4. Calm Ambition — Part 1 (Commitment)

Still water runs deep.

The first image that comes to my mind when I hear the word ‘calm’. Source: ATP World Tour

Roger Federer never smashes his racquet. Rahul Dravid never lost his temper. Bill Gates didn’t was largely silent (both in Microsoft and in the Gates Foundation). Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. preached non-violence and patience, even in the face of extreme opposition.

Yet, each of them achieved heights in their respective fields that very few (if any) people ever did. There are many features common between them, but one stands out to me — their consistency. Look at them in any sphere but their craft, and you’ll likely find them to be extremely normal, maybe even boring. Very little drama, no real escapades, no outlandish attempts at ‘releasing all that stress’. Contrast that with what we see regularly.

The Tragedy of Finding Meaning in Distractions

The norm in many parts of the working world is to ‘blow off steam’ by indulging in something unhealthy — a heavy night of drinking or regular smoking / consumption of drugs stand out, but equally common are a burning desire to go on yet another vacation, to buy yet another expensive product, or to attend yet another party.

I do believe that life has any meaning that you attach to it. We all feel a void and sense some purposelessness. I like to believe that the great men filled that void extensively with their craft. I believe that they found love in their craft, not because they are supremely gifted, but because they chose to truly commit to that craft. Commitment starts a beautiful cycle: Commitment → effort → performance → enjoyment / meaning → commitment… (and so on).

Commitment as a Source of Meaning

Everything we do becomes a part of our identity and helps us fill the void of purposelessness. Those of us who have many interests before we excel in any one field end up pursuing all our interests to shallow degrees.

I assert that a better way is the age-old conservative approach of working hard, enjoying the struggle, enjoying the little pleasures along the way, and reaching the height of any one thing, before exploring other interests.

Our time, focus, and energy are all finite.

Before endorsements, travel, humanitarian aid, and other pursuits, my idols focused on perfecting one thing each (and stabilizing almost all other parts of their lives):

  • Federer = Tennis
  • Dravid = Cricket
  • Gates = Software
  • Gandhi = India’s independence
  • MLK Jr. = Civil rights

How much worse the world would have been had they filled the void with vacations, products, or parties.

(to be continued in Part 2).

Finding Satisfaction

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Chronicle of a life spent figuring out what life is about.

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