Re: choosing the path you want - I think most of us have this deeply ingrained intuition that somehow, pain in the short term necessarily results in success in the long term. E.g. going to med school even when you're not passionate about it/interested in something else, or choosing a job with long hours and terrible WLB because of marginally higher pay.
What I've personally come to realize—and what you express so clearly with this post—is that while this "strategy" can often be a good heuristic, it's 1) not always true (pain in short term sometimes ends up fruitless) and 2) there are usually less painful ways to succeed to begin with (i.e. pain and gain don't always have to go together).
On the other hand, I can't help but think that choosing what you want in the present over something less desirable for supposed long-term gain is SO much easier said than done. Why? You mention the biggest reasons: financial stability, hope/rationalization of the current path (copium??), fear of falling behind (especially compared to your peers). All these factors weigh in on your risk assessment on whether a change in your life is worth it, perhaps disproportionately so.
I also think we inherit some of this "risk profile" from our parents as well: e.g. immigrant parents who value conventional career paths as financial stability was so important to their generation. This makes it harder to "unlearn" and recalibrate our intuition to be more risk-seeking, especially when we can now afford it (thanks to them).
Being more present is, as you described, seemingly the solution to all of the above.
Thanks for sharing and I hope you continue writing! :')
how do we make our body(incl mind) be "present" ? can this happen without actually experiencing what you have but able to comprehend it? My point is we realized this later in life, can this knowledge be experienced by someone young before hitting obligated life?
Amazing read as always! :)
Re: choosing the path you want - I think most of us have this deeply ingrained intuition that somehow, pain in the short term necessarily results in success in the long term. E.g. going to med school even when you're not passionate about it/interested in something else, or choosing a job with long hours and terrible WLB because of marginally higher pay.
What I've personally come to realize—and what you express so clearly with this post—is that while this "strategy" can often be a good heuristic, it's 1) not always true (pain in short term sometimes ends up fruitless) and 2) there are usually less painful ways to succeed to begin with (i.e. pain and gain don't always have to go together).
On the other hand, I can't help but think that choosing what you want in the present over something less desirable for supposed long-term gain is SO much easier said than done. Why? You mention the biggest reasons: financial stability, hope/rationalization of the current path (copium??), fear of falling behind (especially compared to your peers). All these factors weigh in on your risk assessment on whether a change in your life is worth it, perhaps disproportionately so.
I also think we inherit some of this "risk profile" from our parents as well: e.g. immigrant parents who value conventional career paths as financial stability was so important to their generation. This makes it harder to "unlearn" and recalibrate our intuition to be more risk-seeking, especially when we can now afford it (thanks to them).
Being more present is, as you described, seemingly the solution to all of the above.
Thanks for sharing and I hope you continue writing! :')
how do we make our body(incl mind) be "present" ? can this happen without actually experiencing what you have but able to comprehend it? My point is we realized this later in life, can this knowledge be experienced by someone young before hitting obligated life?