“Outside, things always look smaller than they really
are, don’t they, Ben?” — Pennywise, It
You never expect a creepy murder clown to give good life advice, but people can always surprise you. When I read this quote I couldn’t stop thinking about how true it is. Pennywise was talking specifically about an illusion in the book, but really this illusion happens to us all the time in real life!
The downfall of humanity is that we often think either the world is too small or that we ourselves are too small
So many times in life do I see a challenge or task and think it looks smaller than it really is. It could be starting a business in something I’m passionate about, a simple new year’s resolution, or even forming new habits. They all seem doable…until I actually try and do them.
How many times have you fallen in love with a new idea or habit but once you dive in you can’t seem to finish or follow through? Maybe the reason is simply that our perception is off. Maybe we are simply viewing the task as small and as such we don’t take the proper preparations.
If your goal is to hike the entire Appalachian Trail, you would prepare for it, wouldn’t you? You would do practice hikes, a few short camping trips, buy the right gear, and make sure you were in proper shape. You wouldn’t just walk onto the trail with a fanny pack and flip-flops! So why do we so often forget to approach our “simpler” goals with this kind of preparation? If your goal is to write more often, then it might not be enough to simply say it. You need to prepare a plan, get some writing prompts, and maybe even have an accountability partner.
The other side of this coin is that we tend to view ourselves as too small. Every time I get a paycheck I am flabbergasted anyone would ever pay me to write the software I do. How could I ever jump into freelancing? What do I have to offer? Part of this is that once we get good at something, we tend to simplify it. I can’t imagine charging someone to write software because I assume it would be just as easy for them to learn to write it themselves. But in reality that is just not true; at some point, we need to realize that our skills and experiences are actually VALUABLE.
“It’s a small world after all”
That is such a popular quote, is it not? But in reality, the world is huge! We live on a planet with 7 billion unique people and enough land that it took a Canadian man 11 years to walk around the whole thing! When we view our challenges we ought to make the right preparations! No matter how simple the task, being prepared is the best way to ensure you won’t give up.
If it is a product or service then charge accordingly, you deserve it! If it is an experience, don’t downplay it! It is a big deal! Share it with the world!
Don’t view the world or yourself in such a small light. You’re bigger than you think.
A version of this post was previously published on medium.com and is republished here with permission from the author.
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