“Most of us are more committed to what we want the truth to be than we are to the truth itself.” – Part 2
1. All progress starts with the truth.
2. When we don’t like the truth, we unconsciously lie to ourselves, which brings progress to a bitter halt.
3. Those who make progress fastest are those who are willing to face the truth, no matter how uncomfortable that truth might be.
So today, let’s explore a few of the cozy little lies modern society taught us to tell ourselves…
(we’ve been killing buzzes all week, why stop now?)
…Starting with this winner:
“Hard work always pays off.”
Tell that to your janitor.
There’s no shortage of blue-collar workers putting in more hours than Elon…
(well, maybe not Elon, but you get the picture)
…Who barely make enough to pay their weekend beer tab.
And, get this:
Not only does hard work often not pay off — smart work doesn’t always pay off, either.
Of course, smart and hard work has the best shot at success.
But if you’re looking for promises of happy endings, forget mastery and go find a brothel.
(how’s that for a motivational speech?)
Next up:
“Do what you love and money will follow.”
This one’s a bit closer to the truth, but as they say:
Almost true is still total bullsh*t.
(I’ve never actually heard anyone say that, but it sounds cool in my head)
Here’s the deal:
Doing what you love is obviously no guarantee of success — starving artists are so common they’ve become clichés…
…And it’s not even a guarantee that you’ll always love what you’re doing — no matter how much you love it, work is still gonna suck sometimes.
It can, however, make your work a lot more enjoyable, most of the time.
Which may lead to working more, with a more engaged mind, which may lead to higher quality work, which may produce more money in the long-run.
But the key word, as always, is — “may”.
Fairytale endings not guaranteed.
Okay, one more:
“Everything happens for a reason.”
Yes, but that reason is often the dumb sh*t we did in the past, not some bright, sparkly, imaginary future.
(you aren’t hungover this morning ’cause the universe has a plan for you, you’re hungover ’cause you deep-throated a bottle last night, bucko)
Cause and effect works both ways, not just the way we want it to.
Alright, I think that’s enough inspiration for today.
And I’m only partly joking:
Fluffy platitudes make nice stories for children, but fully-grown adults tend to be more inspired by real challenges with real risks and no guarantee of success.
How else will we find out what we’re really made of?
– T
