There’s a headline from a satire magazine that legitimately changed the way I think. The words were just so brutally honest, so perfectly hysterical and so terrifyingly close to home, that they couldn’t help but have a profound impact on my philosophy of life.
Man pathetically waiting for that one email that changes everything.
It was the story of my life. Spending a disproportionate amount of time hoping that pain of idleness will disappear. Waiting around with my heart in my hand, hoping for that one person, that one event, that one opportunity, that will change the trajectory of my career and plummet my into the future and into the life that I desire and deserve. Then and only then, will I finally be able to start living life again.
Of course, I know it’s only a mirage I kiss. Because every time I get there, there disappears. The infinite horizon never fails to eludes my grasp.
When will I learn to stop tricking myself into thinking my security comes from outside myself? When will I stop waiting for that one moment in time that will change everything? When will I accept that life’s many seasons are rarely fair but always trustworthy?
Only time will tell.
Carmon’s widely cited study on the behavioral economics of waiting in lines comes to mind. His research found the citizens of our country spend over thirty billion hours waiting in line each year. And the reason it’s so bloody torturous is the drudgery of unoccupied time, the uncertainty and anxiety of waiting and the nagging sensation that our lives are slipping away before our very eyes.
What a perfect metaphor for the absurdity of the human condition.
Because life is the line.
And in fact, every time I catch myself begging the rose of life to unfold faster, here’s what I tell myself.
This is it, this is life, this is as good as it gets, this is the best day of my life.
It’s equal parts comforting, ridiculous and acquiescent.
And it helps me get through the day.
Linklater was right when he said, the ride does not require an explanation, only occupants.
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Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.
Never the same speech twice. Customized for your audience. Impossible to walk away uninspired.
Now booking for 2017-2018.
Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of
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