So we approach the end of 2020. A time to reflect on the past and to prepare for the embark on the future of the new year. I wanted to quickly express my thoughts to summarize this year.
Outlook
Throughout this year, there has been an idea stuck in my head I keep referring to. I’ve come across this idea from reading Mark Manson’s, “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck”. It is composed of two quotes. The first part of the quote states, “…The solutions to today’s problems will lay the foundation for tomorrow’s problems.” These words hit me with the knowledge I feel like I’ve always known but never comprehended until now. It applies beyond technology which is why I want to mention it here. Everyone I talk to always says, “I can’t wait for 2021. It can’t get any worse. COVID will be gone.” I don’t blame anyone for feeling this way, but I found these statements very bizarre. The reason is that tomorrow will be the first day of 2021 and guess what… COVID is going to exist. I tried to obviously not take these so literally. I interpreted “Oh well, this year sucks. Better luck next year”. This has probably resulted in many of us just gave up on goals and ways to progress forward.
My point of all of this is that problems are always going to exist in life and range in severity. Even if we solve COVID today, there will be, not if, another pandemic. We will continue to have hurricanes, confrontations with others, etc. The priorities just change based on the current situation. In my opinion, the true importance is if our current problems teach us to be better once we solve them. I’m confident we will be at a point where COVID-19 will be no longer a global issue. However, will our society actually learn from this for any future pandemic? I understand that global issues are more complex to tackle, but I believe we should be proactive in finding a solution and preparing for future problems. It also doesn’t disregard that this approach to life couldn’t be scaled down to an individual.
Evaluating yourself
Here is the other quote. “True happiness occurs only when you find the problems you enjoy having and enjoy solving”. For me, this also struck me to my core. It made me re-evaluate my social life, work-life, and personal endeavors. I had to question if the problems I deal with are worth putting up with. Are those problems I want to solve all the time?
The best example I can give is your job or career. No matter where you are, you’re dealing with a problem. If your job truly didn’t have a problem to solve, well then I would be questioning why your job exists. It gives society a way to function and possibly your purpose. That’s why I think every job is difficult. That difficulty is relative to the individual. People that are masters at one job may not be able to handle a different job. For example, A nurse might find a computer programmer’s task difficult. That programmer might find customer service jobs difficult. Aside from the experience or understanding of concepts to excel in that field, I think what truly makes this true is our tolerance towards problems. When you find the frustrations you’re willing to endure to solve the problem (or problems that will inevitably happen), then I think you have found your lifelong job or purpose.
Now the question you have to ask yourself, is are the problems you constantly deal with worth it to you? At the end of the day, do you get satisfaction when the problem is solved, or does it not matter? Answering these types of questions can help people decide what actions they need to take to steer them in the right direction (in my opinion).
Takeaway
I hope my words inspire others to stay vigilant to work on their problems now so they are ready to tackle more in their future. I also hope with this year of problems, opened your eyes to find what truly makes you happy or who matters to you. I would love to hear other people’s perspectives on this. Happy Holidays to everyone!