Life is not about perfection

I had been waiting to write a perfect post, to write it perfectly and to have some magical effect. But then I realized, life does not work like that. While waiting for those perfect moments, we miss on many good ones, many great ones. Life doesn’t have to be lived waiting for those milestones because sometimes the smaller, less significant moments will capture its reality better.

I started painting again after a long time. And the moment I put the first stroke, I felt like an idiot for not doing it all this while. But its fine because I know what I missed. This year has been a phase of awakening for me and as I go through it, it feels liberating. I believe life needs such stirrings else the essences of life start to precipitate at the bottom of the jar. I don’t want to lose those, I want to keep stirring my life so that I can keep feeling alive. Stagnation has no place in a life worth living. When one stops growing, one does not stay stationary – one diminishes.

And this reminds me of my first case study in MBA program. It was a case on Iggy’s bread and ignoring the nuances, the question to me was whether the successful small shop should try growing or not. It was a valid question to me at the time. If a business is doing great in its present form, does it need to grow or innovate or evolve? The answer is seemingly more clear to me now. There is no alternate to growing – it does not have to be in size but it needs to be in one’s position, understanding, grade – whatever you may want to call it. Because when you don’t grow, someone else is and comparatively, you’ve shrunk. In business world it’s a race to lead and even once you win that, it’s a race to keep ahead – it does not stop.

At human level, the competition is more intra- than inter-. I think the growth happens when you think you are beginning to understand better and know more. Then comes a point where you realize you don’t know enough and you possibly can never know enough. This is an important milestone and the real life starts now. And then, you keep growing as you discover the enormity of life – your priorities become clear and you learn what should not bother you. Eventually, it is said that you attain nirvana when you come to terms with the insignificance of your being. That is the hardest concept to me, I don’t know if I want to reach there. How can it be insignificant? But, lets not jump the guns. I am happy knowing that I am at the point where I know my ignorances. Where I know what I can never be and I’m at peace with it. It lets me enjoy what I am.

Thanks to a friend for passing this wonderful post – https://alexmaccaw.co.uk/posts/traveling_writing_programming
I want to do this too. I have already started writing the book I always wanted to, I hope the traveling can begin soon too.

Then, I love this video from my friends at Holstee –

And finally, this gem of talk by Elizabeth Gilbert that I bumped on quite accidentally. Frankly, I started writing after watching this –

And, let me end with what she says at the end –

Don’t be daunted. Just do your job. Continue to show up for your piece of it, whatever that might be. If your job is to dance, do your dance. If the divine, cockeyed genius assigned to your case decides to let some sort of wonderment be glimpsed, for just one moment through your efforts, then “Ole!” And if not, do your dance anyhow. And “Ole!” to you, nonetheless. I believe this and I feel that we must teach it. “Ole!” to you, nonetheless, just for having the sheer human love and stubbornness to keep showing up.

This post was originally posted on my personal blog nisthaonweb.