Recently, I’ve been exposed to the idea that life isn’t linear. As strange as it sounds, I initially rejected this notion. It just wasn’t a perspective I was used to living by.
For one, my high school days revolved around “the grind”. Clear goals such as getting into my target programs gave me a clear path for what I was working towards everyday. Seeing my grades go up was the tangible reward for my efforts. I concluded that since my progress seemed constant, it meant I was only climbing higher.
I realize how naive that mindset was. Essentially, I convinced myself my only direction forward was up. Consequentially, I couldn’t accept toppling back down. I remember falling into despair after “bombing” a calculus test. I immediately lost all hope in getting into SYDE. In hindsight, it was so dramatic. But when you buy into a belief that failure is preventable, you’re bound to crash when what’s inevitable surfaces.
I like thinking of life as a marathon. If you pace it like a sprint, you’ll never reach the finish line.
Setting goals is one thing if you reject defeat, because growth can only come from failure and success. Dismissing one counterpart will only halt the process to achieve said goals.
Furthermore, life can be defined by progression. At every stage, I’m asking, “How did I grow to become a better version of myself?” If I were to graph my journey throughout a year, it would look relatively jagged. Some months would soar while others dip. And that can mean a lot of things. For example, when I’m putting my head down and grinding, my perception of progress can stall on the graph. But when those efforts finally pay off, suddenly the line jumps sky high.
To bring this tangent back together, I think it’s a terrible mentality to be tunnel visioned in on getting to the end. Even a marathon can be completed in halves. Part of the journey is to enjoy the process of getting there.
If you look too far in the future, you’ll never realize the beauty of the present.
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