Life is short; time is precious. I say we make the most out of this one shot of life. To do some top shelf shit you’ll need discipline, dedication, and of course a #Relentless drive. But, you’ll probably also need to do some things that you don’t exactly like.
Yesterday, I was asked the question if I like fine art. I responded with a “no, not particularly.” That begged the next question: why do you work in a fine art gallery?
This conversation aligned perfectly with an email I got just the day before from The Daily Stoic entitled, “Doing the Things You Don’t Want to Do.”
I’ve spoken on this topic before and even in a recent blog I stated that “life is too short to do shit that you don’t want to do.”
Although that statement is not entirely true, I still stand by it. You have to live your live by it to some extent. But, you also have to pull from both ends. This is the tricky part of Stoicism. I’ll try to break this down into more simpler terms.
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Let’s start with a question…
Is it not the duty of every person to fulfill their potential?
I don’t believe many would so no to this. Even those who aren’t even attempting to live up to their true potential couldn’t deny this.
I think the answer is a firm, yes. The world would be a much better place if everybody lived up to their potential. If you sit too far on the “life’s to short to do shit you don’t want to do” spectrum, then I don’t think you’ll live up to your true potential.
There will be times where doing things you don’t really want to do will be necessary, even if you’re on the exact path you know you should be on.
I didn’t want to get up at 4:20 this morning. It kind of sucks but I know if I slept in, didn’t go to the gym, didn’t blog, didn’t journal, or prepare my food for the evening the day would feel wasted.
You see, I’m allowing myself to take the evenings ‘off.’ For now, at least. My main focus is making my morning routine a habit and it’s slowly but surely becoming one. Once my morning routine is locked down, I will then begin to change the evening routine. One variable at a time, slow and steady progress…
I also didn’t really want to get back into the retail/sales workspace either. I’ve enjoyed the less mentally taxing jobs I’ve had of late and helps me stay mentally sharp for perfecting my craft of writing and producing content.
But, sometimes the Stoic has to do things that they don’t want to do. They’re blessed with the gifts and great responsibilities too. Those gifts and responsibilities can become burdensome, for sure. I’ve discussed that before as well.
That’s what duty is; that’s what duty requires. Put aside your selfish wants and thinking and serve the greater need.
I felt the call to come to Alaska to help a friend on a similar path that I have been on. My skills, I believed, would come in handy and help continue the momentum of his dream becoming and staying a reality.
I may not enjoy the actual job, talking to customers, selling them a product but I’m not here for the job. I’m here to help a friend. I felt the conviction to do so and knew that I could make an impact so here I am.
But, I don’t want you to think that this move was completely selfless; it certainly was not. I’ve had my sights on Alaska ever since I started snowboarding. I knew that if I fell in love with snowboarding, I’d want to push it as far as I was capable.
Alaska is considered by most to be some of the best backcountry riding in the entire world. It’s vast and rugged terrain calls snowboarders and skiers from all over to come visit and ride some gnarly lines.
At my current ability level, I don’t feel comfortable tackling some of the premier lines that Alaska has to offer. My plan is to come back here in a couple of years after I’ve gained more experience on a board.
But, I didn’t want to wait long before I at least visited. I just wanted to get a feel for what it’s like here. Typically, when I want to go and do something, I’ll visit the place and let my gut tell me if it’s a fit.
By being in Alaska and although it’s only been 5 weeks, I have only confirmed my desire to come back. What I really want to do with the next few decades of my life is be on a snowboard as much as possible, do some top shelf shit.
For now, I’ll give it my all each and everyday inside the gallery knowing that it’s helping a friend achieve his dreams and that it’s also helping me achieve mine. It’s a good place to practice, plan and prepare. The next few years are going to be a lot of fun.
“No role is so well-suited to philosophy
as the one you are in right now.”
– Marcus Aurelius
So… no, I don’t particular like selling fine art but I like helping my friends more than I dislike selling art. The only reason you should do things that you don’t really wish to is because those things set you up for things that you truly want to do but may not be quite ready for.
Sometimes you’ve got to sacrifice today for a better tomorrow. Great things take time, patience, and development of skill. You can’t train for battle and win the war all in the same day.
So, today I might not being exactly what I want to do. I may have to do a few things that I don’t particularly want to do. But, I know that these days won’t last forever. The place I am right now is a stepping stone helping me get to where I ultimately want to be.
#Relentless
