Not every storm was meant to break ya’
… there are moments in life when the world splits into two groups …
People who jump ship
vs.
People who stay the course
Leaving isn’t shameful. Often it’s the right call - especially if it is inline with your tolerance for risk. When others step away, a rare opportunity opens for the person who remains. That window is not just about persistence.
It’s about building conviction
Conviction is different from stubbornness. It comes from asking questions that are easier to skip:
Where exactly am I?
Where exactly was I before this?
Can I still get to the place I thought I was headed?
These questions forced me to re-evaluate direction and motive. They have driven me to redraw maps to match the terrain I find myself on. Some destinations, I believe are still worth reaching and I’m building even more conviction. Now I can feel that I will get there because I’ve recommitted to the journey with clearer principles and sharper eyes.
Recommitment starts with First Principles
… until we’re left with what actually matters. Not limited to questioning our why, sometimes we develop new first principles.
Either way, we need to practice.
… choosing to experiment where others stop,
Choosing to accept short-term discomfort for long-term clarity
This is a golden time in your life.
People who jump ship aren’t bad for doing so; they simply had different risk tolerances over a different horizon. If we decided to stay the course, the decision to do so becomes more meaningful. We can learn things the others can’t - because they’ve left the field we are on.
We can develop insights born of deep exposure to the problem.
Our insights compound.
Building conviction when others have left gives us the chance to change our identity.
Alas, this is a lonely journey - it has to be, by design.
New Character
The slow accumulation of small repeated practices (e.g. 200 strong days at the gym in a year) become part of your new character over time. Testing assumptions starts to feel different when less people are watching (i.e. Remember, they have left the field). Failure is starting to feel more like joyful experimentation. “Oh fuck” moments feel less terrifying and more mechanical: recalibration.
When did you last examine your destination? Did you decide to keep going?
