Give It All Back… And Then Some

Today’s Rant On Tomorrow’s Yesterday

What got us here is not good enough for tomorrow. Our experience does not entitle us to be ignorant of tomorrow. Our resources built on what we did, what we’ve done and how we did it do not determine our place or status tomorrow.

And if we believe otherwise, we’ve already checked out. We’ve already accepted ignorance and entitlement as our status symbol, as our identity and persona for tomorrow. So, when it comes, which it will, let’s not be so surprised.

Work, effort and purpose don’t stop. Learning is continuous and there’s no place for laziness, complacency or content tomorrow, all we have is opportunity ahead. What there is place for: humility, self-awareness, generosity and radical open-mindedness.

If we are unwilling to invest our time and effort in continuously reinventing ourselves in a sustainable fashion regarding progress and ingenuity that led us here then we ought to admit (to ourselves) that we need help.

There are better, hungrier, more intelligently driven people out there that can not only be leveraged but want to be leveraged but we’re too ignorant to not only in paying attention to them but literally in paying them; as far as providing them with the resources, freedom to explore and support they need to perform at their best.

Can we have the wisdom and humility to put our pride, ego, personal identities, social status’ and all the other BS we’ve accumulated over the course of our lives and careers to give away what we know and share rather than protect and to trust in the power of the strange new generation of tomorrow?

It’s on us. On us to admit we have limitations and that if we’re spent, incapable or just unwilling to hand it off and play the supportive role. Our turn might be over.

Question is… Are we willing to?

Are we willing to have the humility, self-awareness, generosity and radical open-mindedness required to optimize our contribution and in turn reach our potential?

It’s great that you got it, now it’s time to give it all back… and then some.

Raw Thoughts Of The Day…

“You can have anything but you can’t have everything. Maturity is saying, “no” to some opportunities, so you can say, “yes” to good or better ones.“

THE LAZY BADGE OF “TOO BUSY”

Being busy is a choice. And the “Too Busy” badge we love to wear and flash for validation or measure our value by is not only a lazy reason/response but inauthentic to the point of ignorance. We all have the same 24-hours, where and who you choose to spend it and how you choose to prioritize your commitments is entirely under your control.

If we’re too busy to put the work in or do the things we enjoy that we’d otherwise be doing then we ought to reevaluate our priorities and be honest with ourselves. Because seriously, we are not actually busy. We do have the time. We make the time for things that matter. Maybe we just don’t really understand what really matters to us.(Inspired by Debbie Millman)

“Success is not indicative of optimal strategy. Optimal strategies can fail, just as sub-optimal or pure luck can succeed.”

OUR BEST SELF

After all the battles have been fought, all the obstacles conquered, all the wounds and scars that have shaped and sculpted our physical and mental form as we exist today, we are left with and as simply: our best self.

Getting to and becoming of is not easy. It requires a lifetime of patience, persistence, self-awareness and a virtuously perceptive response to the obstacles that befall is along the way. Our greatest challenges, our greatest opportunities.

For all that we cannot control in the world and throughout our life, of what we can — our reactions, responses and perceptions — we ought to do so with dignity, grace and vigor.

We choose how we perceive the world, how we spend our time, energy and attention and with whom we share it with. Our choice is our contribution and the future is ours to shape and mold as we see fit. Let us see it through the lenses of clarity and purpose for ourselves and others, rather than of the eyes and ears of those that distract and detract.

This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by 308,692+ people.

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