You can’t connect the dots looking forward

Hey Reader,

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I heard Aubrey Marcus say something powerful in a video when he announced the release of his NYT Best Selling Book.

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“I spent so much of my life terrified of what I was going to become and whether I was going to be right here right now.

God, how much time did I waste afraid I wasn’t going to be right here right now?

If I could change, the only thing I’d change about my whole life would be fearing less that I wouldn’t get right here - the place I was going anyway.

I wouldn’t change all the mistakes and mishaps, I needed those.

But all the constant worry that I wasn’t going to make it, took me out of enjoying the moment.

It took me out of enjoying these experiences, smiling, eating my lunch, or doing whatever I was doing.

Know your mission, and have faith that you’re going to get there.

Wherever you go, it’s going to be all right.

Just find ways to get out of your head.”

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I sat with this for a while, as I got in my head all the time, asking myself if I was doing enough.

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I spend so much time trying to plan things out, strategizing every second, and it’s come with many upsides.

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But trying to predict how your life is going to work out is not only a waste of time, but it neglects life’s greatest gift.

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It was told in the stories of the ancient Greeks that the gods envy us. They envy us because we are mortal. After all, things like chance and unpredictability are what make life so interesting.

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So enjoy the journey, but remember some of these lessons I’ve spent time reflecting on:

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If you want better, be better, waste no time arguing what a good man should be, and be one.

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The greater the suffering, the greater the peace. No second chance to life.

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Fate is God’s plan. Amor Fati is the love of fate. Everything is God. Waste no time arguing what a good man should be, and be one. Where would the glory and adventure be if there was no risk, and success was certain?

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Learn to become outcome agnostic, detached from what happens.

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The question of worth it hinges on an outcome, and it’s not the mindset to make something great. That which is your control, your power to change, is agency. That which you cannot control is fate.

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Note: A book that I’m currently reading that provides great insights is from Tim Ferris, called, Tribe of Mentors.

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Until next time, keep optimizing the human experience,

Isaac