Have people adapted to all the developments the world has seen in the last two decades and taken it as normal instead of life-changing?
Have people forgotten how difficult it was to access information before and how many companies exploited consumers due to a lack of information or knowledge?
Have people started benchmarking their simple lives against all Instagram stories and reels where everything is picture-perfect?
Have people been filled with envy of their neighbor’s lifestyle?
Or have people raised their expectations so high that it’s almost impossible to meet them, especially when the odds are low of making it to the top in all professions globally?
But there are moments when I meet people who come across like a fresh breeze on a hot summer day. They are wildly curious about how the world works, have the ambition to chase their dreams and are grateful for how blessed they are to access today's opportunities and resources.
I meet both these sets of people in the same environment, sometimes the same entity. I have even met siblings or couples whose thought processes are polar opposites.
And these experiences make me wonder if some are freakishly lucky to be genetically predisposed to a curious and ambitious journey ahead.
Then, I also met people who had lost everything in their entrepreneurial or corporate journeys and only rose from the ashes. That second life filled them with gratitude for everything and ambition for the future.
Then, I also meet people who have been groomed by their mentors or parents for success. They have been ingrained with principles and experiences that were instrumental in shaping their beliefs and thought processes.
And if none of this applies to you, then I would urge you to seek these people out. They will exude bucketloads of positive energy and be grounded while harboring an intensity seen in a star shining bright.
If you do that, perhaps their energy will rub off on you and leapfrog you mentally before you start seeing changes in how you go about your choices in the physical domain of appearances, to-dos, and to-haves.
Regardless of what you do, you can be cognisant of one thing—the world has never been filled with as many opportunities as it is today.
You can learn from the best in all domains for free on YouTube or other streaming platforms
You can learn any subject from books and journals available for less than a few hundred dollars
You can create digital goods, and numerous platforms allow you to sell or market your wares for free.
You can create physical goods and start small on marketplaces like Facebook, Amazon, and others.
You can inform/educate/entertain, and reach audiences globally, eventually to build a business or a career.
But the tools and resources alone won’t suffice. One will need the energy levels needed to go against the gravity of mediocrity that pulls you down and keeps you part of the average.
You have only two choices - either you have the energy, or you feed off energy from others.
There is no third option unless you settle for mediocrity.
When energy meets tools and resources, the sky is the limit. The right amount of energy will make you move an inch today if not miles. It will help you extract the juice from today instead of procrastinating. It will make you explore the weeds for knowledge instead of borrowing conviction from others.
When you make every day count over multiple years, there will come a day when someone asks you, “How is life?” and your reply will be “Awesome !!!” with a spark in your eyes.
And it should be. It ought to be.
Everyone has only one life. Why live it small?
Wishing you all a fantastic weekend ahead, and Eid Mubarak to all in advance 🌙
Sending loads of love and luck, too 🧿
Manish