2021-08-02

Re: watching people succeed

tags: mind

Emily writes:

> "i should be working harder. i should be sleeping less. i shouldn't be daydreaming or slacking off. my worth as a human being on this planet amounts to what i do, and i'm not doing enough!"

gemini://tilde.pink/~emily/sad/success.gmi

local copy

Dear Emily,

I'm not so sure.

I would definitely object to

> i should be sleeping less.

Honestly. Don't do that. If you or anyone does not sleep enough, then there will not be sufficient regeneration of their body and mind. And without that, you or anyone cannot do their thing.

Now I acknowledge, that most of us have to spend a certain amount of time for $dayjob in order to pay for the inevitable bills. I certainly have to. However, that does not prove, that $dayjob is the sole and only thing in life. $dayjob is a deal. A certain amount of time and braincycles and manual work is done in exchange for an hopefully agreed upon amount of money and/or optionally other privileges (small or big).

As I have written elsewhere: "if you can possibly afford a part time job --- go for it!".

So? Well, I spend considerable time at $dayjob taming computers to do things indistinguishable from magic :-) And in my spare time I teach others how to use Linux or microcontrollers, or how to use arrows and a bow (archery). And I have occasionally succeeded in making other people smile.

Seriously, is teaching Linux or archery to others different from creating art? Or from daydreaming? Or from reading a book? Or from taking a walk in the neighborhood, optionally having a chat with them neighbors? Ok, I could have become a famous scientist sitting in tv talk shows. But teaching students and looking into what keeps the world together is the important thing for me.

tl;dr: Sleep and daydream enough to be able to do "your thing" --- whatever that is, and then do it.

And yes I know, it's sometimes hard to find "your passion". Don't give up.

Cheers,

~ew

PS: I hope that I did not cross the "uninvited/useless advice" limit too badly.

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